1 Samuel 12:3

1 Samuel 12:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
• New International Version (NIV)Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”

Context of 1 Samuel 12:3

1Samuel said to all the Israelites, ‘I have done everything that you asked me to do. I have given you a king to rule over you. 2Listen! You now have a king to be your leader, instead of me. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the time when I was young until now. Look at me. I stand here where the Lord and his chosen king can see me. Speak now if I have done any wrong thing against you. Have I taken anyone's cow or anyone's donkey? Have I cheated anyone? Have I been cruel to anyone? Have I received bribes from anyone to say that they are not guilty? If I have done any of those things, tell me! Then I will pay back my debt.’ 4The Israelites answered, ‘You have not cheated us. You have not been cruel to us. You have not robbed any of us.’ 5Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord and his chosen king have heard what you have said today. They know that I have not done a wrong thing against any of you.’ The people replied, ‘Yes, the Lord knows what we have said.’

1 Samuel 12:3 word by word

הִנְנִ֣י עֲנ֣וּ בִי֩ נֶ֨גֶד יְהוָ֜ה וְנֶ֣גֶד מְשִׁיח֗וֹ אֶת־שׁוֹר֩׀ מִ֨י לָקַ֜חְתִּי וַחֲמ֧וֹר מִ֣י לָקַ֗חְתִּי וְאֶת־מִ֤י עָשַׁ֙קְתִּי֙ אֶת־מִ֣י רַצּ֔וֹתִי וּמִיַּד־מִי֙ לָקַ֣חְתִּי כֹ֔פֶר וְאַעְלִ֥ים עֵינַ֖י בּ֑וֹ וְאָשִׁ֖יב לָכֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• witnessעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• against me before the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and before his anointedמָשִׁיחַmâshîyach · anointedH4899
• whose oxשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
• have I takenלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• or whose assחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
• or whom have I defraudedעָשַׁק‛âshaq · to oppressH6231
• whom have I oppressedרָצַץrâtsats · to crushH7533
• or of whose handיָדyâd · handH3027
• bribeכֹּפֶרkôpher · ransomH3724
• to blindעָלַם‛âlam · to concealH5956
• mine eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• therewith? and I will restoreשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 12:3

• 1 Samuel 12:5Samuel said to them, ‘The Lord and his chosen king have heard what you have said today. They know that I have not done a wrong thing against any of you.’ The people replied, ‘Yes, the Lord knows what we have said.’
• 1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a jar of oil and he poured the oil on Saul's head. He kissed Saul. He said: ‘The Lord has anointed you as the leader of his people. You will rule over them and you will rescue them from the power of their enemies. This is how you will know that the Lord has chosen you to be the leader of the Israelite people:
• 1 Samuel 24:6David said to his men, ‘I ask the Lord to stop me doing anything wrong to my master. The Lord has chosen him to be Israel's king. I must never do anything to hurt him. He is the king that the Lord has chosen.’
• 2 Samuel 1:14David said to him, ‘The Lord had chosen Saul to be Israel's king. You should have been very afraid to kill him!’
• Matthew 22:21They replied, ‘It is Caesar's picture and Caesar's name.’ Jesus said to them, ‘So you should give to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. And give to God the things that belong to God.’
• Romans 13:1Everyone must obey the government officers. It is God who gives the authority to rule. The people who rule have received their authority from God.
• Numbers 16:15Moses was angry. He said to the Lord, ‘Do not accept what these men offer to you. I did not take anything from them, not even one donkey! I did not do a wrong thing to any of them.’
• Acts 20:33When I stayed among you, I did not ask you to give me money or clothes.
• 2 Corinthians 12:14Listen to me! This is the third time that I am ready to visit you. I will not ask you to give anything to me. I do not want any of your things. Instead, I want you yourselves. You are like my children. Children should not have to supply what their parents need. It is parents who should supply what their children need.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:5When we came to you, we spoke what was true. We did not just say nice things to make you feel good. You yourselves know that. We did not try to make you give things to us. We never had a secret purpose like that. God knows that this is true.
• 1 Peter 5:2Watch over the group of believers that God has given to you. Be like a shepherd that takes care of his sheep. Lead them well because you want to do it. Do not do it just because you have to do it. Do it in the way that God wants for you. Do not be a leader because you want to receive money for yourself. Instead, do it because you want to help people.
• Exodus 23:8Do not accept a bribe. A bribe will hide the truth even from honest people. It can make good people tell lies.
• Deuteronomy 16:19Judges must do what is right for every person, rich or poor. They must not accept any bribes. A bribe may hide the truth even from a wise man. It can make honest people tell lies.
• Exodus 22:4You may find an animal that someone has taken for himself. If the animal is still alive, the person who took it must pay back to the owner twice its value. He must do this, whether it was a cow, a donkey, or a sheep.
• Leviticus 6:4He has done something that is wrong. So he must show that he is sorry. He must give back anything that is not his. He must give back anything that he has found. He must give back anything that he has kept. He must give it to the person to whom it belongs.
• Luke 19:8Later, Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone. He said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Listen, Master! I will give half of all the things that I have to poor people. I may have taken too much money from some people. I will give back to them four times as much as I took from them wrongly.’

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 12:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Witness against me - Did ever a minister of state, in any part of the world, resign his office with so much self-consciousness of integrity, backed with the universal approbation of the public? No man was oppressed under his government, no man defrauded! He had accumulated no riches for himself; he had procured none for his friends; nor had one needy dependant been provided for out of the public purse. He might have pardoned his own sons, who had acted…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3His anointed - i. e., king Saul. The title Messiah, ̀ Christos unctus, or anointed, had been given to the High Priests (Leviticus 4:3: compare also 1 Samuel 2:10, 1 Samuel 2:35); but this is the earliest instance of an actual king of Israel bearing the title of God‘s Christ, and thus typifying the true Messiah or Christ of God. Any bribe - literally, a “ransom,” the fine paid by a criminal in lieu of bonds or death Exodus 21:30, applied to the bribe paid…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3God chose Saul as the anointed one (see 1 Samuel 9:16). Whose ox or donkey have I taken?: Compare with Numbers 16:15. Whom have I cheated or oppressed?: This contrasts with the actions of kings (1 Samuel 8:11–16). have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes?: No, but Samuel’s sons did (1 Samuel 8:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-51Sa 12:1-5. Samuel Testifies his Integrity. 1-4. Samuel said unto all Israel--This public address was made after the solemn re-instalment of Saul, and before the convention at Gilgal separated. Samuel, having challenged a review of his public life, received a unanimous testimony to the unsullied honor of his personal character, as well as the justice and integrity of his public administration.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 12:3

• Rulers
• Samuel
• Self-Denial

In the dictionaries

• Cattle
• Reason
• Samuel, Books of
• Anointing
• Bribery
• Fourfold
• Judges, Period of
• Samuel, Books of
• Messiah

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 12

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings