| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
1 Samuel
Chapter Twelve
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 12
In
this chapter Samuel
resigning the government to Saul
asserts the integrity
with which he had performed his office
and calls upon the people of Israel to
attest it
who did
1 Samuel 12:1
he
then reminds them of the great and good things the Lord had done for them in
times past
1 Samuel 12:6 and
whereas they had desired a king
and one was given them
it was their interest
to fear and serve the Lord; if not
his hand would be against them
1 Samuel 12:10 he
terrifies them by calling for thunder in an unusual time
1 Samuel 12:16 and
then comforts and encourages them
that in doing their duty God would be with
them
and not forsake them
otherwise they might expect nothing but ruin and
destruction
1 Samuel 12:20.
1 Samuel 12:1 Now Samuel said
to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me
and
have made a king over you.
YLT
1And Samuel saith unto all
Israel
`Lo
I have hearkened to your voice
to all that ye said to me
and I
cause to reign over you a king
And Samuel said unto all Israel
.... When assembled at
Gilgal
after they had recognized Saul as their king
and he was established in
the kingdom
and while in the midst of their mirth and joy:
behold
I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye have said
unto me; respecting the affair of a king
to which it must be limited
as
appears by what follows; otherwise it is possible
in some things they might
apply to him about
he did not think fit to hearken to them
and grant their
request
or speak for them:
and have made a king over you; that is
had by the
direction and appointment of God chosen one by lot
anointed and declared him
king; for it was the Lord alone
that
properly speaking
made him a king.
1 Samuel 12:2 2 And
now here is the king
walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded
and
look
my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood
to this day.
YLT
2and now
lo
the king is
walking habitually before you
and I have become aged and gray-headed
and my
sons
lo
they [are] with you
and I have walked habitually before you from my
youth till this day.
And now
behold
the king walketh before you
.... He
invested with his office
and in the exercise of it
and goes in and out as the
captain
commander
and leader of the people; it is expressive of his being in
the full possession of regal power and authority
and therefore Samuel might
speak the more freely
as he could not be thought to have any hope and
expectation of being reinstated in his government
or to have parted with it with
any regret; and he wisely took this opportunity of reproving the people for
their sin of desiring a king
when Saul was settled and established in his
kingdom
and when they were in the midst of all their mirth and jollity
who
might
from the success that had attended this first adventure of their king
conclude that they had done a right and good thing in requesting to have one:
and I am old
and grey headed; and so unfit for
government
and very willing to be eased of the burden of it: he must surely be
more than fifty two years of age
as the Jews generally say he was
since it is
not usual at such an age to be grey headed; see Gill on 1 Samuel 8:1;
however
on this account he merited reverence and respect
and demanded
attention:
and
behold
my sons are with you; as private persons in
the condition of subjects
making no pretension to government; and if they had
committed anything criminal
they were open to the law
and might be charged
and tried
and treated according to their deserts; and there they were
and
might be asked what questions they thought proper with respect to what they
knew of his conduct; and to be hostages or bail for him
if they could prove
anything against him; or to be taken to make satisfaction for any injuries
committed by him:
and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day; his manner of
and conversation from his infancy to this time was well known to them
and he had
spent all his days in the service of God
and for the good of Israel.
1 Samuel 12:3 3 Here
I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed:
Whose ox have I taken
or whose donkey have I taken
or whom have I cheated?
Whom have I oppressed
or from whose hand have I received any bribe with
which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
YLT
3`Lo
here [am] I; testify
against me
over-against Jehovah
and over-against His anointed; whose ox have
I taken
and whose ass have I taken
and whom have I oppressed; whom have I
bruised
and of whose hand have I taken a ransom
and hide mine eyes with it?
-- and I restore to you.'
