Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 21 Feb 2021
During the party after the confirmation of Saul’s kingship in Gilgal, the Prophet Samuel stands up and makes a speech concerning the transfer of political power from him to Saul.
Samuel also throws his weight behind Saul, affirming that he was the one who made Saul king and that Saul now carries all the civil authority Samuel used to carry.
v.3-5 Samuel’s integrity is witnessed and affirmed, then in verses 6-12, he reminds the people of Israel of the sufficiency of God to deliver them if they’ll trust Him and ask Him to save them, and of the vital difference between the absolute kingships of the pagan nations and the regency sort of kingship which they must have in order to continue recognizing Yahweh as the ultimate Lawgiver, Judge, and Savior.
The second half of chapter 12 is the Prophet Samuel’s “Deuteronomy” as it were. It has many tie-in’s with the last address that Moses gave to the people of Israel as they transitioned from Moses’ government to the government of Judges. Now they’re transitioning from Judges to Kings, and Samuel brings forth motivations to respect and serve God so that it will be well with the nation.
Verse 14 recalls Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 13:4, “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.” (NKJV)
The Hebrew word in v.14 translated “rebel” first shows up in Numbers chapter 20, describing Moses’ failure to provide water from the rock the way God had told him to, and then in Deut. 1 & 9 to describe the Israelites’ failure to enter the Promised Land when God told them to, following the report of the 12 spies. Rebellion is unwillingness to obey God’s commands.
Isaiah 50:10, on the other hand, describes those who have repented of rebellion against God: “Who among you fears Yahweh, listening to the voice of His Servant? Whoever walked dark places and there was no brightness for him, let him trust in the name of Yahweh and lean into his God.” (NAW) They’re leaning forward to listen and show respect.
The “mouth of Yahweh” is mentioned in verses 14 & 15 in parallel with listening to the “voice of Yahweh” in the context of walking in relationship with God. I believe we see here another glimpse of the second person of the Trinity, whom we know as “the Word” of God from the Gospel of John.
In v.14, the language is obscure as to what the blessing is for listening to and obeying God, but, as best I can tell, it is embedded in the verb of being1 translated “continue/will” follow. In other words, God is saying that this arrangement of having a king can continue, as long as they have respect for Him as the Lord. If, however, this form of government leads them away from God, He will put an end to this monarchy.
Notice that the crucial difference between walking in a right relationship with God (“following” Him in v.14), versus rebelling and having God’s hand against you to “utterly destroy you2” is whether or not you “give heed” to God’s word. (The Hebrew verb shema’ includes in its meaning both “hearing” and “obeying.”)
So, when you read the Bible – and hear it taught, does it go “in one ear and out the other,” or do you act upon what you’ve heard (and read), out of respect for your God who has reached out and communicated to you?
In your life, is it, “Whatever I say goes,” or is it, “Whatever God says goes”?
Is there anything God has commanded you that you haven’t been willing to do?
Do you see the dangerous repercussions of ignoring God’s inconvenient commands?
Whether or not they have a king, God is still in power, and Samuel gives a troubling demonstration of God’s power. As a judgment for trusting in a king rather than in God, Samuel calls in a big storm to destroy the crops at harvest time.
Once again, this is a recapitulation of Moses’ ministry, for, with the exception of a couple of poetic passages in Job (28:26; 38:25) about God’s power, the only two other passages in the Old Testament in which this word for “thunder” appear are
the thunderstorm-plague that ruined the Egyptians’ flax and barley crops (Ex. 9:27-32),
and the rumblings and flashings on Mount Sinai that showed God’s awesomeness to the Israelites (Ex. 19:16; 20:18).
Now, wheat harvest in Israel is in June, when it is very dry and hot. And a storm at this time of year is unheard-of, so the Israelites would certainly see this storm at this time as a supernatural event. (Willett, Goldman, Delitzsch, etc.)
Perhaps Samuel was also thinking about the religious allegiances of the people. Would they turn to to Baal, who was the Canaanite god of storms and fertility, or would they be loyal to Yahweh? Demonstrating that Yahweh had power over storms and crops might be a way of helping the people see that there was no need to go over to Baal, because Yahweh already had that power.
“Hereby the Lord shewed his power, and the people saw their foolishnes, in not beeing contented to have such a mightie God for their protectour, who could with thunder and raine fight for them against their enemies, as he did for Israel against the hoast of Pharaoh, and not long before this against the Philistims.” ~Andrew Willett, 1607AD
What a devastating punishment!
People would go hungry that year because they had asked for a king.
But the same thing has happened to other countries throughout history (North Korea is currently in the midst of a terrible famine) –
and it’s even happened to our own country (if not actually hunger, certainly economic dearth).
