Christian Standard Bible
1 Samuel 9:2
2He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else.
1 Samuel 9:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
- New International Version (NIV)Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Context of 1 Samuel 9:2
1There was a prominent man of Benjamin named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite. He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man. There was no one more impressive among the Israelites than he. He stood a head taller than anyone else. 3One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.” 4Saul and his servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the region of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. They went through the region of Shaalim — nothing. Then they went through the Benjaminite region but still didn’t find them.
Read all of 1 Samuel 91 Samuel 9:2 word by word
וְלוֹ־הָיָ֨ה בֵ֜ן וּשְׁמ֤וֹ שָׁאוּל֙ בָּח֣וּר וָט֔וֹב וְאֵ֥ין אִ֛ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל ט֣וֹב מִמֶּ֑נּוּ מִשִּׁכְמ֣וֹ וָמַ֔עְלָה גָּבֹ֖הַּ מִכָּל־הָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he had a sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- whose nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- a choice young manבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
- and a goodlyטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- not among the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- personאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- than he: from his shouldersשְׁכֶםshekem · shoulderH7926
- and upwardמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- higherגָּבֹהַּgâbôhha gâbôhha · highH1364
- than any of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 9:2
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
- Genesis 6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.
- 2 Samuel 14:25No man in all Israel was as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.
- Jeremiah 9:23“‘This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth.
- 1 Samuel 10:23They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else.
- 1 Samuel 17:4Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall
- Numbers 13:33We even saw the Nephilim there — the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2From his shoulders and upwards - It was probably from this very circumstance that he was chosen for king; for, where kings were elective, in all ancient times great respect was paid to personal appearance.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Saul's looks, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites, made people loyal to him (see 1 Samuel 10:23; compare 16:12; 2 Samuel 14:25–26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly--He had a fine appearance; for it is evident that he must have been only a little under seven feet tall. A gigantic stature and an athletic frame must have been a popular recommendation at that time in that country.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 9:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9
- 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
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