Behold
here I am
.... No longer the supreme governor
but a
subject
and accountable for any misdemeanour charged upon me
and to which I
am ready to give answer
being now at your bar to be tried and judged before
you:
witness against me before the Lord
and before his anointed; signifying
that if they had anything to lay to his charge
that they would produce it
and
give proof and evidence of it in the presence of God
in whose name they met
and of Saul
anointed king
and supreme judge and ruler of the nation:
whose ox have I taken? by force to employ in
his own service in ploughing his ground
or treading out his corn:
or whose ass have I taken? to ride about on in his
circuit
or to carry any burden for him:
or whom have I defrauded? of their money or goods
by any artifice circumventing and cheating them:
whom have I oppressed? struck
beaten
broken
or
caused to be so used wrongfully; to whose person have I been injurious any more
than to their property? Some derive the word from a root which signifies favour
and goodwill
and interpret it as some of the Rabbins do
of his not taking
money of persons with their goodwill; or rather
that he had done nothing as a
judge for favour and affection
but had acted the upright part
without regard
to rich or poor
friends or foes:
or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes
therewith? his meaning is
that he had never taken a gift or present from
any person to favour his cause
that was to be brought before him
and give it
for him right or wrong; to connive at any injury he had done
or to turn away
his eyes from seeing where the justice of the cause lay; or that he had not
received money to spare the life of a criminal that deserved to die; for the
word used for a bribe signifies a ransom price
see Deuteronomy 16:19.
and I will restore it to you; the ox or ass
money or
goods
gifts and presents
or bribes taken
or make compensation for any injury
done to the persons or estates of men. Some render it
"I will answer
you"F6אשיב לכם
"respondebo vobis"
Munster.
or give in an answer to any such
charges when exhibited.
1 Samuel 12:4 4 And they said
“You have
not cheated us or oppressed us
nor have you taken anything from any man’s
hand.”
YLT
4And they say
`Thou hast not
oppressed us
nor hast thou crushed us
nor hast thou taken from the hand of
any one anything.'
And they said
.... One in the name of the rest
or they
all cried out as one man:
thou hast not defrauded us
nor oppressed us; had done them
no wrong
neither privately nor publicly
by fraud or by force:
neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand; as a gift
present
or bribe
to fit your his cause. Some would infer hence that be took
nothing of them for his support and maintenance
and that he lived upon his own
substance; but that is not likely or reasonable; it was but just that they
should support him and his family suitably to his character as a judge
whose
whole life was spent in their service.
1 Samuel 12:5 5 Then he said to them
“The
Lord is
witness against you
and His anointed is witness this day
that you have
not found anything in my hand.” And they answered
“He is witness.”
YLT
5And he saith unto them
`A
witness [is] Jehovah against you: and a witness [is] His anointed this day
that
ye have not found anything in my hand;' and they say
`A witness.'
And he said unto them
the Lord is witness against you
and his
anointed is witness this day
.... Should they hereafter reproach and
vilify him
and charge him with any acts of corruption
injustice
and
violence:
that ye have not found ought in my hand; that they had
nothing to accuse him of and charge him with throughout his whole
administration
but had asserted his innocence and integrity
had honourably
acquitted him
and given him a fair character: and they answered
he is
witness; the omniscient God is a witness against us
should we depart from this
testimony
and Saul
the Lord's anointed
is a witness that we have fully
cleared thee from any imputations of maladministration. The word is singular
he "said" or answeredF7ויאמר
"et dixit"
Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus; Drusius.
that is
Israel
said
the whole body of the people
they all replied as one man: the reason why
Samuel made such a speech at this time
when he resigned his government to
Saul
was not only to secure his own character
but to suggest to Saul how he
should rule and govern according to his example; and that having established
his own character
he could the more freely
and with the better grace
reprove
the people for their sin
as in some following verses.
1 Samuel 12:6 6 Then Samuel said to the
people
“It is the Lord who raised up Moses and
Aaron
and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.
YLT
6And Samuel saith unto the
people
`Jehovah -- He who made Moses and Aaron
and who brought up your
fathers out of the land of Egypt!
