1 Samuel 10:17-27 (ESV) (2024)

For less than $5/mo. gain access to $3,100 worth of premium resources to enhance your study of Scripture. Start your free trial today!

Bible Book List Bible Book List

Font Size

Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content

Saul Proclaimed King

¹⁷Now Samuel called the people together ^(A)to the Lord ^(B)at Mizpah. ¹⁸And he said to the people of Israel, ^(C)“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ ¹⁹^(D)But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore ^(E)present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

²⁰Then Samuel ^(F)brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot;^[a] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ²²^(G)So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” ²³Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, ^(H)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^(I)whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, ^(J)“Long live the king!”

²⁵Then Samuel told the people ^(K)the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. ²⁶Saul also went to his home ^(L)at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷But some ^(M)worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1 Samuel 10:21 Septuagint adds finally he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man

Cross references

1 Samuel 10:17 : [ch. 11:15]
1 Samuel 10:17 : ch. 7:5, 6
1 Samuel 10:18 : Judg. 6:8, 9; [ch. 12:8]
1 Samuel 10:19 : ch. 8:7, 19; 12:12
1 Samuel 10:19 : Josh. 24:1
1 Samuel 10:20 : Josh. 7:14, 16, 17
1 Samuel 10:22 : See ch. 22:10
1 Samuel 10:23 : ch. 9:2
1 Samuel 10:24 : 2 Sam. 21:6
1 Samuel 10:24 : 2 Sam. 16:16; 1 Kgs. 1:25, 39; 2 Kgs. 11:12; 2 Chr. 23:11
1 Samuel 10:25 : See ch. 8:11-18; Deut. 17:14-20
1 Samuel 10:26 : ch. 11:4
1 Samuel 10:27 : ch. 2:12; Deut. 13:13

Close NLT

Saul Is Acclaimed King

¹⁷Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. ¹⁸And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. ¹⁹But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”

²⁰So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. ²¹Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! ²²So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”

And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” ²³So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

²⁴Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

²⁵Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

²⁶When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. ²⁷But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

[Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]^[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

10:27 This paragraph, which is not included in the Masoretic Text, is found in Dead Sea Scroll 4QSam^a.

Next1 Samuel 91 Samuel 11Next

English Standard Version (ESV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQs

What is the message of 1 Samuel 10? ›

'The Lord has anointed you as the leader of his people. You will rule over them and you will rescue them from the power of their enemies. This is how you will know that the Lord has chosen you to be the leader of the Israelite people: 10:1 'his people' means the Israelite people.

Get More Info ›

What is 1 Samuel chapter 10 verse 3? ›

1 Samuel 10:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

“When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine.

Read The Full Story ›

What can we learn from 1 Samuel 11? ›

Satan wants us to serve him and will attempt to intimidate us into giving in to him. Satan wants to humiliate us and exalt himself over us. Through humiliating one saint, Satan wants to bring reproach on all God's people. Satan wants to take away our ability to effectively fight against him.

Show Me More ›

What is 1 Samuel 10 3 4 kjv? ›

1 Samuel 10:3-4 New King James Version (NKJV)

There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.

Discover More Details ›

What is the main point of 1 Samuel? ›

First Samuel chronicles the beginning of Israel's monarchy, following the lives of the prophet Samuel, the ill-fated King Saul, and God's ultimate choice of David as king. Several themes feature prominently.

Discover More ›

What is one truth we can learn from Samuel? ›

What is one truth we can learn from the story of Samuel hearing the Lord's voice? Correct answer: (c) Our ability to recognize the Lord's voice can grow. (See 1 Samuel 3:4–10.)

Learn More Now ›

What is the lesson from God calling Samuel? ›

Samuel was sleeping when God called him, but he was still available to hear God's voice. Sometimes God speaks to us when we least expect it or in ways we don't anticipate. We need to be open and available to hear His voice, even if it's not at a convenient time or in a way we're used to.

Read The Full Story ›

What can we learn from 1 Samuel 17? ›

In this chapter, God reveals seven lessons for building your faith. These include: (1) trust in God; (2) meekness; (3) submission; (4) belief in His promises; (5) service to Him; (6) hearing the Word; and (7) remembrance.

Keep Reading ›

Why did God choose Saul to be king? ›

The truth is that God chose Saul because he was a good man with a good heart. Young's Literal Translation of the Bible puts 1 Samuel 9:2 like this: “There is not a man among the sons of Israel goodlier than he.” Saul had a good heart but struggled with feelings of inadequacy.

Get More Info Here ›

What is the greatest lesson of the book of Samuel? ›

Samuel became both a great leader to the Israelites and a prophet of God. Through this Bible story, the children learn that they are not too young to be used by God and that they must listen carefully when God speaks, because he communicates in many ways.

Learn More Now ›

What special message did God give to Samuel? ›

I am your servant, and I am listening.” The LORD said to Samuel, “I will soon do things in Israel that will shock anyone who hears about them. I will do everything I said I would do against Eli and his family, everything from the beginning to the end. I told Eli I would punish his family forever.

Discover More Details ›

What does 1 Samuel 18 teach us? ›

In 1 Samuel 18, the story continues immediately after David defeated the Philistine giant, Goliath. David's victory is an amazing story of the power of complete faith and trust in God. “The Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands.”

Get More Info ›

What does 1 Samuel 10 teach us? ›

Finally, Samuel instructed the people on God's law for His appointed kings, and the people recorded His Word in obedience and placed it before Him. From this, God reveals that believers should publicly commit to obeying His Word and His will. Believers should then remain faithful and obedient.

Discover More Details ›

What does 1 Samuel 10 3 mean? ›

The Bible verse 1 Samuel 10:3 from the King James Version (KJV) reads, "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 ...

Tell Me More ›

When you deny God three times? ›

Following the arrest of Jesus, Peter denied knowing him three times, but after the third denial, he heard the rooster crow and recalled the prediction as Jesus turned to look at him. Peter then began to cry bitterly. This final incident is known as the Repentance of Peter.

What is the moral lesson of Samuel? ›

We learn from Samuel, that a willingness to obey is an important part of being receptive to God's voice: “Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.” A servant hears with the intention of obeying what his master tells him.