Anyway, this storm in 1 Samuel 12 was so bad that the people were afraid they themselves would be killed by it!
Why such a severe punishment? Verse 17 says it was in order to bring home to Israel the fact that it was a major offense against God to reject Him and seek a human king instead. This was no small matter. It was a “great evil,” and they needed to feel the impact of it.
But didn’t God say back in chapter 10 (v.24) that He chose King Saul? How can God accuse the Israelites of sin when God is the one who told Samuel to anoint Saul king?
Puritan commentator Andrew Willett wrote, “The answer is, that although God had decreed to give them a King, yet the occasion that moved them was not good: they... betray[ed] not only an ungrateful mind toward Samuel, but a diffident and distrustful heart toward God… [And this] is... like as it stood with the... purpose of God, that Christ should be delivered up to die for the world (Acts 2.23), yet Judas’ sin was no whit the less in betraying Him.”
Do you understand how terribly-offended and angry God gets when,
as a nation, we try to run our legal system without reference to His law,
and when, as individuals, we totally forget to ask Him for wisdom – or for His help – when we encounter problems, and when we try to solve all our problems on our own without Him?
Do you see how this insults Him? Will you take this seriously?
Now, I don’t know if this storm something Samuel came up with, or if God had told him to ask for it, but the fact that a storm came is evidence that God approved, whatever the case.
And the storm achieved Samuel’s purpose. Remember his message in verse 14, that if they feared the LORD, all would be well? Well, verse 18 says that the storm sure enough made them “fear” – it gave them a healthy respect for the LORD!
And the people of Israel responded well in v.19.
Rather than getting mad at Samuel, they remembered his preface in vs. 1-5, that he had never taken advantage of them before, and they had no previous gripes against him.
They accepted Samuel’s statement in v.17 that it was wicked to ask for a king for themselves (The Hebrew word to describe the “evil” is the same in verses 17 and 19, but unfortunately, most English versions use two different words, but the people were accepting Samuel’s message word-for-word.)
They even show remarkable astuteness in theology and humility by admitting that they have sinned in other ways besides, and that, since death was God’s punishment for sin, they feared He was going to strike them dead too, after destroying their crops with the storm.
The only really disappointing thing is that they didn’t call Yahweh “our God;” they called Him Samuel’s God.
Nevertheless, they recognized the sovereignty of God over nature, and they latched onto the merciful character of God, and they asked Samuel to pray for them that God would spare their lives and stop the storm.
They passed the test and confessed their sin and found God's favor.
God used this hardship to train them to turn to Him first in a hardship.
Have you learned this lesson?
When you lose something, do you stop and pray first, or do you spend a lot of time racking your brain before you remember to pray for help in finding it?
When you do wrong, do you immediately confess your sin and ask Jesus to make you right, or do you cover it up for a while until it can’t be hidden anymore?
When things look hopeless for something you desire, is your first thought to lay it before the Lord in petition, or is it to ask other people for help?
Remember, Samuel wanted the people to “fear” God, so why does he say, “Don’t be afraid,” in v.20? I suggest that it’s because our fear of God should be a healthy respect to honor Him, but it is not respectful or honoring to Him to worry about Him hurting you when you are in a right relationship with Him. If you have confessed your sins and turned away from continuing in them, and you have turned your heart to serve the Lord, you shouldn’t be afraid anymore of Him punishing you; that’s part of faith, to trust in His mercy.
Martin Luther allegedly said something to the effect of, “When the Devil flings your sins into your face. Say, ‘Yes I’ve sinned; but what of it? I serve a merciful God!’”
I believe that’s what Samuel is saying to God’s people in v.20, “OK, so you have done an evil thing by showing discontent with God and asking for a king, but you have repented of that sin, and your merciful God has forgiven you through the blood of the lamb sacrificed, so don’t be afraid, just keep serving Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t turn away from following Him!”
That message is just as true for Christians today as it was for the Israelites then.
Let the past be the past, dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to Him, and kiss fear goodbye! That’s real faith.
And that means none of this half-hearted Christianity Plus Worldliness. Are there any parts of your heart that you have held back from God?
“Lord, you can tell me what to do with my money, but I’m not taking orders about my love life.” Uh uh.
“Lord, you can have all my time, except for this hour; everything else is all-yours!” Are we good with that?
“Lord, I’ll be accountable to my spouse/parents/church friends in this area of my life, but ain’t no way am I gonna to tell them about that area of my life.”
No, I want your whole heart, says the Lord.