And Samuel said unto the people
.... Having cleared and
established his own character
he proceeds to lay before the people some of the
great things God had done for them formerly
and quite down to the present
time
the more to aggravate their ingratitude in rejecting God as their King:
it is the Lord that
advanced Moses and Aaron; raised them from a low estate
the one in a foreign country in
Midian
the other in bondage in Egypt
to be deliverers
guides
and governors
of his people Israel. Kimchi thinks this refers to what goes before
and that
the sense is
that God
that raised Moses and Aaron to great honour and
dignity
was a witness between him and the people; in which he is followed by
some Christian interpreters. Ben Gersom makes mention of the same
but rather
approves of the connection of the words with what follows
as does Abarbinel
and is doubtless most correct; the Targum is
"who hath done mighty things
by the hands of Moses and Aaron:"
and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt; when they
were in bondage there
and that by the means of Moses and Aaron
by whose hands
he wrought signs and wonders and inflicted plagues on the Egyptians
which made
them willing at last to let Israel go.
1 Samuel 12:7 7 Now therefore
stand
still
that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all
the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and
your fathers:
YLT
7and
now
station
yourselves
and I judge you before Jehovah
with all the righteous acts of
Jehovah
which He did with you
and with your fathers.
Now therefore stand still
.... Keep your place
and
do not as yet break up the assembly
but wait a little longer patiently
and
with reverence and attention hearken to what I have further to say:
that I may reason with you before the Lord; as in his
presence; and which he observes to command the greater awe upon their mind
and
the greater regard to the subject of his discourse and resolutions; which would
be:
of all the righteous acts of the Lord
which he did to you and to
your fathers; not only in a way of judgment delivering them into the hands of
their enemies
when they sinned against him
but rather in a way of mercy and
kindness in delivering them out of their hands.
1 Samuel 12:8 8 When Jacob had gone into
Egypt
[a] and your
fathers cried out to the Lord
then the Lord
sent Moses and Aaron
who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell
in this place.
YLT
8`When Jacob hath come in to
Egypt
and your fathers cry unto Jehovah
then Jehovah sendeth Moses and Aaron
and they bring out your fathers from Egypt
and cause them to dwell in this
place
When Jacob was come into Egypt
.... With his family to
see his son Joseph
and dwelt there; or rather the posterity of Jacob are
meant
who settled in Egypt
and continued there many years
and at length were
oppressed by the Egyptians
and brought into hard bondage:
and your fathers cried unto the Lord; by reason of
their bondage
for help and deliverance:
then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron
which brought forth your
fathers out of Egypt; after various messages carried by them from the Lord to Pharaoh
king of Egypt
and after many signs and wonders wrought by them
by which the
heart of that king was at last brought to consent to their dismission:
and made them dwell in this place; the land of Canaan; they
conducted them through the Red sea
guided them through the wilderness
and
accompanied them
especially Moses
to the borders of the land of Canaan; for
neither of them went into it
but died before the people's entrance there.
Joshua
the successor of Moses
of whom Samuel makes no mention
introduced
Israel into it
conquered the land for them
and settled them in it; though
Moses and Aaron
as they were the instruments of bringing them out of Egypt
were the cause
by conducting them through the wilderness
and by their
prayers
counsels
and instructions
of their entrance into and settlement in
it: besides
Moses appointed Joshua in his stead
and ordered him to lead the
people there
and directed to the division of the land among them
yea
two
tribes and an half were settled by him on the other side Jordan; the
Septuagint
Vulgate Latin
Syriac
and Arabic versions
read in the singular
number
"he made them dwell
that is
the Lord".
1 Samuel 12:9 9 And when they forgot the Lord their God
He
sold them into the hand of Sisera
commander of the army of Hazor
into the
hand of the Philistines
and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought
against them.
YLT
9and they forget Jehovah
their God
and He selleth them into the hand of Sisera
head of the host of
Hazor
and into the hand of the Philistines
and into the hand of the king of
Moab
and they fight against them
And when they forgat the Lord their God
.... The
worship of the Lord their God
as the Targum; that is
they fell into idolatry
which is a plain instance and proof of forgetfulness of God; for such that
neglect his worship
and serve idols
may be truly said to forget him:
he sold them into the hand of Sisera
captain of the host of Hazor; who was
general of the army of Jabin king of Canaan
who reigned in Hazor
Judges 4:2
where
they are said to be sold into the hands of Jabin
here into the hands of
Sisera; because it is highly probable he was sent against them by Jabin
and
subdued them
as he afterwards was sent by him
when they rebelled against him
and were delivered out of his hand:
and into the hand of the Philistines: as they were
in and before the times of Samson
Judges 13:1.
and into the hand of the king of Moab; as in the
times of Ehud
Judges 3:14
the
exact order of these things is not observed:
and they fought against them; the king of Moab
Sisera
and the Philistines
and overcame them
and so they fell into their
hands.
1 Samuel 12:10 10 Then they cried out to the
Lord
and said
‘We
have sinned
because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and
Ashtoreths;[b] but now
deliver us from the hand of our enemies
and we will serve You.’
YLT
10and they cry unto Jehovah
and say
We have sinned
because we have forsaken Jehovah
and serve the
Baalim
and Ashtaroth
and now
deliver us out of the hand of our enemies
and
we serve Thee.
And they cried unto the Lord
.... When in the hands of
their enemies
and in bondage to them
and cruelly oppressed by them:
and said
we have sinned; the word for
"said" is in the Cetib
or written text
singular
and in the Keri
or marginal reading
plural; and may signify
that everyone of them had a sense
of their sin
and made acknowledgment of it; their confession was universal
as
their sin was:
because we have forsaken the Lord; the Word of the Lord
as
the Targum:
and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth; See Gill on Judges 2:11; see
Gill on Judges 2:13.
but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies
and we will
serve thee; they did not ask for a king to go before them
and fight their
battles
as they did now
but applied to the Lord for deliverance
promising to
serve him as their King and their God.
1 Samuel 12:11 11 And the Lord sent
Jerubbaal
[c] Bedan
[d] Jephthah
and Samuel
[e] and
delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in
safety.
YLT
11`And Jehovah sendeth
Jerubbaal
and Bedan
and Jephthah
and Samuel
and delivereth you out of the
hand of your enemies round about
and ye dwell confidently.
And the Lord sent Jerubbaal
.... Or Gideon
as the
Targum
for Jerubbaal was the name given to Gideon
when he first became a
judge
Judges 6:32.
and Bedan; if this was one of the judges
he must have two names
or is one
that is not mentioned in the book of Judges; the Targum interprets it of
Samson; so JeromF8Heb. Trad. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. K.
for the word
may be rendered "in Dan"; one in Dan
who was of the tribe of Dan
as
Samson was; and it was in the camp of Dan the Spirit of God first came upon
him; and Kimchi observes that it is the same as Bendan
the son of Dan
that
is
a Danite; and though he was after Jephthah
yet is set before him
because
he was a greater man than he; and this way go the generality of Jewish writersF9So
in T. Bab. Roshhashanah
fol. 25. 1. ; but a man of this name being among the
posterity of Manasseh
1 Chronicles 7:17.
Junius
and who is followed by others
thinks that Jair is meant
and is so
called to distinguish him from a more ancient Jair
the son of Manasseh
and
with whom the order of the judges better agrees
see Numbers 32:41 but
the Septuagint
Syriac
and Arabic versions read Barak; and he may rather be
thought to be meant
because he was the instrument of delivering Israel out of
the hand of Sisera
the captain of the host of Hazor before mentioned
1 Samuel 12:9 and
agrees with the words of the apostle
Hebrews 11:32
who
mentions those judges much in the same order:
and Jephthah
and Samuel; meaning himself
who was
the last of the judges
and who speaks of himself as of a third person
as
Lamech does
Genesis 4:23 and
this he did not out of ostentation
but to observe that God had made him an
instrument of delivering them out of the hand of the Philistines
which must be
fresh in their memory
as he had made use of others before him
when he sent
judges
and not kings
and therefore they had no need to ask a king. The Syriac
and Arabic versions read Samson instead of Samuel
and which also agrees best
with Hebrews 11:32.
and delivered you out of the hands of your enemies on every side; not the
judges
but the Lord; for the word for "delivered" is of the singular
number:
and ye dwelled safe; in the greatest security
and confidence
without any fear of enemies
having God their King in the midst
of them
and stood in no need of any other king to protect and defend them.
