1 Samuel 9 - Printer Friendly

What does 1 Samuel 9 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

The story of Saul, Israel's first king, begins here. This chapter is meant to build suspense and withhold what is really happening for several key moments of revelation.

At the end of the previous chapter, the Lord commanded Samuel to make Israel a king, according to the will of the people (1 Samuel 8:22). The reader might expect to find Samuel conducting that search. Instead, 1 Samuel 9 opens by introducing a man who goes out looking for lost donkeys.

Saul is described as a man from the tribe of Benjamin, the tall and handsome son of a wealthy man named Kish. Some of Kish's donkeys have wandered away and are lost. Kish sends Saul and a servant to go out into the hill country of Ephraim to find the donkeys and bring them back. After three days and many miles, however, the pair still have not found the donkeys (1 Samuel 9:1–4).

When they come to the land of Zuph, Saul says it is time to give up the search. He is concerned his father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about them. The servant, though, tells Saul that a man of God lives in a nearby city (Ramah). That man is famous for never saying anything that does not turn out to be true. The servant proposes they go and ask him about the donkeys (1 Samuel 9:5–6).

Saul's only objection is that they do not have a gift for this man of God. The servant realizes he has a quarter of a shekel of silver for a gift. Saul agrees to go and try it (1 Samuel 9:7–10).

As the pair approach the city that evening, they meet some young women coming out to draw water from the well. The women tell them the seer, or prophet, is shortly ahead of them, about to leave the city to attend a special sacrificial meal at the high place outside of town. As soon as Saul and his servant enter the gate area, they see Samuel (1 Samuel 9:11–14).

The writer inserts a flashback into the story. About twenty-four hours earlier, the Lord told Samuel that a man from Benjamin would come the next day at about the same time. The Lord said that Samuel would anoint the stranger to be prince over Israel and that the man would save Israel from the Philistines as God's answer to their cry for help. Narrating back in the present moment, the Lord now tells Samuel that the man approaching is the one about whom He had spoken (1 Samuel 9:15–17).

When Saul asks where the house of the seer is, Samuel tells him that he is the seer and that Saul should go up with him to eat the meal at the high place. Samuel will let Saul go home in the morning then tell him his own thoughts. Samuel also tells Saul that he can stop worrying about the donkeys because they have been found. Then Samuel adds, mysteriously, that everything desirable in Israel is for him and his father's house (1 Samuel 9:18–20).

Saul objects to being honored in this way. After all, he tells Samuel, he is from the tribe of Benjamin, least among all the tribes. In that tribe, also, his clan is the lowliest of all the clans. Why is Samuel talking like this? Instead of answering Saul, Samuel takes him to dinner in the sanctuary hall. Saul is given the seat of honor at the head of the table, and Samuel gives him the best portion of the meat, saying that it has been reserved for Saul (1 Samuel 9:21–24).

Later, Saul spends the night at Samuel's house. As they are walking out of the city the next morning, Samuel stops Saul and says that the time has come to reveal the word of God (1 Samuel 9:25–27).

First Samuel 9:1–14 begins the story of Saul, first king of Israel. Saul and his servant spend three days looking for lost donkeys before seeking help. They ask for the local seer—the original term for a "prophet"—and are sent to Samuel. Neither man realizes they are expected and that the Lord has special plans for Saul.

First Samuel 9:15–27 explains how the Lord had prepared Samuel to meet Saul. God told Samuel to expect a visit, and that person was God's choice for Israel's first king. Samuel treats Saul to a feast of honor. Saul is confused, as his tribe and clan are much below others in the nation. Before Saul leaves, Samuel sends Saul's servant ahead so he can speak with Saul in private.

Chapter Summary:

The story of Saul, first king of Israel, begins with him searching the Ephraim hill country for lost donkeys. He stops at Ramah to ask the prophet there for help. The seer, Samuel, has been told by God to expect a man to come at this time. Samuel will anoint this man as the prince of Israel. Samuel makes Saul the guest of honor at a sacrificial feast and then brings him home to sleep on his roof. As Saul is leaving town the next day, Samuel stops and says it is time to reveal the word of God to Saul.

Chapter Context:

The people of Israel have demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:4–5). Here, the Lord introduces Samuel to Saul, who would become the nation's first ruler (1 Samuel 10:24). Saul and his servant stop at Ramah looking for his family's donkeys. God has told Samuel to anoint Saul as the prince of Israel. After eating with Samuel as an honored guest, Saul prepares to leave, but Samuel has more to tell him (1 Samuel 10:1). Saul would quickly fall into disobedience (1 Samuel 15:10–11); David would eventually take his place (1 Samuel 16:12–13).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.

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