TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul approached Sh'mu'el in the gateway and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is."
Berean Standard Bible
Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
American Standard Version
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is.
World English Bible Messianic
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then went Saul to Samuel in the middes of the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the Seers house is.
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul draweth nigh to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and saith, `Declare, I pray thee, to me, where is this--the seer's house?'
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 Samuel 9 verses 18–27
18 ¶ Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.
19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.
20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?
21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.
23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.
24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house.
26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
Providence having at length brought Samuel and Saul together, we have here an account of what passed between them in the gate, at the feast, and in private.
I. In the gate of the city; passing through that, Saul found him (Sa1 9:18), and, little thinking that he was Samuel himself, asked him the way to Samuel's house: Tell me where the seer's house is; for there he expected to find him. See how mean a figure Samuel made, though so great a man: he took not any state, had no attendants, no ensigns of honour carried before him, nor any distinguishing habit, no, not when he went to church, but appeared, in all respects, so much a common person that Saul, though he was told he should meet him, never suspected that it was he, but, as if he looked more like a porter than a prophet, asked him the way to the seer's house. Thus is great worth oftentimes hidden under a very despicable appearance. Samuel knew that it was not the house, but the man, that he wanted, and therefore answered him, "I am the seer, the person you enquire for," Sa1 9:19. Samuel knew him before he knew Samuel; thus, though all that are called to the kingdom of glory are brought to know God, yet first they were known of him, Gal 4:9. Now, 1. Samuel obliges him to stay with him till the next day. The greatest part of this day had been spent in sacrificing, and the rest of it was to be spent in holy feasting, and therefore, "Tomorrow I will let thee go, and not sooner; now go up before me to the high place; let us pray together, and then we will talk together." Saul had nothing in his mind but to find his asses, but Samuel would take him off from that care, and dispose him to the exercises of piety; and therefore bids him go to the high place, and go before him, because, it may be, some business obliged Samuel to call by the way. 2. He satisfies him about his asses (Sa1 9:20): Set not thy mind on them, be not in further care about them; they are found. By this Saul might perceive that he was a prophet, that he could give him an answer to the enquiry which he had not yet made, and tell him what he thought; and thence he might infer, if a man of God can do this, much more doth God himself understand our thoughts afar off. 3. He surprises him with an intimation of preferment before him: "On whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not a king that they are set upon, and there is never a man in Israel that will suit them as thou wilt." It does not appear that the country had as yet any eye upon him for the government, because they had left it wholly to God to choose for them; but such a one as he they wished for, and his advancement would be the advancement of his family and relations, as Abner, and others. 4. To this strange intimation Saul returns a very modest answer, Sa1 9:21. Samuel, he thought, did but banter him, because he was a tall man, but a very unlikely man to be a king; for, though the historian says (Sa1 9:1) his father was a mighty man of power, yet he himself speaks diminishingly of his tribe and family. "Benjamin, the youngest of Jacob's sons, when grown up to be a man, was called a little one (Gen 44:20); that tribe was diminished by the war of Gibeah; and I am a Benjamite, my family the least," probably a younger house, not in any place of honour or trust, no, not in their own tribe. Gideon had expressed himself thus, Jdg 6:15. A humble disposition is a good presage of preferment.
