_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN SAMUEL WAS OLD, THAT HE MADE HIS SONS JUDGES OVER ISRAEL._ When Samuel was old. He was now about 54 years of age, having discharged the office of sole judge for 12 years. Unable, from growing infirmities to prosecute his circuit journeys through the country, he at length... [ Continue Reading ]
_NOW THE NAME OF HIS FIRSTBORN WAS JOEL; AND THE NAME OF HIS SECOND, ABIAH: THEY WERE JUDGES IN BEERSHEBA._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HIS SONS WALKED NOT IN HIS WAYS, BUT TURNED ASIDE AFTER LUCRE, AND TOOK BRIBES, AND PERVERTED JUDGMENT._ HIS SONS WALKED NOT IN HIS WAYS. The question may arise in the mind of a reader, Why Samuel was not punished, as Eli, for the misconduct of his sons. But the answer is obvious. Not only was... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER, AND CAME TO SAMUEL UNTO RAMAH,_ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together. This was evidently the general council or assembly of the nation, which is, 1 Samuel 5:7, 1 Samuel 5:10,19,21 , called "the people," as represente... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, THOU ART OLD, AND THY SONS WALK NOT IN THY WAYS: NOW MAKE US A KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT THE THING DISPLEASED SAMUEL, WHEN THEY SAID, GIVE US A KING TO JUDGE US. AND SAMUEL PRAYED UNTO THE LORD._ The thing displeased Samuel. Personal and family feelings might affect his views of this public movement. But his dissatisfaction arose principally from the proposed change being revoluti... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE LORD SAID UNTO SAMUEL, HEARKEN UNTO THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE IN ALL THAT THEY SAY UNTO THEE: FOR THEY HAVE NOT REJECTED THEE, BUT THEY HAVE REJECTED ME, THAT I SHOULD NOT REIGN OVER THEM._ They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. They could... [ Continue Reading ]
_ACCORDING TO ALL THE WORKS WHICH THEY HAVE DONE SINCE THE DAY THAT I BROUGHT THEM UP OUT OF EGYPT EVEN UNTO THIS DAY, WHEREWITH THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME, AND SERVED OTHER GODS, SO DO THEY ALSO UNTO THEE._ No JFB commentary on these verses.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE SAID, THIS WILL BE THE MANNER OF THE KING THAT SHALL REIGN OVER YOU: HE WILL TAKE YOUR SONS, AND APPOINT THEM FOR HIMSELF, FOR HIS CHARIOTS, AND TO BE HIS HORSEMEN; AND SOME SHALL RUN BEFORE HIS CHARIOTS._ This will be the manner of the king. The following is a very just and graphic picture... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WILL APPOINT HIM CAPTAINS OVER THOUSANDS, AND CAPTAINS OVER FIFTIES; AND WILL SET THEM TO EAR HIS GROUND, AND TO REAP HIS HARVEST, AND TO MAKE HIS INSTRUMENTS OF WAR, AND INSTRUMENTS OF HIS CHARIOTS._ He will appoint him captains. In the East a person must accept any office to which he may... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR DAUGHTERS TO BE CONFECTIONARIES, AND TO BE COOKS, AND TO BE BAKERS._ He will take your daughters to be confectionaries. Cookery, baking, and the kindred works, are, in Eastern countries, female employment, and numbers of young women are occupied with these offices in the pala... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR FIELDS, AND YOUR VINEYARDS, AND YOUR OLIVEYARDS, EVEN THE BEST OF THEM, AND GIVE THEM TO HIS SERVANTS._ He will take your fields ... The circumstances mentioned here might be illustrated by exact analogies in the conduct of many Oriental monarchs in the present day.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE WILL TAKE THE TENTH OF YOUR SEED, AND OF YOUR VINEYARDS, AND GIVE TO HIS OFFICERS, AND TO HIS SERVANTS._ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THESE VERSES.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND YE SHALL CRY OUT IN THAT DAY BECAUSE OF YOUR KING WHICH YE SHALL HAVE CHOSEN YOU; AND THE LORD WILL NOT HEAR YOU IN THAT DAY._ Ye shall cry out in that day because of your king. Samuel showed them, by these samples of oppression and heavy exaction, the political servitude to which they would b... [ Continue Reading ]
_NEVERTHELESS THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF SAMUEL; AND THEY SAID, NAY; BUT WE WILL HAVE A KING OVER US;_ Nevertheless the people refused. They sneered at Samuel's description as a bugbear to frighten them. NAY; BUT WE WILL HAVE A KING OVER US;... [ Continue Reading ]
_THAT WE ALSO MAY BE LIKE ALL THE NATIONS; AND THAT OUR KING MAY JUDGE US, AND GO OUT BEFORE US, AND FIGHT OUR BATTLES._ That we also may be like all the nations. The first part of this energetic answer implies that they were perfectly aware of the peculiarity of their civil government, by which th... [ Continue Reading ]