1 Samuel 12:12 12 And when you saw that
Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you
you said to me
‘No
but a king
shall reign over us
’ when the Lord your God was your
king.
YLT
12`And ye see that Nahash
king of the Bene-Ammon hath come against you
and ye say to me
Nay
but a king
doth reign over us; and Jehovah your God [is] your king!
And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came
against you
.... Or "but yet"F11ותראו
"videntes autem"
V. L. "sed"
Tigurine version; "et
tamen"
Vatablus
Piscator. ; however
notwithstanding though the Lord had
been so kind and gracious to them
as to raise up judges one after another to
deliver them
when they cried unto him
yet when they perceived that Nahash the
Ammonite was preparing to make war with them
instead of applying to the Lord
for his protection
they desired to have a king to go before them
and fight
their battles
as follows: nay
but a king shall reign over us; though Samuel told them
they had no need of one:
when the Lord your God was your King; and would
protect and defend them
if they applied to him
and would put their trust in
him; and he himself Samuel was their judge
and would be their general and
commander
and they had experience of success under him to the utter
destruction of their enemies
1 Samuel 7:10 and
yet
notwithstanding all this
they insisted upon it to have a king. According
to Abarbinel
this preparation of Nahash to war with them was after they had
asked for a king
and was a punishment of them for their request; and yet they
repented not of it
but in effect said
though Nahash
and all the enemies in
the world come against us
we will not go back from our request
but insist on
it
that we have a king to reign over us; such was their obstinacy and
perverseness.
1 Samuel 12:13 13 “Now therefore
here is
the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note
the Lord
has set a king over you.
YLT
13And
now
lo
the king whom
ye have chosen -- whom ye have asked! and lo
Jehovah hath placed over you a
king.
Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen
and whom ye have
desired
.... For though God chose their king for them
it was at their
request; they chose to have a king
and desired one
and they approved of and
consented to
and confirmed the choice he had made
and so it was in effect
their own:
and
behold
the Lord hath set a king over you; he gratified
them in their desires; though he did not suffer them to make themselves a king
he suffered them to have one
and he gave them one; this power he reserved to
himself of setting up and pulling down kings at his pleasure.
1 Samuel 12:14 14 If you fear the Lord and serve Him
and obey His voice
and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord
then both you
and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God.
YLT
14`If ye fear Jehovah
and
have served Him
and hearkened to His voice
then ye do not provoke the mouth
of Jehovah
and ye have been -- both ye and the king who hath reigned over you
-- after Jehovah your God.
If ye will fear the Lord
and serve him
and obey his voice
.... All
worship and service of God
and obedience to his word and ordinances
should
spring from fear and reverence of him; and therefore the whole of worship
both
external and internal
is sometimes expressed by the fear of the Lord:
and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord; break it
and
thereby exasperate him
and provoke him to wrath and bitterness:
then shall both ye
and also the king that reigneth over you
continue
following the Lord your God; the Targum is
"after the worship of the Lord
your God;'which was their duty to do
and is expressed in the preceding
clauses; and this therefore is rather a promise of some benefit and privilege
to their duty
and to encourage them to it
since it stands opposed to the
threatening of punishment in the next verse; and the words in the original are
"then shall ye &c. be after the Lord your God"F12היי־תאם־אחר יהוה "eritis
post Dominum"
Pagninus
Montanus
Tigurine version
Piscator. : that is
though they had in effect rejected the Lord from being their King
by asking
and having one; yet notwithstanding
if they and their king were obedient to
the commands of the Lord
he would not cast them off; but they should follow
him as their guide
leader
and director
and he would protect and defend them
as a shepherd does his sheep that follow after him; so Jarchi takes it to be a
promise of long life and happiness to them and their king
"ye shall be
established to length of days
both ye and the king.'