II. At the public feast; thither Samuel took him and his servant. Though the advancement of Saul would be the deposing of Samuel, yet that good prophet was so far from envying him, or bearing him any ill-will for it, that he was the first and forwardest man to do him honour, in compliance with the will of God. If this be the man whom God has chosen, though he be none of Samuel's particular friends or confidants, yet he is heartily welcome to his table, nay, to his bosom. We may suppose it was no unseasonable kindness to Saul to give him a meal's meat, for it seems, by what he said (Sa1 9:7), that all their meat and money were spent. But this was not all. Samuel treats him not as a common person, but a person of quality and distinction, to prepare both him and the people for what was to follow. Two marks of honour he put upon him: - 1. He set him in the best place, as more honourable than any other of the guests, to whom he said, Give this man place, Luk 14:9. Though we may suppose the magistrates were there, who in their own city would claim precedency, yet the master of the feast made Saul and his servant too (who, if Saul was a king, must be respected as his prime minister of state) sit in the chief place, Sa1 9:22. Note, Civil respects must be paid to those who in civil things have the precedency given them by the divine providence. 2. He presented him with the best dish, which, having had notice from heaven the day before of his coming (Sa1 9:16), he had designed for him, and ordered the cook to secure for him, when he gave orders for inviting the guests and making preparation for them. And what should this precious dish be, which was so very carefully reserved for the king-elect? One would expect it should be something very nice and delicate. No, it was a plain shoulder of mutton (Sa1 9:23, Sa1 9:24). The right shoulder of the peace-offerings was to be given to the priests, who were God's receivers (Lev 7:32); the next in honour to that was the left shoulder, which probably was always allotted to those that sat at the upper end of the table, and was wont to be Samuel's mess at other times; so that his giving it to Saul now was an implicit resignation of his place to him. Some observe a significancy in this dish. The shoulder denotes strength, and the breast, which some think went with it, denotes affection: he that was king had the government upon his shoulder, for he must bear the weight of it; and the people in his bosom, for they must be dear to him.
III. What passed between them in private. Both that evening and early the next morning Samuel communed with Saul upon the flat roof of the house, Sa1 9:25, Sa1 9:26. We may suppose Samuel now told him the whole story of the people's desire of a king, the grounds of their desire, and God's grant of it, to all which Saul, living very privately, was perhaps a stranger; he satisfied him that he was the person God had pitched upon for the government; and whereas Saul would object that Samuel was in possession, and he would not for all the world take it out of his hands, Samuel, we may suppose, gave him all the assurance he could desire of his willingness to resign. Early in the morning he sent him towards home, brought him part of the way, bade him send his servant before, that they might be private (Sa1 9:27), and there, as we find in the beginning of the next chapter, he anointed him, and therein showed him the word of the Lord, that is, gave him full satisfaction that he was the person chosen to be king, for he would not jest with that sacred rite. It is by the unction of the Holy Ghost that Christ, the great prophet, shows us the word of the Lord. Jo1 2:27, the same anointing teacheth you of all things.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 18–27. Public domain.
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BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
Saul approached Samuel at the city gate, etc. The Lord came to John at the boundary of fulfilling the law and initiating grace. For the law and the prophets were until John; from then on the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it (Matt. XI). And he asks him in what humility and in what perfection of other virtues his conscience is placed, who has deserved to see so much divine contemplation before other mortals then. For the house of each individual is the conscience, in which thoughts always dwell. But he does not question him with words, but by bestowing his gifts upon him. And he, responding, reveals where his house is; for in all the virtues he practiced, he showed himself to be placed in the abode of humility; saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John III). And other such things, to which Samuel's subsequent responses aptly correspond.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 9:18 captures the divinely orchestrated, pivotal encounter between Saul and Samuel in the public gate of Ramah. Saul, a humble young man from the tribe of Benjamin, has been fruitlessly searching for his father's lost donkeys. Guided by his servant's suggestion to consult a "man of God," he unknowingly approaches Samuel, the revered prophet and judge. Saul's seemingly mundane question about the seer's residence sets the stage for his anointing as Israel's first king, revealing God's profound sovereignty over even the most ordinary circumstances.