1 Samuel 11:2

1 Samuel 11:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.
• New International Version (NIV)But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.”

Context of 1 Samuel 11:2

1Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I’ll make one with you on this condition: that I gouge out everyone’s right eye and humiliate all Israel.” 3“Don’t do anything to us for seven days,” the elders of Jabesh said to him, “and let us send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If no one saves us, we will surrender to you.” 4When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul’s hometown, and told the terms to the people, all wept aloud.

1 Samuel 11:2 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם נָחָשׁ֙ הָעַמּוֹנִ֔י בְּזֹאת֙ אֶכְרֹ֣ת לָכֶ֔ם בִּנְק֥וֹר לָכֶ֖ם כָּל־עֵ֣ין יָמִ֑ין וְשַׂמְתִּ֥יהָ חֶרְפָּ֖ה עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Nahashנָחָשׁnâchâsh · NahashH5176
• the Ammoniteעַמּוֹנִי‛ammônîy · AmmonH5984
• answeredאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• them, On thisזֹאתzô'th · thisH2063
• will I makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
• with you, that I may thrust outנָקַרnâqar · to digH5365
• all your rightיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
• eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• and layשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• a reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
• upon all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 11:2

• 2 Kings 18:31“Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: ‘Make peace with me and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and each may drink water from his own cistern
• Judges 16:21The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to grind grain in the prison.
• Exodus 3:6Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
• Proverbs 12:10The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel.
• Jeremiah 39:7Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze chains to take him to Babylon.
• 1 Samuel 17:26David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
• Genesis 34:14“We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 11:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2I may thrust out all your right eves - This cruel condition would serve at once as a badge of their slavery, and a means of incapacitating them from being effective warriors. Theodoret observes, "He who opposes his shield to the enemy with his left hand, thereby hides his left eye, and looks at his enemy with his right eye; he therefore who plucks out that right eye makes men useless in war." Josephus gives the same reason.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2put out everyone’s right eye: In the ancient Near East, it was common to mutilate captured soldiers. These soldiers, with one eye, lost depth perception, making it hard for them to fight in a revolt.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. thrust out all your right eyes--literally, "scoop" or "hollow out" the ball. This barbarous mutilation is the usual punishment of usurpers in the East, inflicted on chiefs; sometimes, also, even in modern history, on the whole male population of a town. Nahash meant to keep the Jabeshites useful as tributaries, whence he did not wish to render them wholly blind, but only to deprive them of their right eye, which would disqualify them for war. Besides…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 11:2

• Jabesh-Gilead
• Nahash

In the dictionaries

• Ammonite
• Israel
• Ammon, Ammonite
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Blind
• Eye
• Nahash
• Renew
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings