Christian Standard Bible
1 Samuel 8:4
4So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.
1 Samuel 8:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
- New International Version (NIV)So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
Context of 1 Samuel 8:4
2His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. 3However, his sons did not walk in his ways — they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. 5They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” 6When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord.
Read all of 1 Samuel 81 Samuel 8:4 word by word
וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֔וּ כֹּ֖ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל הָרָמָֽתָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 8:4
- Exodus 3:16“Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.
- Exodus 24:1Then he said to Moses, “Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders, and bow in worship at a distance.
- 2 Samuel 5:3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 8:4
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-9Verses 4-9 Samuel was displeased; he could patiently bear what reflected on himself, and his own family; but it displeased him when they said, Give us a king to judge us, because that reflected upon God. It drove him to his knees. When any thing disturbs us, it is our interest, as well as our duty, to show our trouble before God. Samuel is to tell them that they shall have a king. Not that God was pleased with their request, but as sometimes he opposes us…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-22When Israel was changing to a monarchy (rule by kings), neither God (1 Samuel 8:7–9) nor Samuel (1 Samuel 12:1–25) liked the people's request for a king. Saul, the first king (1 Samuel 9–11), did not succeed in his role (1 Samuel 13–31) and proved Samuel's warnings true (see 1 Samuel 8:10–18; compare 1 Samuel 16:1–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-181Sa 8:1-18. Occasioned by the Ill- Government of Samuel's Sons, the Israelites Ask a King. 1-5. when Samuel was old--He was now about fifty-four years of age, having discharged the office of sole judge for twelve years. Unable, from growing infirmities, to prosecute his circuit journeys through the country, he at length confined his magisterial duties to Ramah and its neighborhood (1Sa 7:15), delegating to his sons as his deputies the administration of…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 8:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 8
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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