1 Samuel 12:15 15 However
if you do not
obey the voice of the Lord
but rebel against the commandment of the Lord
then the hand of the Lord will be against
you
as it was against your fathers.
YLT
15`And if ye do not hearken
to the voice of Jehovah -- then ye have provoked the mouth of Jehovah
and the
hand of Jehovah hath been against you
and against your fathers.
But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord
but rebel against
the commandment of the Lord
.... They and their king
by sinning
disregarding his precepts
both affirmative and negative:
then shall the hand of the Lord be against you; by sending
some judgments upon them
as famine
sword
or pestilence
particularly
captivity and subjection to their enemies:
as it was against your fathers; who had no king; and it
is suggested that their case
who had one
would be no better than theirs;
their king would not be able to save them from the hand of God: the words in
the original are
"and against your fathers"F13ובאבתיכם "et contra patres vestros"
Pagninus
Tigurine version. ; which is interpreted in the TalmudF14T. Bab.
Yebamot
fol. 63. 2. of their fathers dead
and in their graves
and of their
enemies digging them up
and taking them out in contempt; but much better
by
Kimchi
of their kings
who are
or should be
fathers of their subjects
as
Augustus Caesar was called the father of his; and so the Septuagint version
renders it
"and upon their king"; signifying that both they and
their king should feel the weight of the hand of the Lord
if they rebelled
against him.
1 Samuel 12:16 16 “Now therefore
stand and
see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes:
YLT
16`Also now
station
yourselves and see this great thing which Jehovah is doing before your eyes;
Now therefore stand
.... Which does not so
much respect the position of their bodies as the fixed attention of their
minds:
and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes; meaning the
storm of thunder and rain which presently followed; which coming at a time when
such things were not usual
and on a day when there was no appearance or
likelihood of anything of this kind
and suddenly
at once
upon the prayer of
Samuel
it was no less than a miracle
and might be called a "great
thing"
new and unheard of
and the pure effect of almighty power.
1 Samuel 12:17 17 Is
today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord
and He will
send thunder and rain
that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is
great
which you have done in the sight of the Lord
in asking a
king for yourselves.”
YLT
17is it not wheat-harvest
to-day? I call unto Jehovah
and He doth give voices and rain; and know ye and
see that your evil is great which ye have done in the eyes of Jehovah
to ask
for you a king.'
Is it not wheat harvest today?.... Of the time of wheat
harvest; see Gill on 1 Samuel 6:13. Rain
usually fell in Judea only twice a year
called the former and the latter rain;
and from the seventeenth of Nisan or March
to the sixteenth of Marchesvan or
October
it was not usual for rain to fall
and so not in harvest
at that time
especially
see Proverbs 26:1. R.
Joseph Kimchi says
in the land of Israel rain never fell all the days of
harvest; and this is confirmed by Jerom
who lived long in those parts; who
saysF15Comment. in Amos iv. 7.
at the end of the month of June
and in the month of July
we never saw rain in those provinces
especially in
Judea. And Samuel not only by putting this question would have them observe
that it was the time of wheat harvest in general
but on that day in particular
the men
were at work in the fields reaping the wheat
&c. and so was not
cloudy
and inclining to rain
but all serene and clear
or otherwise they
would not have been employed in cutting down the corn; all which made the
following case the more remarkable:
I will call unto the Lord
and he shall send thunder and rain; in a
miraculous and preternatural way
there being nothing in nature preparatory
thereunto
and this purely at the prayer of Samuel:
that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great
which
ye have done in the sight of the Lord
in asking you a king; was attended
with aggravated circumstances
and highly offensive to God
though he had
gratified them in it
of which this violent storm would be an indication
and
might serve to convince them of their folly
as well as of their wickedness
and that they had no need of a king
since Samuel their judge could do as much
or more by his prayers than a king could do by his sword; and of which they had
had sufficient proof before this
and that in the same way
1 Samuel 7:10.
1 Samuel 12:18 18 So Samuel called to the Lord
and the Lord sent thunder
and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
YLT
18And Samuel calleth unto
Jehovah
and Jehovah giveth voices and rain
on that day
and all the people
greatly fear Jehovah and Samuel;
So Samuel called unto the Lord
.... Not in an
authoritative way
or by way of command
but by prayer; so the Targum renders
the clause in the preceding verse
"I will pray before the Lord:"
and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; immediately
though there was no appearance of it; it was harvest time
and a fine harvest
day. Josephus saysF16Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5. sect. 6. he sent thunder
lightning
and hail
a terrible storm and tempest it was:
and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel; the Lord that
sent this tempest
and Samuel who had such power with God in prayer. Clement of
AlexandriaF17Stromat. l. 6. p. 630. thinks that from hence the
Greeks borrowed their fable concerning Aeacus invoking God
when there was a
drought in Greece; and as soon as he prayed
immediately there was thunder
and
the whole air was covered with clouds; but perhaps they rather framed it from
the instance of Elijah praying for rainF18Vid. Schmid. in Pindar.
Nemea
Ode 5. p. 110.
at whose request it came
1 Kings 18:42.
1 Samuel 12:19 19 And all the people said to
Samuel
“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God
that we may not
die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for
ourselves.”
YLT
19and all the people say unto
Samuel
`Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God
and we do not die
for we
have added to all our sins evil to ask for us a king.'
And all the people said unto Samuel
During the tempest
and
in the midst of it; it was the general cry of the people
they were unanimous
in it:
pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God
that we die not; though they
had rejected him as their judge and supreme governor in desiring a king
now
they were his humble servants
at least feignedly; and knowing what interest he
had with God in prayer
they entreat him to make use of it on their behalf
who
having sinned so greatly
had not the assurance to call the Lord their God
though they had no doubt of his being the God of Samuel
whose prayers he had
heard
of which this tempest was a full proof; and was so violent
that if it
continued
they were afraid they should be destroyed by the thunder and
lightning
or they and their cattle
with the fruits of the earth
be washed
away with the prodigious rain:
for we have added unto all our sins this evil
to ask us a king; though Samuel
had laid before them the evils and inconveniences of having a king
and had in
the name of the Lord charged them with rejecting God as their king; yet nothing
convinced them of their evil till this storm came
and then all their sins came
fresh to their minds; and this added to the weight of them
and lay heaviest on
them
that they had rejected the Lord
and slighted his prophets
and
notwithstanding all remonstrances
resolved on having a king.
1 Samuel 12:20 20 Then Samuel said to the
people
“Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside
from following the Lord
but serve the Lord
with all your heart.
YLT
20And Samuel saith unto the
people
`Fear not; ye have done all this evil; only
turn not aside from after
Jehovah -- and ye have served Jehovah with all your heart
And Samuel said unto the people
fear not
.... Being
destroyed by the tempest:
ye have done all this wickedness; in asking a king; that
is
though they were guilty of so heinous a sin
yet there were grace and mercy
with God
and they should not despair of it
so be it that they did not depart
from him
but cordially served him; the Targum is
"ye have been the cause
of all this evil;'the storm of thunder and rain; and though they had
he would
not have them despond or indulge slavish fear:
yet turn not aside from following the Lord; the worship
of the Lord
as the Targum; provided they did not depart from the Lord
and
forsake his worship
word
and ordinances
they need not fear utter ruin and
destruction
though they had been guilty of this sin:
but serve the Lord with all your heart; if their
service of God was kept up
and was hearty and sincere
they might still expect
things would go well with them.
1 Samuel 12:21 21 And do not turn aside; for
then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver
for
they are nothing.
YLT
21and ye do not turn aside
after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver
for they [are] vain
And turn ye not aside
.... From his worship:
for then; if they turned aside from that:
should ye go after vain things; idols
which are vanity
and less than vanity:
which cannot profit nor deliver; neither bestow good
things on their votaries
nor deliver them from evils
or from the hands of
their enemies
for they are vain; empty
useless
and unprofitable; an idol
is nothing in the world
1 Corinthians 8:4.
1 Samuel 12:22 22 For the Lord will not
forsake His people
for His great name’s sake
because it has pleased the Lord to make you
His people.
