Daniel P. Barron

1 Samuel 12

Sunday, March 7, 2021 

1 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice to all that you have said to me, and I have caused a king to reign over you. 2 And now, behold, the king is walking before you, and I am old and grey-haired. i And look, my sons are with you. And I, I have walked before you from my youth unto this day. 3 Here I am. Testify against me in front of Yehvah and in front of his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? And I have extorted ii who? And I have crushed iii who? And from whose hand have I taken a ransom iv and hidden my eyes against him? So, I will return to you.” v 4 And they said, “You have not extorted us nor crushed us nor taken anything from a hand of a man.” 5 And he said, “Yehvah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day. For you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, vi “Witness.”


6 And Samuel said to the people, “Yehvah, who made vii Moses and Aaron, and who brought up our fathers from the land of Egypt, 7 and now, stand, and let me judge you before Yehvah with all the righteousnesses of Yehvah that he did with you and your fathers. 8 When Jacob came in to Egypt and your fathers cried out to Yehvah, so Yehvah sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out from Egypt and caused them to dwell in this place. 9 And they forgot Yehvah their Gods, and he sold them into Sisera's hand, leader of Hazor's army, and into Philistines' hand, and into king of Moab's hand; and they fought against them. 10 And they cried out to Yehvah and said, 'We have sinned, for we have forsaken Yehvah and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. And now, deliver us from our enemies hand, and we will serve you.' 11 And Yehvah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, viii and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you from your enemies' hand roundabout. And you dwelt safely.”


12 “And you saw when Serpent, king of sons of Ammon, came upon you, so you said to me, 'No, a king shall reign over us.' And Yehvah your Gods was your king. ix 13 And now, behold, the king whom you chose and for whom you asked. So behold, Yehvah gave over you a king. 14 If you fear Yehvah and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against Yehvah's mouth, so both you and also the king who reigns over you, will be after Yehvah your Gods. 15 And if you do not listen to Yehvah's voice, and you rebel against Yehvah's mouth, so Yehvah's hand will be against you as against your fathers.” x


16 “Also now, stand and see this great thing that Yehvah will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Yehvah, and he will give sounds xi and rain. And you will know and see that your bad is much that you have done in Yehvah's eyes to ask for yourselves a king.” 18 And Samuel called to Yehvah, and Yehvah gave sounds and rain on that day. And all the people were very afraid of Yehvah and Samuel.


19 And the people said to Samuel, “Pray on behalf of your servants to Yehvah your Gods, and do not let us die. For we have added upon all our sins the bad to ask for us a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this bad. Yet, do not turn aside from after Yehvah and serve Yehvah in all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside for after the emptiness which they do not profit and do not deliver, for they are empty. 22 For Yehvah will not forsake his people on account of his great name. For Yehvah is pleased to make you his people for himself. 23 Also, I, far be it for me to sin against Yehvah from ceasing to pray for you, and I will teach you in the good and the right way. 24 Only, fear Yehvah and serve him in truth and in all your heart, for see what great things he has done with you. 25 And if doing bad, you do bad, both you and also your king shall be swept away.”


1 Samuel 11 - 1 Samuel 13


Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.

