1 Samuel10
New International Version
1Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?
2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
3“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.
4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.
6The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
7Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.
10When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.
11When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
14Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah
18and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
19But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
20When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
21Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
22So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”
23They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.
24Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.
27But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 1 Samuel 10.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Samuel anoints Saul. (1–8). Saul prophesies. (9–16). Saul chosen king. (17–27).
vv1-8
The sacred anointing, then used, pointed at the great Messiah, or Anointed One, the King of the church, and High Priest of our profession, who was anointed with the oil of the Spirit, not by measure, but without measure, and above all the priests and princes of the Jewish church. For Saul's further satisfaction, Samuel gives him some signs which should come to pass the same day. The first place he directs him to, was the sepulchre of one of his ancestors; there he must be reminded of his own mortality, and now that he had a crown before him, must think of his grave, in which all his honour would be laid in the dust. From the time of Samuel there appears to have been schools, or places where pious young men were brought up in the knowledge of Divine things. Saul should find himself strongly moved to join with them, and should be turned into another man from what he had been. The Spirit of God changes men, wonderfully transforms them. Saul, by praising God in the communion of saints, became another man, but it may be questioned if he became a new man.
vv9-16
The signs Samuel had given Saul, came to pass punctually; he found that God had given him another heart, another disposition of mind. Yet let not an outward show of devotion, and a sudden change for the present, be too much relied on; Saul among the prophets was Saul still. His being anointed was kept private. He leaves it to God to carry on his own work by Samuel, and sits still, to see how the matter will fall.
vv17-27
Samuel tells the people, Ye have this day rejected your God. So little fond was Saul now of that power, which soon after, when he possessed it, he could not think of parting with, that he hid himself. It is good to be conscious of our unworthiness and insufficiency for the services to which we are called; but men should not go into the contrary extreme, by refusing the employments to which the Lord and the church call them. The greater part of the people treated the matter with indifference. Saul modestly went home to his own house, but was attended by a band of men whose hearts God disposed to support his authority. If the heart bend at any time the right way, it is because He has touched it. One touch is enough when it is Divine. Others despised him. Thus differently are men affected to our exalted Redeemer. There is a remnant who submit to him, and follow him wherever he goes; they are those whose hearts God has touched, whom he has made willing. But there are others who despise him, who ask, How shall this man save us? They are offended in him, and they will be punished.
Key Words
שְׁמוּאֵל: Shemuel, the name of three Israelites
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
פַּךְ: a flask (from which a liquid may flow)
שֶׁמֶן: grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed); figuratively, richness
יָצַק: properly, to pour out (transitive or intransitive); by implication, to melt or cast as metal; by extension, to place firmly, to stiffen or grow hard
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
רֹאשׁ: the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
נָשַׁק: to kiss, literally or figuratively (touch); also (as a mode of attachment), to equip with weapons
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
מָשַׁח: to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate; also to paint
Cross References
1 Samuel 10The Mosaic law regarding the duties and limitations of kingship which Samuel writes in a book.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The fateful command to wait seven days at Gilgal, which Saul famously fails to keep later.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The repeating origin of the proverbial question, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Samuel's kiss of Saul represents the royal kiss of subjection and homage.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Identifies the location of Rachel's sepulchre, confirming the geographical path and sign Samuel predicted.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Links instrumental music and singing praises to the technical biblical term 'prophesying'.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Reiterates the fundamental theological critique that in demanding a king, Israel rejected Yahweh.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Re-emphasizes Saul's distinctive, towering physical stature first introduced during his search.
Supported by JFB
The critical subsequent event where Saul's supporters suggest executing the detractors who despised him.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Establishes the pattern of a prophet privately anointing a king from a vial of oil.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Identifies Bethel as the ancient sanctuary and place of Jacob's vision.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Demonstrates the judicial process of selection by lot, shifting from tribe to family to individual.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Contrasts God's warning to Samuel against looking at height, after Saul's towering height was praised.
Gibeah of Saul is identified as his home town to which he modestly returned.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Reminds readers of the lost asses that initiated Saul's journey to Samuel.
Defines the term 'children of Belial' as worthless, rebellious, and lawless men.
Supported by Matthew Poole