Why? Of course God is a person, so He wants to operate relationally with us and doesn’t want to be ignored any more than any of us wants to be ignored, but notice the reason He gives in v.21, “Serve me wholeheartedly because those other gods can’t save you and give you what you really want.”
See how loving God is!
He knows we won’t be happy with any other God.
He wants
our whole heart because He knows He is what will make us
happiest!
The prophets later on spoke in a similar way, warning us against the vanity and uselessness of any god but the one true God:
Isaiah 44:9-11 “Idol-shapers – all of them – are empty, and their delights never profit, and they are their own witnesses; they never saw and never knew, to the end that they will be shamed. Who has formed a god or cast an idol? It profits nothing. Look, all its followers [חברי] shall be shamed...” (NAW)
Jeremiah 2:11 “Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.” (NKJV)
Habakkuk 2:18 “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, Or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.” (NASB)
What
are the “empty things” in
your
life that “turn away” your
time and money from God and “don’t
profit” you?
What do you need to do
with those things to make
your heart “wholly-devoted”
to God?
Now, consider a further reason in v.22 why we should not turn away from following God: Because He isn’t going to turn away from lovingly pursuing us!
For God’s people to turn away from Him would be at cross-purposes with His will.
The verb in the final clause of v.22 (which most English versions translated “he was pleased”) has more to do with an act of the will than with feeling pleasure, which is why I translated it “He determined” (and, for what it’s worth, “determined” is the way English versions translated this word for the most part in Joshua and Judges3).
In the New Testament, we see statements like
“God's purpose according to His choice… not because of our works” Romans 9:11
“He chose us… according to the good pleasure of His will” Ephesians 1:4-5, and
“You are chosen... He called you out of darkness… showing you mercy” 1 Peter 2:5.
Here in 1 Samuel 12, the prophet reveals that God had “determined” that He wanted certain people, and He’s going to get what He wants; He’s not going to give up and try for someone else.
It would ruin His reputation if God couldn’t get what He wanted. His “name” wouldn’t be “great” anymore, because someone else’s will would be greater.
He wanted the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be His people, and from that Israelite people group, God wanted to make individuals of every ethnicity into His people belonging to Him as well. That was the plan God revealed to Abraham back in Genesis 12,
and that’s why Jesus came to the nation of Israel and then told them to make disciples among all the nations.
If this is God’s plan, then far be it from us to fight against Him and turn away after we had started being His people by faith in Jesus. Far be it from us to leave Him if He will never leave us!
Deuteronomy 4:20 “But as for y'all, Yahweh got y'all and brought y'all out from the iron furnace of Egypt in order to be a people belonging to Him for an inheritance, as it is this day” (NAW)
1 Peter 2:9-10 “Y’all, however, are a select kind, a priestly royalty, a holy ethnicity, a people made to be around [Him] in such a way that y’all might extol the virtues of Him who called y’all out of darkness into His marvelous light – y’all who back then were not a people but now are the people of God – the ones who had not been shown mercy yet now have been shown mercy.”(NAW)
“Every transgression in the covenant, though it displease the Lord, yet does not throw us out of covenant, and therefore God's just rebukes must not drive us from our hope in his mercy. The fixedness of God's choice is owing to the freeness of it; we may therefore hope he will not forsake his people.” ~Matthew Henry
In addition to motivating his people with God’s punishments and God’s mercy, Samuel the Prophet promises – with an oath – to do all he can in the future to continue seeking their well-being by praying for them and teaching them God’s ways of righteousness and of being made righteous. “God forbid/far be it from me/let me be disgraced if I ever sin against you by failing to pray for y’all.”
It is interesting that Samuel should call it a “sin” for him to quit praying for his people.
Some sins are sins of commission where, if you do them, it is wrong (such as murder or adultery or lying); others are sins of omission, where, if you don’t do them, it is wrong (such as not honoring your parents, not keeping the Sabbath day holy, or not loving your brother).
Samuel knew that prayer is so important in relationship with God that it can’t be discontinued:
His mother Hannah modeled before him a prayer-filled life (1 Sam. 1:10, 12, 26-27; 2:1),
Eli, the priest under whom Samuel interned, also taught the centrality of intercessory prayer in the calling of a priest (1 Samuel 2:25),
and so in Samuel’s ministry, he would gather people together and pray for them (7:5),
he would pray over sacrifices, for people’s sins to be forgiven (9:13),
he would pray to God for wisdom in giving counsel on national issues (8:6),
and, we just saw him praying for God to spare the lives of his people in v.19.
For a priest to stop interceeding between God and his people would be to renounce his calling as a priest and to cut off salvation from his people.
And in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul said, “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.” (1 Cor. 9:16, NKJV) Indeed, that was the reason for the ordination of the seven deacons in the Book of Acts, that the apostles could “devote [them]selves to prayer and the ministry of [teaching God’s] word.” Prayer and Bible teaching are still what God wants church leaders to focus on.
There are also callings which God places on every believer: for us not to try to “reconcile” people with God (2 Cor. 5:18-20), and for us not to “make disciples” (Matt. 28:19) is a sin. Let us not “do the work of God negligently!”
Jeremiah 48:10 “Cursed is he that doth the work of God negligently”
Praise God that OUR great high priest never stops interceding for us before the throne of God! “Jesus became the assurance of a better covenant... on account of His remaining forever, He has the intransient priesthood. In view of which He is also able to save in any eventuality those who come through Him to God, since He is always living for the purpose of interceding on their behalf.” (Hebrews 7:22-25, NAW)
Samuel's heart shines through in this passage, despite all the gruff warnings and omens. He cares about his people, and he is committed never to stop instructing them in God's ways.
This passion mirrors the nature of our Lord, of whom it is said in Psalm 25:8 “Goodness and righteousness characterize Yahweh, therefore He instructs sinners in His way.” (NAW)
And what is that “good and right way”? It is summarized in the Ten Commandments. This is yet another echo of the solemn words of Deuteronomy. Moses repeated the 10 Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, and then he said in Deut. 6, “Now, do what is right and good in the sight of Yahweh, and it will be well with you...” (v.18, NAW)
Going back to 1 Samuel 12, the second half of v.24 has a puzzling construction in Hebrew. Literally it says, “because, look at what He has made big with y’all.”
The word “done” or “deeds” (which is in most English versions) is simply not there in Hebrew,
So my question is, “What is the thing that they were supposed to look at, which God had made great and which would motivate them to fear and serve the LORD whole-heartedly?” This passage does not make it very obvious, but I have two ideas4:
One is that Samuel is once again borrowing from Moses’ addresses to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy. There is a very similar passage in Deut. 11 which catalogs “every great deed of Yahweh which He did5” which the Israelites had seen, namely: the plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea and subsequent destruction of Pharoah’s army, the stupendous lightening and thunder when God visited Mt. Sinai, and the earth swallowing up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and here’s the summary statement in Deut. 11, “Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.” (Deut. 11:1, NKJV) Seeing God’s terrific power to punish sin and rebellion in all these ways, plus the most recent demonstration of decimating the wheat crop was a compelling motivation to fear and serve God!
Another possibility is that Samuel is referring to God’s merciful salvation: The only thing in the Bible prior to 1 Samuel where this verb higdiyl is used of God is Genesis 19:19, where Abraham’s nephew Lot says, “Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased [made great] your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life...” (NKJV) And the only other time in the books of Samuel that this verb is used of God, is when David says, “He causes to increase the salvations of His king and makes loving-kindness for His anointed...” (2 Sam. 22:51 || Ps. 18:50, NAW). So I think a case could be made that Samuel is saying, “Look at how big a deal Yahweh makes of mercy and salvation, and let that motivate you to respect and serve Him with all your heart.”
Interestingly, the last verb in this chapter of 1 Samuel is also connected with both the story of Lot escaping from Sodom (Gen. 18:23-24; 19:15, 17) and with the demise of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16:26).6
That last verb in the chapter is the threat that if they “persisted in doing evil” and worshiped false gods, the nation of Israel would be “consumed/swept away.”
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were “consumed” by the earth, but Lot was rescued by the Lord from being “swept away” with Sodom.
The later books of the Old Testament tell the sad story of Israel’s continued idolatry and their being “consumed/swept away” by the Assyrians and Babylonians (Isa. 7:20; 13:15; Jer. 12:4; Amos 3:15), but also of the restoration of a remnant who feared and served God with all their heart,
and the Gospels tell us of God’s “love” in sending His Son Jesus, so that everyone who believes in Him would “not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
It is Biblical to find motivation to respect and to serve God, both in His merciful salvation as well as in His just punishment of sin.
