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

1One month later, Nahash went with his army to attack Jabesh, a town in Gilead region. Nahash was an Ammonite. The people in Jabesh said to him, ‘Make an agreement with us so that we will serve you.’ Nahash said, ‘I will make an agreement with you only if you let me do this. I must cut out the right eye of every person in your town. I want to bring shame on all Israel's people.’ 3The leaders of Jabesh said to him, ‘Wait for seven more days. We will send a message to all the people in Israel. We will ask them to rescue us. If nobody comes to save us, we will agree to whatever you say.’ 4Men took the message to Gibeah, the town where Saul lived. When they told the news to the people there, the people started to weep loudly.

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 18:31Do not believe what Hezekiah says.” This is what the king of Assyria says: “Show me that you accept my offer of peace and come out of your city. Then you will all live safely in your homes. You will eat the fruit from your own vines and fig trees. You will drink the water from your own wells.
• Judges 16:21The Philistines took hold of Samson. They cut out his eyes. They tied him up with bronze chains. They made him do hard work as their prisoner. He had to push a heavy stone to make grain into flour.
• Exodus 3:6Then God said, ‘I am the God that your father worshipped. I am also the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Then Moses covered his face. He was afraid to look at God.
• Proverbs 12:10Righteous people take care of their animals. But wicked people are cruel even when they think they are kind.
• Jeremiah 39:7Then they cut out Zedekiah's eyes to make him blind. They tied him with chains to take him to Babylon as their prisoner.
• 1 Samuel 17:26David asked the men who were standing near him, ‘If someone kills this Philistine soldier and takes away the shame from Israel, what gift will he get? He is an unclean Philistine! He must stop insulting the army of our God, who lives for ever.’
• Genesis 34:14They said, ‘We cannot give our sister to a man who has not been circumcised. We would be ashamed to do this.

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