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative in 1 Samuel 9:18 masterfully employs several literary devices to heighten its impact and underscore its theological message. Irony is profoundly prominent, as Saul's mundane quest for lost donkeys leads him directly to the prophet who will anoint him king, completely unbeknownst to him. His simple question about the "seer's house" stands in stark contrast to the profound destiny awaiting him, creating a powerful sense of dramatic irony for the reader. This also showcases Divine Orchestration, where God's unseen hand meticulously guides the seemingly random events of Saul's journey to converge precisely with Samuel's divine instruction, demonstrating God's sovereign control over even the smallest details of human life. The encounter itself serves as powerful Foreshadowing, setting the immediate stage for Saul's anointing in the following chapter and signaling the dramatic shift in Israel's leadership from judges to monarchy. The public setting "in the gate" also adds a layer of Symbolism, representing the public nature of Samuel's office and the impending public revelation of Saul's kingship, even though the anointing itself will be private.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 9:18 beautifully illustrates the profound truth of God's active involvement in human affairs, demonstrating His ability to use the most ordinary circumstances to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. It underscores the principle of divine sovereignty, where God's plans are not contingent on human awareness or intention, but unfold according to His perfect will. Saul's mundane search for lost donkeys becomes a divinely orchestrated journey towards his destiny as king, revealing that God often works behind the scenes, guiding steps and aligning events in ways we cannot perceive. This provides immense comfort and encouragement, reminding believers that even in our daily routines and seemingly insignificant struggles, God is at work, weaving His grand design for His glory and our ultimate good.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
1 Samuel 9:18 offers profound insights for contemporary believers, challenging us to cultivate a posture of attentiveness and trust, recognizing that God is actively at work in every facet of our lives, even in the most mundane or frustrating circumstances. What might appear as a distraction, a dead end, or a trivial pursuit in our personal "search for lost donkeys" could, in fact, be a divinely orchestrated detour leading us to a greater purpose or a significant divine appointment. This verse encourages us to seek God's counsel through His Word and through spiritually mature mentors, much like Saul sought the "seer," even if we don't fully understand the bigger picture. Ultimately, it calls us to embrace openness to God's surprising ways, understanding that His plans often unfold outside our expectations, always for our good and His glory, requiring our faith and obedience even when the path is unclear.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Saul not know who Samuel was?
Answer: Saul's ignorance of Samuel's identity, despite Samuel being a prominent judge and prophet, can be attributed to several factors. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, a relatively minor tribe, and he himself was not a prominent figure within it. Samuel's influence, while widespread, might have been more concentrated in certain regions or among specific families, particularly around Ramah. Furthermore, the narrative emphasizes God's sovereign orchestration. Saul's lack of prior knowledge heightens the divine irony and underscores that his encounter was not a result of his seeking out the famous prophet due to his own ambition, but rather God leading him directly to Samuel for a specific, divinely appointed purpose. This highlights God's initiative in the calling of Saul, rather than Saul's own recognition or pursuit.
What is the significance of "in the gate"?
Answer: The "gate" of an ancient Israelite city was a highly significant location, serving as the primary public square and administrative center. It was where legal judgments were rendered by elders and judges, business transactions were conducted, public announcements were made, and social interactions took place. For Samuel, as a judge and prophet, being "in the gate" was a natural part of his public role, making him accessible to the community for counsel and wisdom. For Saul, encountering Samuel there signifies that their meeting, though initially for a private matter (lost donkeys), was occurring in a public space, foreshadowing the public nature of Saul's impending anointing and the national implications of this divine appointment. It underscores that God's plans often unfold in the midst of ordinary, public life, not always in secluded or overtly sacred settings.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 Samuel 9:18, with its theme of divine orchestration and an unexpected encounter leading to a kingly anointing, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. Just as Saul was led by God to Samuel for a seemingly mundane reason, only to be revealed as God's chosen king, so too was Jesus's earthly life marked by divine orchestration, often unfolding through ordinary circumstances. He was not born into a royal palace but in a humble manger in Bethlehem (Luke 2:7), and grew up in the obscure town of Nazareth, prompting the skeptical question, "Can anything good come out of [Nazareth]?" (John 1:46). Yet, He was the true King, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, whose ministry began not with a grand political ascent but with calling humble fishermen and tax collectors. Jesus is the ultimate "Seer" and Prophet, the very Word of God made flesh, through whom God has spoken His final and most complete revelation (Hebrews 1:1-2). His mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), a divine pursuit infinitely grander than lost donkeys, culminating in His anointing not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit for His ultimate sacrifice and resurrection, establishing an eternal kingdom that transcends all earthly monarchies.