YLT
22for Jehovah doth not leave
His people
on account of His great name; for Jehovah hath been pleased to make
you to Him for a people.
For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's
sake. For the sake of himself
his honour and glory; should he forsake
his people
and suffer them to come to ruin
his name would be blasphemed among
the Heathens; he would be charged either with want of power to help them
or
with want of faithfulness to his promise to them
and with inconstancy to
himself
or want of kindness and affection for them; all which would reflect
upon his honour and glory:
because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people; it was not
owing to any worth or worthiness in them that they became his people
but to
his own sovereign good will and pleasure; and therefore
as it was nothing in
them that was the cause of their being taken by him for his people
so nothing
in them could be the cause of their being rejected by him as such; it was of
free grace and favour that they were taken into covenant with him
and by the
same would be retained: the Vulgate Latin version is
"the Lord hath sworn
to make you a people for himself;'so Jarchi interprets it
he swore
and takes
it to have the same sense as in 1 Samuel 14:24.
1 Samuel 12:23 23 Moreover
as for me
far
be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to
pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.
YLT
23`I
also
far be it from me
to sin against Jehovah
by ceasing to pray for you
and I have directed you in
the good and upright way;
Moreover
as for me
.... As he had given them
reason to believe that God would forgive their sin
by which they had offended
him
rejecting him as their King
so he likewise forgave their offence against
him in rejecting him as their governor under him
and so neither need fear the
Lord nor him with a servile fear; and as God would still be gracious to them
if they abode by his service
so he
Samuel
would do all the good offices for
them that lay in his power:
God forbid that I should sin against the Lord
in ceasing to pray
for you; for since they had returned to the Lord
and acknowledged their
sin
it would have been an evil in him not to pray for them
that they might
share in the pardoning grace and mercy of God
and have all good things
bestowed upon them they stood in need of; this he judged to be his duty to do
and therefore abhorred the thought of being indifferent to it
negligent of it
or of dropping it:
but I will teach you the good and the right way; would not
only pray for them
but instruct them in the way of their duty; a way that was
a good one
agreeable to the will and word of God
and in walking in which good
things were enjoyed
and which being a good way
must needs be a right way;
though Samuel ceased to be a judge and chief magistrate among them
he should
not cease to act the part of a prophet to them
both by his prayers and by his
instructions.
1 Samuel 12:24 24 Only fear the Lord
and serve Him
in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for
you.
YLT
24only
fear ye Jehovah
and
ye have served Him in truth with all your heart
for see that which He hath
made great with you;
Only fear the Lord
and serve him in truth with all your heart
.... Fear him
not with a servile fear
which is before dehorted from
but with a filial fear
a reverential affection for God; and includes the whole of religious worship
internal and external; explained further by serving him according to the truth
of his word
and in a cordial
sincere
and affectionate manner; and if this
was wanting in them
he suggests that his prayers and instructions would be of
little avail
and not to be depended on:
for consider how great things he hath done for you; in bringing
them out of Egypt: settling them in the land of Canaan; giving them his laws
statutes
commands
and ordinances; sending prophets unto them
and raising up
judges for them
and bestowing all good things on them
in nature
providence
and grace; though some restrain this to the great thing he had done that day
to convince them of their sin
and by which they were returned to the Lord
namely
the violent storm of thunder; which wonderful instance of the power of
God
and token of his displeasure against them
they were to lay up in their
minds
and not forget
that it might be a means of preserving them from sin for
the future.
1 Samuel 12:25 25 But if you still do wickedly
you shall be swept away
both you and your king.”
YLT
25and if ye really do evil
both ye and your king are consumed.'
But if ye shall still do wickedly
.... Continue to rebel
against God
revolt from him
and depart from his worship
and despise his
prophets
and serve idols:
ye shall be consumed
both ye and your king; their king
would be so far from protecting
that he should perish with them
be killed by
the sword
as Saul their first king was
or go into captivity
as others of
their kings did.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)