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1 Samuel 10

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1
Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? ​
2
When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? ​
3
Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4
And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
5
After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: ​
6
And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. ​
7
And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.
8
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. ​

The Prophetic Signs Are Fulfilled 9–16

9
And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. ​
10
And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11
And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? ​
12
And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? ​
13
And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
14
And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel.
15
And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.
16
And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not. ​

Saul Is Chosen Publicly at Mizpeh 17–25

17
And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; ​
18
And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
19
And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. ​
20
And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21
When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22
Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. ​
23
And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. ​
24
And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
25
Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. ​

The King’s Initial Reception 26–27

26
And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. ​
27
But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 10

Verse 1

a vial of oil — Pak is a small flask, poured out on the head; David was anointed from a 'horn' (1 Sam 16:13) and Jehu from a 'box' (2 Kings 9:3). The title is nagid, 'captain', as promised in 9:16. The kiss recalls the homage of Ps 2:12, 'Kiss the Son'.

Verse 2

Rachel's sepulchre — Rachel 'died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem', and Jacob set a pillar on her grave (Gen 35:19–20). The place is 'in the border of Benjamin', at Zelzah. The first sign answers the errand of 9:3: the lost asses are found.

Verse 5

the hill of God — Gibeah means 'hill'; here it holds a Philistine netsiv, a garrison or officer (cf. Geba, 13:3). The 'company of prophets' come down from the high place with nebel (psaltery), toph (tabret), chalil (pipe) and kinnor (harp), and prophesy to music, as in 1 Chr 25:1.

Verse 6

turned into another man — Hapak, to turn about, change. The Spirit 'will come upon' Saul as upon Samson (Judg 14:6) and Othniel (Judg 3:10), and he will 'prophesy with them'. The change is God's work, not Saul's; it is carried out in v.9, where the same verb is used.

Verse 8

go down before me to Gilgal — Samuel is to come with 'burnt offerings' and 'peace offerings', and Saul is to wait 'seven days' for instruction. The command is recalled in 13:8, where Saul 'tarried seven days' and Samuel 'came not'. Gilgal is also where the kingdom is renewed (11:14–15).

Verse 9

God gave him another heart — Hapak again, the verb of v.6, now with lev, the heart as seat of will and mind. The change came 'when he had turned his back to go from Samuel', and 'all those signs came to pass that day'. The text names God as the giver.

Verse 11

Is Saul also among the prophets? — Those who 'knew him beforetime' (literally, yesterday and the day before) are astonished at the 'son of Kish'. The same question is asked again when Saul prophesies before Samuel at Naioth (1 Sam 19:24).

Verse 12

But who is their father? — A man 'of the same place' answers: the prophets have no famous father to give them standing, so the gift cannot be inherited and may come to anyone. The saying became a mashal, a proverb, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?' (cf. 19:24).

Verse 16

He told us plainly — Nagad is doubled in the Hebrew, an emphatic 'telling he told'. Samuel had said the asses 'are found' (9:20). Of 'the matter of the kingdom' (melukah) Saul says nothing, though Samuel had spoken it privately (9:27; 10:1).

Verse 17

called the people together unto the LORD — Tsa'aq means to call an assembly by summons. Mizpeh was where Samuel had gathered Israel to pray and they 'fasted on that day' (1 Sam 7:5–6), and where Israel had assembled 'as one man' (Judg 20:1). The gathering is 'unto the LORD', not merely to Samuel.

Verse 19

ye have this day rejected your God — Ma'as, to spurn, the word the LORD used in 8:7, 'they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them'. Their request, 'Nay, but set a king over us', echoes 8:19. They are now to stand 'by your tribes, and by your thousands' for the lot.

Verse 22

hid himself among the stuff — Keli means gear, baggage or equipment. The people 'enquired of the LORD further', and the LORD himself answered where Saul was, as in the enquiries of Judg 20:18 and Num 27:21. The man already taken by lot (v.21) is the one 'hid'.

Verse 23

higher than any of the people — The same description as 9:2: 'from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people'. The LORD later says to Samuel of another, 'Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature' (1 Sam 16:7).

Verse 25

the manner of the kingdom — Mishpat, the rule or custom, the word of 'the manner of the king' in 8:9, 11, where Samuel set out what a king would take. Here Samuel 'wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD'. Deut 17:14–20 had already given the law for a king.

Verse 26

whose hearts God had touched — Naga', to touch, laid on 'hearts' (lev). The 'band of men' is chayil, a force or company of valour. Saul goes 'home to Gibeah', which becomes known as 'Gibeah of Saul' (1 Sam 11:4; 15:34).

Verse 27

children of Belial — Beliya'al, worthlessness; the phrase marks lawless men (Deut 13:13), as also Eli's sons (1 Sam 2:12). Their 'How shall this man save us?' uses yasha', the saving of v.19. 'Presents' are minchah, tribute; he 'held his peace' (charash).