Samuel closes his speech with the same plea7 that he used in v.14, “Just fear the LORD, show respect to Yahweh, and serve Him devotedly with all your heart.” These are not just Old Testament words; notice how they are used in the New Testament, and consider your relationship with God in these terms:
Matthew 10:28 Jesus said, “Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but do not have the power to kill the soul, but fear rather the One with power to destroy both soul and body in hell!” (NAW, cf. Luke 12:5)
Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord... For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation.” (Luke 1:46-50, NKJV)
Later, when the Apostle Paul became a Christian in Acts 9:31, “...the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (NKJV, cf. Eph. 5:21)
Serving the Lord is also a New Testament church calling:
Hebrews 9:14 “...the blood of the Christ... purifes y'all's conscience from dead works for service to the Living God” (NAW),
1 Thes. 1:9 “...you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (NKJV)
Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (NKJV)
Hebrews 12:28 puts both “fear” and “service” together: “Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakeable kingdom, let us continue to be grateful, by means of which we may minister most-acceptably to God with reverence and devoted-service” (NAW, cf. 1 Pet. 1:17, 3:15)
And, of course, it is those who “fear” (Rev. 11:18; 14:7; 15:4; 19:5) and “serve” (Rev. 7:15; 22:3) God who are in heaven in the book of Revelation!
Let us therefore walk the path of blessing with God:
let us remember the severity of His judgments and the marvels of His grace, and let these things motivate us
to listen to His word,
to show respect to God,
to reach out to Him first in every hardship,
and to do whole-heartedly what He has called us to do.
V. |
Septuagint |
Brenton |
D-R |
KJV |
NAW |
MT |
13 |
καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς ὃν ἐξελέξασθε X X XB καὶ ἰδοὺ δέδωκεν κύριος ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς βασιλέα |
And
now behold the king whom ye have chosen X X X; and behold, the
Lord has |
Now
therefore [your] king is here, whom you have chosen |
Now
therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, [andC]
whom ye have desiredD!
and, behold, the Lord hath |
So now, see the king whom y’all have chosen – whom y’all requested, and see, Yahweh has granted a king over y’all. |
וְעַתָּה, הִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם--אֲשֶׁר שְׁאֶלְתֶּם; וְהִנֵּה נָתַן יְהוָה עֲלֵיכֶם, מֶלֶךְ. |
14 |
ἐὰν
φοβηθῆτε τὸν
κύριον καὶ
δουλεύσητε
αὐτῷ καὶ ἀκούσητε
τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ
καὶ μὴ ἐρίσητε
τῷ στόματι
κυρίου καὶ
ἦτε καὶ ὑμεῗς
καὶ X ὁ βασιλεὺς
ὁ βασιλεύων
ἐφ᾽ ὑμῶν ὀπίσω
κυρίου |
If ye should fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and not resist the mouth of the Lord, and X X ye and X your king that reigns over you should follow the Lord, well. |
If you will fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and not provoke the mouth of the Lord: then shall both you, and X the king who reigneth over you, be followers of the Lord your God. |
If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obeyG X his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you [continue] following the Lord your GodH: |
If y’all are respectful of Yahweh and serve Him and give heed to His voice and don’t rebel against the mouthpeice of Yahweh, then y’all – both you and also the king who reigns over y’all – may continue following Yahweh your God. |
אִם-תִּירְאוּI אֶת- יְהוָה, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹלוֹ, וְלֹא תַמְרוּJ, אֶת-פִּי יְהוָה--וִהְיִתֶםK גַּם- אַתֶּם, וְגַם-הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ עֲלֵיכֶם, אַחַר, יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.L |
15 |
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσητε τῆς φωνῆς κυρίου καὶ ἐρίσητε τῷ στόματι κυρίου καὶ ἔσται χεὶρ κυρίου ἐπὶ ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα ὑμῶν |
But if ye should not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and ye should resist the mouth of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be upon you and upon your king. |
But
if you will not hearken to the voice
of the Lord, but will rebel against |
But
if ye will not obey X the voice of
the Lord, but rebel against the commandment
of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, |
However, if y’all do not give heed to the voice of Yahweh – if y’all rebel against the mouthpeice of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against y’all and against your {king}. |
וְאִם-לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה, וּמְרִיתֶם אֶת-פִּי יְהוָה--וְהָיְתָה יַד-יְהוָה בָּכֶם, וּבַאֲבֹתֵיכֶםM. |
16 |
καὶ νῦν κατάστητε καὶ ἴδετε τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ μέγα τοῦτο ὃ ὁ κύριος ποιήσει ἐν ὀφθαλμοῗς ὑμῶν |
And now stand still, and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. |
Now then stand, and see this great thing which the Lord will do in your sight. |
Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. |
Moreover, y’all stand at attention now and watch this great thing that Yahweh does before your eyes. |
גַּם-עַתָּה הִתְיַצְּבוּN וּרְאוּ, אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה, אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה, עֹשֶׂה לְעֵינֵיכֶם. |
17 |
οὐχὶ θερισμὸς πυρῶν σήμερον ἐπικαλέσομαι κύριον καὶ δώσει φωνὰς καὶ ὑετόν καὶ γνῶτε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι ἡ κακία ὑμῶν μεγάλη ἣν ἐποιήσατε ἐνώπιον κυρίου αἰτήσαντες ἑαυτοῗς βασιλέα |
Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call upon the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; and know ye and see, that your wickedness is great which ye have wrought before the Lord, having asked for yourselves a king. |
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain: and you shall know and see that you yourselves have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, in desiring a king over you. |
Is it not 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. |
Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call out to Yahweh, and He will issue thunders and rain. Then y’all will know and see that your wickedness which y’all committed by asking a king for yourselves is a big deal in the eyes of Yahweh.” |
הֲלוֹא קְצִיר- חִטִּים, הַיּוֹם--אֶקְרָא אֶל-יְהוָה, וְיִתֵּן קֹלוֹת וּמָטָר; וּדְעוּ וּרְאוּ, כִּי- רָעַתְכֶם רַבָּה אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה, לִשְׁאוֹל לָכֶם, מֶלֶךְ. {ס} |
18 |
καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο Σαμουηλ τὸν κύριον καὶ ἔδωκεν κύριος φωνὰς καὶ ὑετὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τὸν κύριον σφόδρα καὶ τὸν Σαμουηλ |
And Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunders and rain in that day; and all the people feared greatly the Lord and Samuel. |
And Samuel cried unto the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. 19 And all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. |
So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. |
Then Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh issued thunders and rain throughout that day. And all the people became very afraid of Yahweh – and of Samuel, |
וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל- יְהוָה, וַיִּתֵּן יְהוָה קֹלֹת וּמָטָר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא; וַיִּירָא כָל- הָעָם מְאֹד אֶת- יְהוָה, וְאֶת-שְׁמוּאֵל. |
19 |
καὶ εἶπαν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Σαμουηλ πρόσευξαι ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων σου πρὸς κύριον θεόν σου καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνωμεν ὅτι προστεθείκαμεν πρὸς πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν κακίαν αἰτήσαντες ἑαυτοῗς βασιλέα |
And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, and let us not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] iniquity, in asking for us a king. |
And all the people said to Samuel: Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask for X a king. |
And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for 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. |
and all the people said to Samuel, “Pray on behalf of your servants to Yahweh your God, that we might not die, for we have added wickedness on top of all our sins by asking a king for ourselves!” |
וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָל-הָעָם אֶל-שְׁמוּאֵל, הִתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד-עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶל- יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ--וְאַל-נָמוּת: כִּי- יָסַפְנוּ עַל-כָּל- חַטֹּאתֵינוּ רָעָה, לִשְׁאֹל לָנוּ מֶלֶךְ. |
20 |
καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ πρὸς τὸν λαόν μὴ φοβεῗσθε ὑμεῗς πεποιήκατε τὴν πᾶσαν κακίαν ταύτην πλὴν μὴ ἐκκλίνητε ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν κυρίου καὶ δουλεύσατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν |
And Samuel said to the people, Fear not: ye have indeed wrought all this iniquity; only turn not from following the Lord, and serve the Lord with all your heart. |
And Samuel said to the people: Fear not, you have done all this evil: but yet depart not from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. |
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; |
Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid: Y’all indeed have done all this wickedness, however, don’t y’all turn away from following Yahweh, rather, serve Yahweh with all your heart. |
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל- הָעָם, אַל-תִּירָאוּ- -אַתֶּם עֲשִׂיתֶם, אֵת כָּל-הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת; אַךְ, אַל-תָּסוּרוּ מֵאַחֲרֵי יְהוָה, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֶת-יְהוָה, בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם. |
21 |
καὶ μὴ παραβῆτε X ὀπίσω τῶν μηθὲνO [ὄντων] οἳ οὐ περανοῦσιν [οὐθὲν] καὶ [οἳ] οὐκ ἐξελοῦνται ὅτι οὐθέν εἰσιν |
And
turn
not aside
X
after
the [gods
that are]
nothing,
who will |
And turn not aside after vain thing[s] which shall never profit [you], nor deliver [you], because they are vain. |
