The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

6:4 Five golden tumors and five golden rats. It was their custom to make models of their sores (and the rats which brought the plague), in hopes that the deity would recognize that they knew why he was angry and remove the evil which had fallen upon them. The context of v. 17 suggests that the items were in the writer’s presence at the time the account was recorded. The number 5 represents each of the Philistine cities and lords affected by God’s judgment.

  6:5 give glory to the God of Israel…He will lighten His hand. While sympathetic magic was the Philistine custom, this statement expressly affirms the intention behind the offerings: They were to halt the dishonor, confess their sin, and give glory to the God of Israel by acknowledging who it was that they had offended and who was the supreme Deity.

  6:6 Why then do you harden your hearts. The diviners correlate the Philistines’ actions of not recognizing God with those of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This is the same word “harden” that was used in Ex. 7:14; 8:15, 32. It is an interesting correlation, because the dominant purpose in Ex. 5–14 is that the Egyptians might “know that I am the LORD” (Ex. 7:5).

  6:7 never been yoked. To know without a doubt that the God of Israel was behind all of their troubles, the diviners devised a plan that would reveal whether God was the One responsible. Using cows which had “never been yoked” meant using animals that were untrained to pull a cart and probably would not go anywhere. take their calves…away from them. The second element in their plan was to use nursing cows taken away from their calves. For the cows unnaturally to head off in the opposite direction from their calves would be a clear sign that the cause of their judgment was supernatural.

  6:9 Beth Shemesh. Named “house of the sun” and located in the Sorek Valley, this was a Levitical city about 15 mi. W of Jerusalem. Originally designated for the descendants of Aaron (Josh. 21:16), it was chosen to be the destination of the cows pulling the cart.

  6:12 lowing as they went. With the moaning from instinctive unwillingness to leave their calves behind, the cows went straight to Beth Shemesh, not turning to the right or left, leaving the inescapable conclusion that God had judged them.

  6:13 reaping their wheat harvest. Sometime in June. These harvests were accomplished with the whole city participating.

  6:14 Joshua of Beth Shemesh. The cows stopped in the field of Joshua, where there was a large stone which was verifiable to the writer at the time the account was written. burnt offering. Because the cows and cart were used for sacred purposes, they could not be used for normal everyday purposes. Therefore, the men of Beth Shemesh sacrificed the cows using the cart for the fire.

  6:15 Levites. The men of Beth Shemesh, being Levites, were qualified to move the ark. put them on the large stone. The stone mentioned was used as a pedestal for both the items of gold and the ark. At the time the account was written, it stood as a witness that God had returned to the land.

  6:16 five lords of the Philistines. The lords of the Philistines, upon seeing that the ark arrived safely, returned to Ekron.

  6:19 looked into the ark. This action on the part of the men of Beth Shemesh constituted the sin of presumption. This is first addressed in Num. 4:20 and is mentioned again in 2 Sam. 6:6, 7. fifty thousand and seventy men. Some debate whether this figure is too large. However, retaining the larger number is more consistent with the context of “a great slaughter,” and the reference to 30,000 in 4:10 (cf. 11:8). However, a scribal error could have occurred, in which case the number would omit the 50,000 and likely be “seventy,” as in Josephus (see marginal note).

  6:20 Who is able to stand. This question climaxes the narrative of the ark. No one is able to stand against God’s judgment. This applied to the people outside the covenant as well as those under the covenant. Presumption before God is unacceptable. to whom shall it go. The expression was used to denote the desire to take the ark away from them.

  6:21 Kirjath Jearim. A city located approximately 10 mi. NE of Beth Shemesh. It would remain the resting place of the ark until David brought it to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1–19). This location had long been associated with Baal worship (cf. Josh. 15:9, 60; 18:14).

  1 Samuel 7

  7:2 twenty years. Coupled with v. 3, the 20 years designated the period Israel neglected God and chased after foreign gods. After those 20 years, Israel returned to the Lord.

  7:3 prepare your hearts for the LORD…and He will deliver you. This statement recalls the cycle in the book of Judges: apostasy, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. It previews the contents of this chapter.

  7:4 the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Most dominant of the Canaanite pantheon, these deities were the fertility gods which plagued Israel. “Baal” and “Ashtoreth” are plurals of majesty, which signify their supreme authority over other Canaanite deities. Ashtoreth represented the female goddess, while Baal represented the male sky god who fertilized the land.