  1. י תי בת שב) savtiy) “grey-haired” - this verb is also found in Job 15:10. For the noun, see also Leviticus 19:32 (and footnote); Proverbs 16:31; 20:29.  ^
  2. קתתייׁע`) âshaqtiy) “extorted” - see Leviticus 6:2(H5:21) and footnote. ^
  3. י צותי רב) ratstsotiy) “crushed” - same verb as in e.g. Deuteronomy 28:33 “crushed” (NKJV, NAS, KJV). ^
  4. ר כפפר) khopher) “ransom” (e.g. same word in Exodus 21:30 “ransom” NAS), BDB “a price for ransom of a life” ^
  5. כרםׁל) lâkhem) plural “you” ^
  6. ר פאמר י) yo'met) “they said,” more literally, “he said” - “people” sometimes are referred to in the third masculine singular (e.g. footnote Judges 7:4). ^
  7. T” made who) “asher ('אש שר ר עׁש שׁש ה ^
  8. שןׁבתד) bedân) “Bedan”; LXX Βαρακ (Barak) “Barak” - Order of names in this verse is Jerubbaal (Gideon, Judges 6); Bedan (Barak?, Barak is Judges 4); Jephthah (Judges 11); Samuel (1 Samuel 1). ^
  9. ? Numbers 23:21; Deuteronomy 33:4-5; 1 Samuel 2:10; Yehvah IS King, Isaiah 6:5; 33:14-17, 22 (Lawgiver, James 4:12; 43:15; Jeremiah10:7, 10; Zechariah 14:1-9 (Matthew 25:31) – 12-16-17; Malachi 1:14; Matthew 27:37 (true!); John 18:33-38; John 19:6-12a, 14-15 (“Shall I crucify your King!”); 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Timothy 6:14-15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16. ^
  10. ם יכר בפתי אש ובב) uva'avotêykhem) “as against your fathers” DARBY; “and against your fathers” YLT; “as it was against your fathers” NKJV, KJV, NAS. ^
  11. קפלות) qolot) “sounds” (see footnote for Genesis 3:8); YLT “voices”; NKJV, KJV, NAS “thunder” - the word for “thunder” is ם עב רב) ra`am) e.g. Job 26:14; Psalm 104:7. ^

4 Responses

  1. And he called him in that day Jerubbaal, saying, “Let the Baal contend against him, because he tore down his altar.” -- ל ר יע ר ב הרבָי) yerubba`al) “Jerubbaal” - means “Let Baal contend” – found also in Judges 7:1; 8:29, 35; 9:1-2, 5, 16, 19, 24, 28, 57; 1 Samuel 12:11.

  2. And Yehvah sold them in hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. And commander of his army was Sisera. And he dwelt in the Carving of the Nations. -- א א מֵרן גּיס סיי) siysrâ') “Sisera” - found also in Judges 4:7, 9, 12-18, 22; 5:20, 26, 28, 30; 1 Samuel 12:9; Psalm 83:9. There is also “sons of Sisera” in Ezra 2:53 & Nehemiah 7:55.

  3. And they forsook Yehvah and served to the Baal and to the Ashtaroth. -- ת רי תל נַש ה ע`) ashttârot) – “Ashtaroth” NAS, KJV, YLT - “Ashtoreths” NKJV; LXX Ἀστάρταις (Astartais) - see footnote for Deuteronomy 1:4. נתלרכרתַהש ע`) ashttârot) - “Ashtaroth” - feminine plural term found also for a location in Joshua 9:10; 12:4; 13:12, 31; 1 Chronicles 6:71(H56). There is also “Ashteroth Karnaim” יים הי נ נַר ה ק ת רכת נַת נַש ה ע`) ashterot qarnayim) in Genesis 14:5. This is also the name of an idol (or idols) in Judges 2:13; 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:3, 4; 12:10; 31:10, in the feminine singular ת ס ר תכי נַש ה ע (`ashtoret) “Ashtoreth” 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13. There is also an י י תי רל נַת נַש עש`) ashterâtiy) “Ashterathite” in 1 Chronicles 11:44. Also, this term is used for “young” (or “offspring” NKJV) of a flock in Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:4, 18, 51.

  4. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. -- egw eimi o cristov (egô eimi ho christos) - “I am the Christ” - this = “I am the anointed” or “I am the anointed one.” Christ (cristov) means “anointed.” For example, cristov (christos) is found in the LXX in Leviticus 4:5, 16; 6:22(H6:15) for “the anointed priest” (o iereuv o cristov [ho iereus ho christos]; Hebrew j'yviM;h' ÷heKoh' [hakkohên hammâshiyach]), 1 Samuel 12:5 for “His anointed” (cristov autou [christos autou]), and 1 Samuel 24:6(H7), 10(H11); Lamentations 4:20 for “the Lord's anointed” or “the anointed of the Lord” (cristov kuriou [christos kurios], Hebrew hw:hy] j'yvim; [mâshiyach yehvah]). See also Mark 13:6.

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