And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vainP thing[s], which cannot profitQ nor deliver; for they are vain. |
So, don’t turn away for following the empty-thing[s] (which won’t benefit or rescue, because they are empty), |
וְלֹא, תָּסוּרוּ: כִּי אַחֲרֵי הַתֹּהוּ, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יוֹעִילוּ וְלֹא יַצִּילוּ--כִּי-תֹהוּR הֵמָּה. |
22 |
ὅτι οὐκ ἀπώσεται κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγα ὅτι ἐπιεικέως κύριος προσελάβετο ὑμᾶς αὑτῷ εἰς λαόν |
For the Lord will not cast off his people for his great name’s sake, because the Lord graciously took you to himself for a people. |
And the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because the Lord hath sworn to make you his people. |
For the Lord will not forsakeS his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. |
because Yahweh will not leave His people, on account of His great reputation, for Yahweh determined to make y’all into a people belonging to Him. |
כִּי לֹא-יִטֹּשׁ יְהוָה, אֶת-עַמּוֹ--בַּעֲבוּר, שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל: כִּי הוֹאִיל יְהוָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶתְכֶם לוֹ לְעָם. |
23 |
καὶ ἐμοὶ μηδαμῶς τοῦ ἁμαρτεῗν τῷ κυρίῳ ἀνιέναι τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι περὶ ὑμῶν καὶ δουλεύσω τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ δείξω ὑμῗν X τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἀγαθὴν καὶ τὴν εὐθεῗαν |
And far be it from me to sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will serve the Lord, and shew you X the good and the right way. |
And far from me be [this] sin against the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you, and I will teach you X the good and right way. |
Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you X the good and the right way: |
Furthermore, as for me, it would be a disgrace for me to sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray in y’all’s behalf. I will also instruct y’all in the good and right way. |
גַּם אָנֹכִי, חָלִילָהT לִּי מֵחֲטֹא לַיהוָה--מֵחֲדֹל, לְהִתְפַּלֵּלU בַּעַדְכֶם; וְהוֹרֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם, בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטּוֹבָה וְהַיְשָׁרָה. |
24 |
πλὴν φοβεῗσθε τὸν κύριον καὶ δουλεύσατε αὐτῷ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν ὅτι εἴδετε ἃ ἐμεγάλυνεν μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν |
Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth and with all your heart, for ye see what great thing[s he has wrought] with you. |
Therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in truth and with your whole heart, for you have seen the great [works] which [he hath done] among you. |
Only
fear the Lord, and serve him in truthV
with all your heart: for consider |
Just respect Yahweh, and serve Him in truth {and} with all your heart, because, look at what He has made great with y’all! |
אַךְ יְראוּ אֶת- יְהוָה, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת--בְּכָל-לְבַבְכֶם: כִּי רְאוּ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר- הִגְדִּל עִמָּכֶם. |
25 |
καὶ ἐὰν κακίᾳ κακοποιήσητε καὶ ὑμεῗς καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑμῶν προστεθήσεσθεW |
But if ye continue to do evil, then shall X ye and your king be consumed. |
But if you will still do wickedly: both you and your king shall perish [together]. |
But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumedX, both ye and your king. |
But if y’all continue to do evil, both y’all and your king will be swept away.” |
וְאִם-הָרֵעַ, תָּרֵעוּ- -גַּם-אַתֶּם גַּם- מַלְכְּכֶם, תִּסָּפוּ. פ |
1Goldman, the NIV, and the ESV, on the other hand, interpreted this as an additional protasis (“and if you continue to follow”) with an unwritten apodosis (“then it will be well with you”). While not out of the spirit of the text, they added an awful lot of words which are not actually there.
2 These words describing what it means to have God’s hand against you are added to the Lucian rescription of the Greek.
3 Other translations of יאל throughout Scripture include: venture, take upon self, be willing, agree, be content, begin...
4Gill preferred the former. Delitzsch suggested along a different line that the great thing was “giving them a king.”
5 אֶת־כָּל־מַעֲשֵׂה יהוָה הַגָּדֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃
6סףה only occurs about 14 other times in the OT, about a quarter of them referring to the destruction of Sodom, and most of the rest referring to God’s judgment on Israel, starting with Korah, Dathan and Abiram and moving on to the Babylonian exile: Gen. 18:23-24; 19:15, 17; Num. 16:26; 1 Sam. 26:10; 27:1; 1 Chr. 21:12; Ps. 40:15; Prov. 13:23; Isa. 7:20; 13:15; Jer. 12:4; Amos 3:15. (I omit the passages in Deut. which have a tradition of being tagged as forms of סףה but are traditionally translated as though forms of יסף.)
7The chiastic use of these verbs are striking: “...14fear and serve the Lord… 18the people feared… 20do not fear but serve… 24only fear and serve...”