  7:5 Mizpah. This city was located 8 mi. NE of Kirjath Jearim in Benjamin. It became one of the cities of Samuel’s circuit (v. 16). I will pray. Samuel was a man of prayer (7:8, 9; 8:6; 12:19, 23; 15:11).

  7:6 drew water, and poured it out before the LORD. The pouring out of water before the Lord was a sign of repentance. This act is repeated in 2 Sam. 23:16. We have sinned against the LORD. The symbol of Samuel pouring out the water and the acknowledgment of the people reveal a situation where true repentance had taken place. The condition of the heart superseded the importance or righteousness of the ritual. Samuel judged. At this point Samuel is introduced as the judge of Israel. His judgeship encompassed both domestic leadership and the conduct of war. The word links the text back to the last comment about Eli who judged 40 years (4:18). Samuel is shown to be the one taking over Eli’s judgeship. He served as the last judge before the first king (cf. 1 Sam. 8:5).

  7:7 Israel…afraid of the Philistines. When Israel heard that the Philistines had come up against them for war, they were afraid.

  7:10 the LORD thundered…upon the Philistines. In a literal manner, the Lord did to His enemies what was said by Hannah in her prayer (2:10).

  7:11 Beth Car. The location is unknown.

  7:12 Ebenezer. A different location from the one mentioned in 4:1 and 5:1. The name functions as the literary knot for the two ends of this unit (see note on 4:1). Thus far the LORD has helped us. This expression means that the Lord was the One responsible for getting Israel to this point. He was Israel’s Sovereign One in times of both faithfulness and rebellion. He fought the battles and provided the blessings.

  7:13 did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. The Lord gave Israel the victory over the Philistines, discontinuing their threat for the immediate future during Samuel’s judgeship. all the days of Samuel. As the section opened in 4:1 with Samuel pictured as God’s agent, so here the section closed with the Lord working powerfully through all the days of Samuel.

  7:14 Ekron to Gath. These two cities, mentioned earlier as chief Philistine cities (5:8, 10), became the eastern border of the Philistines. The territory to the E of these cities was freed from Philistine control and returned to Israel. Amorites. Whereas the Philistines resided in the coastal plains, the Amorites resided in the hills W of Israel between the Jordan Valley and the coastal plain. As with the Philistines, Israel was at peace with the Amorites.

  7:16 a circuit. The circuit was an annual trip made by Samuel; he would travel to Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and return once again to Ramah, which allowed him to manage the affairs of the people.

  7:17 Ramah. The first major division of the book (1:1—7:17) ends with Samuel returning to Ramah to judge the people.

  1 Samuel 8

  8:1—15:35 This division of the book concentrates on the interaction between Israel, Samuel, and Saul. These chapters begin with the elders of Israel coming to Samuel at Ramah (8:4) and conclude with Samuel’s leaving Saul and returning to Ramah (15:34). Chapters 8:1–12:25 describe the establishment of the kingship over the nation of Israel and the advent of Saul as the first king. These chapters are linked by reference
to Samuel’s being old (8:1; 12:2) and “heeding the voice” of the people (8:7, 9, 19, 22; 12:1, 14, 15). Chapters 13:1–15:35 recount the failures of Saul as king over Israel. The events of these chapters are bracketed by two interactions between Saul and Samuel that both take place in Gilgal (13:4, 7, 8, 12, 15; 15:12, 21, 33).

  8:1 Samuel was old. Samuel was about 60 years of age (1043 B.C.). He appointed his two sons to serve as judges in Beersheba, a city about 57 mi. S of Ramah.

  8:2 Joel. The name means “the LORD is God.” Abijah. The name means “my Father is the LORD.”

  8:3 his sons did not walk in his ways. The perverted desire for riches led Samuel’s sons to take bribes and thereby pervert justice. These actions were strictly forbidden for judges in Deut. 16:19. The sins of Samuel’s sons became the pretext for Israel’s demand for a king (vv. 4, 5).

  8:5 Now make us a king…like all the nations. When Israel entered the land, they encountered Canaanite city-states that were led by kings (see Josh. 12:7–24). Additionally, during the period of the judges, Israel was enslaved by nations that were led by kings (Judg. 3:8, 12; 4:2; 8:5; 11:12). However, at the time of the judges there was no king in Israel (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). As Israel lived in the land surrounded by nations that had kings, the desire arose for a king in Israel also. According to Deut. 17:14, God knew this would be their desire and He would allow it to occur. However, v. 20 revealed a motive which was definitely counter to the Lord’s will. See note on 8:20.

