TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
Complete Jewish Bible
As they were going down, at the edge of the city, Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead"; so the servant went on. "But you, stand still now, because I want you to hear what God has said."
Berean Standard Bible
As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I will reveal to you the word of God.” So the servant went on.
American Standard Version
As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still first, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.
World English Bible Messianic
As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant pass on before us” (and he passed on), “but stand still first, that I may cause you to hear the word of God.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
And when they were come downe to the ende of the citie, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the seruant goe before vs, (and he went) but stand thou still nowe, that I may shewe thee the worde of God.
Young's Literal Translation
They are going down in the extremity of the city, and Samuel hath said unto Saul, `Say to the young man that he pass on before us (and he passeth on), and thou, stand at this time, and I cause thee to hear the word of God.'
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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
And when they descended to the outermost part of the city, Samuel said to Saul, etc. When the Lord was sitting, having assumed humility and poverty for us, revealing Himself as the most despised and last of men, and among the citizens of the world as the lowest, He also taught His followers to be poor in spirit, yet He did not immediately face death at the hands of the often impious plotters; but according to the prophecies, of which John is a part, He commanded His obedient servants to go before Him, and to pass from vices to virtues, from death to life. But He Himself remained in the world for a little while after they departed until He completed the word about Him foretold by the prophets to His faithful.
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 9:27 marks the climactic moment of Saul's providential journey to meet Samuel, where the prophet, having privately hosted and honored Saul, now prepares to deliver a direct, divine revelation concerning Saul's future. As they depart the city, Samuel instructs Saul to send his servant ahead, creating an intimate and secluded space for the impartation of "the word of God," which will irrevocably alter Saul's destiny and the course of Israel's history by establishing him as the nation's first king. This verse serves as a crucial transition, setting the stage for the anointing and the profound shift from the era of judges to the monarchy.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse provides the narrative pivot point in Saul's unexpected encounter with Samuel, which began with Saul's seemingly mundane search for his father's lost donkeys, detailed in 1 Samuel 9:3-5. The preceding passages meticulously lay the groundwork: God's divine forewarning to Samuel about Saul's arrival the day before (1 Samuel 9:15-17), Samuel's immediate recognition and welcoming of Saul, and the extraordinary honor bestowed upon him at a private feast, where Saul was seated at the head of the table and given the choicest portion (1 Samuel 9:19-24). The instruction to send the servant ahead and "stand thou still a while" in this verse directly precedes and sets the stage for the highly significant private anointing of Saul as king and the subsequent prophetic signs that confirm his kingship, as recorded in 1 Samuel 10:1-8. Thus, 1 Samuel 9:27 is not merely an ending to a chapter but a vital narrative bridge from Saul's humble origins to his divine appointment.
Historical & Cultural Context: The period described in 1 Samuel marks the tumultuous transition from the decentralized tribal confederacy under judges to a centralized monarchy in ancient Israel. The era of the Judges was characterized by a cyclical pattern of apostasy, oppression, and deliverance, often summarized by the lament, "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," as seen in Judges 21:25. Israel had recently demanded a king to be "like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:5), a request that grieved Samuel but was ultimately permitted by God as a concession to their desire, albeit with a warning about the consequences of monarchy (1 Samuel 8:7-18). In this context, prophets like Samuel served as God's primary spokespersons, mediating His will to the people and their leaders. The act of a prophet anointing a king was a powerful public and spiritual legitimization, signifying divine election and empowerment. The instruction for privacy in 1 Samuel 9:27 underscores the sacred and weighty nature of this divine communication, a common practice in ancient Near Eastern cultures for significant pronouncements, ensuring the message's purity, authority, and the recipient's undivided attention.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully encapsulates several key themes central to the book of 1 Samuel. Firstly, it highlights Divine Sovereignty and Election, demonstrating that Saul's kingship was not a human initiative or random chance but God's specific choice and appointment, despite the people's flawed motivations for desiring a king (1 Samuel 8:7). Secondly, it emphasizes the Authority of Prophetic Revelation, as Samuel acts as God's direct conduit, delivering "the word of God" that establishes the monarchy and guides its inception. Thirdly, the need for privacy underscores the theme of Sacred Encounter and Readiness to Hear, suggesting that profound divine communication often requires a setting free from distraction, where the recipient is poised to receive and obey. This moment of stillness is crucial for a life-altering divine impartation. Finally, it subtly introduces the theme of God's Surprising Providence, as Saul's mundane task of finding donkeys leads him directly into God's grand plan for Israel, illustrating how God orchestrates seemingly random events for His ultimate purposes, a truth echoed in Proverbs 16:9.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several effective literary devices that enhance its significance. Foreshadowing is prominent, as Samuel's solemn declaration, "that I may shew thee the word of God," strongly hints at the momentous revelation to come, building anticipation for the anointing of Israel's first king. The setting of "going down to the end of the city" and the deliberate act of sending the servant ahead create a sense of seclusion and intimacy, emphasizing the sacred and personal nature of the divine encounter. This intentional creation of a private space can also be seen as a form of symbolism, where the physical separation from the world represents the spiritual separation required for receiving God's direct and weighty communication. Furthermore, the contrast between Saul's mundane task (finding lost donkeys) and the extraordinary divine purpose awaiting him highlights God's surprising and sovereign intervention in human affairs, demonstrating how seemingly ordinary events can lead to extraordinary divine appointments.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 9:27 serves as a powerful testament to God's active involvement in human history and His chosen method of revealing His will through His appointed messengers. It underscores the principle that divine calling often comes unexpectedly, interrupting the mundane to usher in the miraculous. God, in His sovereignty, initiates the process of establishing leadership, not merely responding to human demands but shaping them for His ultimate purposes. The emphasis on receiving "the word of God" highlights the foundational importance of divine revelation as the basis for legitimate authority and guidance, a theme echoed throughout Scripture where God's word is the source of truth, life, and direction for His people, demonstrating His faithfulness to communicate with humanity.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
1 Samuel 9:27 offers profound insights for contemporary believers, particularly regarding the posture of readiness required to hear God's voice. Just as Samuel instructed Saul to "stand thou still a while" to receive God's word, we too are called to cultivate moments of intentional stillness and solitude in our noisy, distracted lives. This verse reminds us that discerning God's will and hearing His voice often requires us to quiet the clamor of our daily routines and create sacred space for intimate communion with Him, whether through prayer, diligent meditation on Scripture, or seeking godly counsel. It encourages us to approach God's word with an attitude of humble readiness and obedient receptivity, understanding that His revelations, though sometimes surprising or demanding, are always for our ultimate good and His glory. Are we willing to step away from our immediate concerns and "stand still" to truly listen when God desires to speak into our lives, even when His message challenges our expectations or calls us to an unforeseen path?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was it necessary for Samuel and Saul to be alone for this revelation?
Answer: The privacy was crucial for several reasons, highlighting the profound nature of the impending divine revelation. Firstly, it underscored the sacred and intimate nature of God's personal choice and empowerment of Saul as king. Such a weighty spiritual act often occurred in a secluded setting to emphasize its divine origin and prevent misinterpretation or premature public reaction. Secondly, it allowed for a focused, uninterrupted impartation of "the word of God" to Saul, ensuring he fully grasped the weight and implications of his divine calling without the distractions or opinions of others. This private moment also served to establish Samuel's authority as God's prophet to Saul, setting the stage for their future relationship and Saul's obedience to divine commands, as seen immediately in 1 Samuel 10:1.
What does "shew thee the word of God" imply about the nature of God's communication?
Answer: The phrase "shew thee the word of God" (Hebrew: yashmi'akha et-devar Elohim, "make you hear the word of God") implies a direct, authoritative, and revelatory communication from God Himself, delivered through His prophet Samuel. It's not merely advice, counsel, or a prophetic vision, but a divine decree that carries the full weight of God's sovereign will. This "word" is foundational and transformative, as it will establish Saul as king and set the course for Israel's monarchy. It highlights that God's communication is purposeful, clear, and demands a response, often initiating significant shifts in individuals' lives and historical trajectories, as seen throughout the biblical narrative where God speaks and things come into being or are radically altered (Genesis 1:3, Isaiah 55:11). It emphasizes that God's word is not passive information, but an active force that accomplishes His purposes.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 Samuel 9:27, though set in the context of Israel's first earthly king, profoundly foreshadows the ultimate King, Jesus Christ. Just as Samuel prepared Saul to receive "the word of God" concerning his kingship, so too did John the Baptist prepare the way for Jesus, the true King, by proclaiming His coming and calling people to repent and "stand still" to hear the divine word embodied in Him (Matthew 3:1-3). Jesus himself is the living "Word of God" made flesh (John 1:1, John 1:14), the ultimate and complete revelation of God's will and character. Unlike Saul, whose kingship was temporal and ultimately flawed, Jesus's reign is eternal and perfect, established not by human anointing but by divine decree and His sacrificial work on the cross (Hebrews 1:8, Revelation 19:13). The call for Saul to "stand still a while" to receive God's word finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant's invitation to all believers to draw near to Christ, the source of all truth and the embodiment of God's saving message, through whom we truly hear and receive the very word of God that brings eternal life and establishes us in His eternal kingdom (John 5:24, Colossians 1:13). In Christ, the word of God is not merely spoken to us, but is Him, inviting us into a perfect, unending reign.