AMy
original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright
restrictions have forced me to remove them from the
publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in
footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB,
or NIV (which is rare). NAW is my translation. When a translation
adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done
so (such as by the use of italics or greyed-out text), I put the
added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording
which is different from all the other translations, I underline
it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion,
either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or
departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use
strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is
in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end
of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation
is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see
correlations between the various editions and versions when there
are more than two different translations of a given word. The only
known Dead Sea Scrolls containing First Samuel 12 are 4Q52 Samuelb,
containing fragments of verses 3-6 and dated to 250BC, and
4Q51Samuela, which contains fragments of vs. 7-19, and
which has been dated between 50-25 B.C. Where the DSS confirms the
MT text, I colored the letters of the MT purple. Where the DSS
supports the LXX with omissions or insertions not in the MT, I have
highlighted with
yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I
have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with
{pointed brackets}.
B There are Alexandrian Greek manuscripts which include the additional phrase “and whom ye asked-for” in the Hebrew.
CThere are some manuscripts which insert “and” here, according to Kittel, including Syriac, Vulgate, and some Targums and Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, but it’s not in the MT or the Vaticanus or Rahlfs Greek editions.
D NASB, NIV, and ESV = “asked”
E NASB = “put,” Lit. “given”
F The MT, Vulgate, and DSS reads “your God” rather than the LXX “walking”
G The Hebrew word here shemah, has more to do with “hearing” than “obeying,” thus the NASB “listen.” Same in v.15.
HNIV & ESV add an “if” which is not in the Hebrew or Greek and also add an apodosis which is also not in the Greek or Hebrew to the effect: “then well and good.” It’s possible the DSS had a word like that also, because there is extra space for one between the legible words, but the scroll has disintegrated at the end of the verse, so we don’t know what it said.
IThese three verbs “fear,” “serve,” and “heed” also show up in only three other verses in scripture, notably Deut. 13:5; & Isa. 50:10.
JThis word first shows up in Num. 20 describing Moses’ failure to provide water from the rock the way God had told him to, then in Deut. 1 & 9 to describe the Israelites’ failure to enter the Promised Land when God told them to, following the report of the 12 spies.
KDelitzsch: “אַחַר הָיָה, to be after or behind a person, is good Hebrew, and is frequently met with, particularly in the sense of attaching one's self to the king, or holding to him (vid., 2Sam. 2:10; 1Ki. 12:20; 16:21-22). This meaning is also at the foundation of the present passage, as Jehovah was the God-king of Israel.”
L The DSS has room for an additional word which could be to the effect of “that is faithfulness” or “you will be delivered.”
MThe only surviving letter of this word in the DSS is part of the plural suffix “your.” While it’s possible that the DSS originally read “fathers,” the spacing appears to support the slightly-shorter word “king,” which is found in the Greek and Old Latin versions long before the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Goldman, following Kimchi, interpreted “fathers” as “leaders and kings,” so maybe there is no practical difference in meaning. English versions that follow the MT (“fathers”) have to read the vav conjunction as though it were a coph comparative in order to make any sense of it. Tsumura, however, translated it “your household.”
N cf. v.7
O Aquilla = kenwn (empty) and Symmachus = mataiwn (worthless) are closer to the meaning of the Hebrew word.
P cf. NASB, NIV = “useless,” ESV = “empty”
Q cf. NASB = “benefit,” NIV = “do good”
RThis is the word translated “formless” in Gen 1:2 & Jer. 4:23, “wasteland/wilderness” in Deut. 32:10; Job 12:24, & Ps. 107:40; “empty space” in Job 6:18 & 26:7; “confusion/chaos” in Isa. 24:10; 41:29; and “vain/futile/useless/of no account” in Isa. 29:21; 34:11; 40:17, 23; 44:9; 45:18-19; 49:4, & 59:4.
S NASB = “abandon,” NIV = “reject”
TOver half the instances in the O.T. of this curse formula are in 1 Samuel. The last was 1 Samuel 2:30 “...I said that your household and the household of your forefather will conduct themselves before my face for time-out-of-mind, but now, this is the declaration of Yahweh, Far be it from me...”
UAlthough prayer had characterized his ministry up to this point, this is the last mention of Samuel praying.
V “in truth” is the literal translation but NIV & ESV turned it into an adverb “faithfully”
WLit. “be added.” Both LXX and Aquila (susurhsesqe = “flow together”) apparently read the Hebrew word תִּסָּפוּ as stemming from the root יסף (“adds”) rather than the root סףה (“swept away”), an understandable situation, seeing as both roots have weak letters which would typically disappear, leaving only -סף- in the final spelling. Symmachus corrected it in his 4th century AD Greek version to apoleisqe (“be destroyed” cf. Syriac), and Brenton corrected it in his English version to “consumed.”
X NASB, NIV, and ESV = “swept away”