  8:7 Heed the voice of the people. The Lord had predicted that there would be kings over Israel (Gen. 35:11; 36:31; 49:10; Num. 24:7–9, 17; Deut. 17:14; 28:36). Here, the Lord told Samuel to obey the request of the people and give them a king. they have not rejected you, but…Me. The nature of this rejection of the Lord by Israel is explained in vv. 19, 20.

  8:9 you shall solemnly forewarn them. Samuel obeyed the Lord by describing the behavior of a human king in vv. 10–18. A king would: 1) draft young men and women for his service (vv. 11–13); 2) tax the people’s crops and flocks (vv. 14, 15, 17a); 3) appropriate the best of their animals and servants (v. 16); and 4) place limitations on their personal freedom (v. 17b).

  8:10 who asked him for a king. Just as Hannah asked for a son (1:20), Israel asked for a king. See note on 9:2.

  8:18 you will cry out…because of your king whom you have chosen. Samuel warned the people that they would live to regret their decision for a king and would later cry out for freedom from his rule (1 Kin. 12:4). the LORD will not hear you. In contrast to the Lord’s response to Israel during the period of the judges (Judg. 2:18), the Lord would not be moved to pity and therefore would refuse to deliver the people out of the hand of their king who oppressed them.

  8:19 we will have a king over us. In spite of Samuel’s warnings, the people demanded a king.

  8:20 fight our battles. Up until this point, the Lord Himself had fought the battles for Israel and given continual victory (Josh. 10:14; 1 Sam. 7:10). Israel no longer wanted the Lord to be their warrior; replacing Him with a human king was their desire. It was in this way that Israel rejected the Lord (see v. 7). The problem was not in having a king; but, rather the reason the people wanted a king, i.e., to be like other nations. They also foolishly assumed there would be some greater power in a king leading them in battle.

  1 Samuel 9

  9:1 a mighty man of power. I.e., “a man of wealth,” confirmed by the reference to donkeys and servants in v. 3 (cf. Boaz in Ruth 2:1).

  9:2 a choice and handsome son. Emphasis was placed on the external appearance of leaders (cf. David in 16:18). Saul. Son of Kish, a Benjamite, he was Israel’s first king. The Heb. root for “Saul” means “asked (of God).” In 8:10, the people “asked…for a king.” Although God appointed Saul, he was really the people’s choice, given by the Lord in answer to their request. The Lord’s choice would be from the tribe of Judah (cf. Gen. 49:10).

  9:3 the donkeys…were lost. “Lost donkeys” meant “lost wealth.” Kish had servants who could have gone looking, but Saul was chosen to oversee this important task.

  9:4 Shalisha…Shaalim. The locations are geographically unknown.

  9:6 a man of God. A description of the prophet and judge, Samuel. “Man of God” referred to a prophet (see 2:27). See note on Deut. 33:1.

  9:7 no present to bring. A gift expressed gratitude and thankfulness for the service of the “man of God.” Gifts were offered to prophets in 1 Kin. 14:3; 2 Kin. 4:42; 5:15, 16; 8:8, 9.

  9:8 one-fourth of a shekel. About one-tenth of an ounce.

  9:9 a prophet was formerly called a seer. Due to the God-given ability to know or “see” the future, the “seer” was so named in close relationship with what he did. The person called a prophet, by the time this book was written, had been termed a seer in the earlier time of Saul.

  9:12 high place. This is essentially Canaanite in background (cf. Deut. 12:2–5). Before the temple was built, the high place was used for worship and sacrifice because it provided the best vantage point for the participation of the people in worship and allowed them to visually see the sacrifice being made for them.

  9:13 he must bless the sacrifice. The sacrifice was offered to the Lord as an act of worship by the “man of God.”

  9:16 anoint him. This represents a setting apart for service to the Lord, which occurs in 10:1. See note on 2:10. commander. Lit. “one given prominence, one placed in front.” The title referred to “one designated to rule” (cf. 1 Kin. 1:35; 2 Chr. 11:22). their cry has come to Me. The people had been crying out for deliverance from the Philistines, their longstanding rivals, just as they did for liberation from Egypt (cf. Ex. 2:25; 3:9).

