19 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.
20 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;
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
19 And all the people H5971 said H559 unto Samuel, H8050 Pray H6419 for thy servants H5650 unto the LORD H3068 thy God, H430 that we die H4191 not: for we have added H3254 unto all our sins H2403 this evil, H7451 to ask H7592 us a king. H4428
20 And Samuel H8050 said H559 unto the people, H5971 Fear H3372 not: ye have done H6213 all this wickedness: H7451 yet turn not aside H5493 from following H310 the LORD, H3068 but serve H5647 the LORD H3068 with all your heart; H3824
21 And turn ye not aside: H5493 for then should ye go after H310 vain H8414 things, which cannot profit H3276 nor deliver; H5337 for they are vain. H8414
22 For the LORD H3068 will not forsake H5203 his people H5971 for his great H1419 name's H8034 sake: because it hath pleased H2974 the LORD H3068 to make H6213 you his people. H5971
23 Moreover as for me, H595 God forbid H2486 that I should sin H2398 against the LORD H3068 in ceasing H2308 to pray H6419 for you: H1157 but I will teach H3384 you the good H2896 and the right H3477 way: H1870
24 Only fear H3372 the LORD, H3068 and serve H5647 him in truth H571 with all your heart: H3824 for consider H7200 how great things he hath done H1431 for you.
25 But if ye shall still H7489 do wickedly, H7489 ye shall be consumed, H5595 both ye and your king. H4428
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins `this' evil, to ask us a king.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart:
21 and turn ye not aside; for `then would ye go' after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
22 For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you.
25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
19 and all the people say unto Samuel, `Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, and we do not die, for we have added to all our sins evil to ask for us a king.'
20 And Samuel saith unto the people, `Fear not; ye have done all this evil; only, turn not aside from after Jehovah -- and ye have served Jehovah with all your heart,
21 and ye do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they `are' vain,
22 for Jehovah doth not leave His people, on account of His great name; for Jehovah hath been pleased to make you to Him for a people.
23 `I, also, far be it from me to sin against Jehovah, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;
24 only, fear ye Jehovah, and ye have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He hath made great with you;
25 and if ye really do evil, both ye and your king are consumed.'
19 And all the people said to Samuel, Pray to Jehovah thy God for thy servants, that we die not; for we have added to all our sins the wickedness to ask for ourselves a king.
20 And Samuel said to the people, Fear not: *ye* have done all this wickedness; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, and serve Jehovah with all your heart;
21 and turn ye not aside; for [it would be] after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
22 For Jehovah will not cast away his people for his great name's sake; because it has pleased Jehovah to make you his people.
23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you; and I will teach you the good and right way.
24 Only, fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth, with all your heart; for see how great things he has done for you.
25 But if ye do wickedly, ye shall perish, both ye and your king.
19 All the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask us a king.
20 Samuel said to the people, "Don't be afraid; you have indeed done all this evil; yet don't turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart:
21 and don't turn aside; for [then would you go] after vain things which can't profit nor deliver, for they are vain.
22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people to himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he has done for you.
25 But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king."
19 And all the people said to Samuel, Make prayer for us to the Lord your God so that death may not overtake us: for in addition to all our sins we have done this evil, in desiring a king.
20 Then Samuel said to the people, Have no fear: truly you have done evil, but do not be turned away from the Lord; be his servants with all your heart;
21 And do not go from the right way turning to those false gods in which there is no profit and no salvation, for they are false.
22 For the Lord will not give his people up, because of the honour of his name; for it was the Lord's pleasure to make of you a people for himself.
23 And as for me, never will I go against the orders of the Lord by giving up my prayers for you: but I will go on teaching you the good and right way.
24 Only go in the fear of the Lord, and be his true servants with all your heart, keeping in mind what great things he has done for you.
25 But if you still do evil, destruction will overtake you and your king.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Samuel 12
Commentary on 1 Samuel 12 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 12
1Sa 12:1-5. Samuel Testifies his Integrity.
1-4. Samuel said unto all Israel—This public address was made after the solemn re-instalment of Saul, and before the convention at Gilgal separated. Samuel, having challenged a review of his public life, received a unanimous testimony to the unsullied honor of his personal character, as well as the justice and integrity of his public administration.
5. the Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness—that, by their own acknowledgment, he had given them no cause to weary of the divine government by judges, and that, therefore, the blame of desiring a change of government rested with themselves. This was only insinuated, and they did not fully perceive his drift.
1Sa 12:6-16. He Reproves the People for Ingratitude.
7-16. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you—The burden of this faithful and uncompromising address was to show them, that though they had obtained the change of government they had so importunely desired, their conduct was highly displeasing to their heavenly King; nevertheless, if they remained faithful to Him and to the principles of the theocracy, they might be delivered from many of the evils to which the new state of things would expose them. And in confirmation of those statements, no less than in evidence of the divine displeasure, a remarkable phenomenon, on the invocation of the prophet, and of which he gave due premonition, took place.
11. Bedan—The Septuagint reads "Barak"; and for "Samuel" some versions read "Samson," which seems more natural than that the prophet should mention himself to the total omission of the greatest of the judges. (Compare Heb 11:32).
1Sa 12:17-25. He Terrifies Them with Thunder in Harvest-time.
17-25. Is it not wheat harvest to-day?—That season in Palestine occurs at the end of June or beginning of July, when it seldom or never rains, and the sky is serene and cloudless. There could not, therefore, have been a stronger or more appropriate proof of a divine mission than the phenomenon of rain and thunder happening, without any prognostics of its approach, upon the prediction of a person professing himself to be a prophet of the Lord, and giving it as an attestation of his words being true. The people regarded it as a miraculous display of divine power, and, panic-struck, implored the prophet to pray for them. Promising to do so, he dispelled their fears. The conduct of Samuel, in this whole affair of the king's appointment, shows him to have been a great and good man who sank all private and personal considerations in disinterested zeal for his country's good and whose last words in public were to warn the people, and their king, of the danger of apostasy and disobedience to God.