THE FIRST BOOK OF
SAMUEL,

1 Samuel 12

1Samuel calleth upon the people, and receiveth from them an ample justification of his integrity. 6He chargeth them with ingratitude in rejecting God's government, and warneth them against future disobedience. To convince them of their offence in asking a king, 18he calleth for thunder and rain in the time of harvest to their great dismay; 20but encourageth them with the assurance of divine favour, if they will but fear the Lord, and serve him heartily.


1AND1 Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.

1 Namely, at Gilgal, where he had installed the king, 1 Sam. 11:15.

2And now, behold, 2the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons 3are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

2 That is, he is invested in his office to go before you into the battle, and to govern you.

3 That is, they dwell and keep company among you, no more as governors, but as citizens and private persons, without any government connection; make use of their further service it pleases you.

3Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before 4his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I 5oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any 6bribe to 7blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.

4 Namely, king Saul, whom I, by the command of the Lord, have anointed to be king over you; so also verse 5 and 1 Sam. 24:7.

5 Namely, by false and slanderous words, or by ill managing of affairs.

6 Hebr. an expiation; that is, a gift, whereby the offender reconciles himself to the angry judge, and purchases his favor.

7 That is, that I should not have seen his offence, to punish the same according to its desert. Or, in this sense: that I must needs have blushed, and durst not look him in the face, when he would have witnessed me in the teeth that I took bribes from him. Other, Yea, I have hid mine eyes before or against it, or, therefore would have hidden.

4And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.

5And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that 8ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

8 Namely, that I have taken to wrest or pervert the law; or, which might be reputed to me for shame and disgrace.

6¶And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that 9advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

9 That is, that made them great and honorable; namely, the one to be a leader and governor of his people, and the other to be an high priest.

7Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the 10righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

10 Understand by this word as well promises and mercies, as threatenings and judgments. Hereby intimating unto the people: that the Lord had in all His works manifested and declared Himself to be a righteous God, as well in bestowing His mercies, as in inflicting judgments upon them, when they departed from Him. Compare Judges 5:11; Micah 6:5 with the annotations.

8Whena Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers 11criedb unto the LORD, then the LORD sentc Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell 12in this place.

a Gen. 46:5.

11 Samuel adds here together, that which followed many years after. For the Israelites did not cry nor complain unto the Lord, when they at first came with Jacob into Egypt, but a good while after, when there arose a king who imposed hard and grievous bondage upon them. See Exod. 1:13, 14; 2:23, 24, etc.

b Exod. 2:23.

c Exod. 3:10.

12 Namely, on this and the other side of Jordan, in the land of Canaan. Moses placed them in the kingdom of the Amorites, but Joshua in the land of Canaan.

9And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera,d captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hande of the Philistines, and into the hand of the 13kingf of Moab, and they fought against them.

d Judges 4:2.

e Judges 10:7; 13:1.

13 Called Eglon, Judges 3:12.

f Judges 3:12.

10And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

11And the LORD sent 14Jerubbaal,g andh15Bedan, and Jephthah,i and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

14 That is, Gideon; see why he was named Jerubbaal Judges 6:32.

g Judges 6:14.

h Judges 10:3.

15 Otherwise called Jair, as some conceive, a Gileadite, Judges 10:3. It may be that judge Jair was also called Bedan, to distinguish him from another Jair, who lived in the time of Moses, of whom we read, Num. 32:41. The rather, because in 1 Chron. 7:17 mention is made of one Bedan among the children of Machir, the father of Gilead. Others take Bedan for Samson, because he was of the tribe of Dan. Others for Abdon, because the names seem to agree, Judges 12:13.

i Judges 11:15.

12And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, yej said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

j 1 Sam. 8:5, 19.

13Now therefore behold the king whomk16ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD 17hath set a king over you.

k 1 Sam. 10:19.

16 Namely, after that the lot was drawn before the Lord, 1 Sam. 10:19.

17 Namely, when He granted you your desire, although it was evil and mixed with much unthankfulness.

14If yel will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you 18continue following the LORD your God:

l Deut. 1:26.

18 As if he would say: The Lord shall go before you, He shall lead and direct you, defend and protect you. Other, ye shall follow him.

15But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, 19as it was against your fathers.

19 Other, and against your fathers, that is, kings, or fatherly houses.

16¶Now therefore 20stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.

20 That is, pause a while, have a little patience, that ye may see and hear what the Lord will do.

17Is it 21not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; 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.

21 As if he would say: Is it not now a fair and bright day, as the days are wont to be in wheat harvest? At which times no rain was wont to fall, Prov. 26:1. Ye see now no sign of any approaching tempest, yet ye shall see me obtain both rain and thunder of God by my prayer.

18So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

19And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray 22for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

22 That is, for us.

20¶And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: 23yet turn not aside 24from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

23 As if he would say: Although ye have committed so much wickedness, yet notwithstanding He will be gracious unto you, if ye cease from sinning.

24 That is, from following after Him.

21And 25turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after 26vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

25 Namely, from the Lord.

26 That is, idols, which are called vanities, (because the idol is nothing in the world), that is, they have nothing Divine in them, as Paul says, 1 Cor. 8:4. Or, because they are not profitable, as Samuel here affirms; or, because they are nothing else but the work of men’s hands, Lev. 19:4; Psalm 115:4, or, because they stir up and incite men to vanities and lies.

22For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

23Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but 27I will teach you the good and the right way:

27 Namely, as beseems a prophet and teacher called of God. See 1 Cor. 9:16.

24Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

25But if ye shall 28still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

28 Hebr. doing evil do evil.