  9:17 This one shall reign over My people. God identified Saul to Samuel, assuring there was no mistaking whom God was choosing to be king.

  9:18 where is the seer’s house? A reference to Samuel’s house.

  9:20 all the desire of Israel. Saul was to become the focus of Israel’s hope for military victories over her enemies (cf. 8:19, 20).

  9:21 a Benjamite…the least of all the families. Saul’s humility and timidity was expressed by his proper assessment of his tribe and a humble estimation of his family.

  9:22 the hall. The place where those who were invited ate with Samuel after the offering of the sacrifice on the high place (cf. vv. 12, 13).

  9:24 the thigh…set apart for you. Samuel was following Lev. 7:28–36. Samuel received the thigh, the portion of the sacrifice reserved for the priest. Samuel’s giving of this choice piece of meat to Saul was a distinct honor and reflected Saul’s new status as the designated king.

  9:25 the top of the house. The roof of Samuel’s house provided a place for Saul and his servant to sleep for the night.

  9:27 the word of God. Special revelation from God, given to Samuel and intended for Saul. See note on 3:1.

  1 Samuel 10

  10:1 the LORD has anointed you commander. The Lord chose Saul to be the leader of Israel and communicated His choice through the private anointing by Samuel, signifying a setting aside for God’s service (see 2:10). His inheritance. The inheritance was God’s nation, Israel, in the sense that she uniquely belonged to Him (Deut. 4:20; 9:26).

  10:2 Zelzah. Only mentioned here. Probably near Ramah, located between Bethel and Bethlehem, where Rachel died (Gen. 35:19; 48:7).

  10:3 Tabor. This is not the far-distant Mt. Tabor, but a location unknown, probably near Bethel.

  10:5 the Philistine garrison. Most likely the garrison in Geba in Benjamin, about 5 mi. N of Jerusalem. a group of prophets. Lit. “sons of the prophets.” They were young men being trained by Samuel for the prophetic ministry (see 19:18–20). prophesying. The prophet, as God’s messenger, declared the Word of the Lord (2 Sam. 7:5; 12:1), sometimes accompanied by music (1 Chr. 25:1). Here, “prophesying” connotes praising God and instructing the people with musical accompaniment.

  10:6 the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you. The Holy Spirit would enable Saul to declare the Word of the Lord with the pro
phets. turned into another man. With this empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Saul would emerge another man (cf. 10:9), equipped in the manner of Gideon and Jepthah for deeds of valor (cf. v. 9; Judg. 6:34; 11:29).

  10:7 signs. The 3 signs of vv. 2–6: 1) the report of the found donkeys; 2) the encounter of the 3 men going to Bethel; and 3) the encounter with the prophets. do as the occasion demands. Saul was to do what his hand found to do (Eccl. 9:10).

  10:8 Gilgal. The town where Saul eventually would be declared king by Samuel (11:14, 15), offer sacrifice before the Lord without the prophet Samuel (13:12), and where Samuel slew king Agag (15:33). Gilgal was to the E of Jericho, but W of the Jordan River. burnt offerings and…peace offerings. See notes on Lev. 1:3–17; 3:1–17. Seven days. The appointed time Saul was to wait for Samuel to come and tell him what to do (see 13:8).

  10:9 God gave him another heart. Lit. “God changed him for another heart,” i.e., God prepared Saul for the kingship by having the Holy Spirit come upon him (cf. v. 6).

  10:12 who is their father? A question asked to find out the identity of the leader of the prophetic band that now included Saul. a proverb. A saying of common occurrence.

  1 Sam. 10:13

  Locations of Saul’s Military Campaigns

  10:16 the matter of the kingdom. The information Samuel gave Saul about becoming king he did not tell his uncle. This might reflect Saul’s humility (cf. v. 22).

  10:17 Samuel called the people. The Lord’s choice of Saul was made public at Mizpah, the place of the spiritual revival before Israel’s victory over the Philistines (7:5–8).

  10:18, 19 the LORD God of Israel…delivered you. Despite the past faithfulness of God to His people, they still desired a human king to deliver them from the hands of their enemies.

  10:20, 21 chosen. Probably Saul was selected by the casting of lots (cf. Lev. 16:8–10; Josh. 7:15–18). See note on Prov. 16:33.

  10:22 hidden among the equipment. Overwhelmed, Saul had hidden himself in the military supplies.