1 Samuel 13:12

1 Samuel 13:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
• New International Version (NIV)I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.' So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering."
• New King James Version (NKJV)then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

Context of 1 Samuel 13:12

10Just as he finished doing that, Samuel arrived. Saul went to meet Samuel and to say ‘hello’. 11Samuel asked Saul, ‘What have you done?’ Saul replied, ‘The soldiers were starting to leave me. You had not arrived here at the time that you said you would come. I could see that the Philistine soldiers were preparing for battle at Michmash. I thought that they would come to attack me at Gilgal. I thought, “Before they do that, I must ask the Lord to help us in the fight.” Because of that, I had to offer the burnt offering to him.’ 13Samuel said, ‘You have done a foolish thing. You have not obeyed the command of the Lord your God. If you had obeyed the Lord, he would have let you and your family rule Israel for ever. 14But because of what you have done, your kingdom will not continue. Instead, the Lord will find a man who pleases him. The Lord has decided that this man will become the leader of his people, instead of you. He will do that because you have not obeyed his command.’

1 Samuel 13:12 word by word

וָאֹמַ֗ר עַ֠תָּה יֵרְד֨וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֤ים אֵלַי֙ הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל וּפְנֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה לֹ֣א חִלִּ֑יתִי וָֽאֶתְאַפַּ֔ק וָאַעֲלֶ֖ה הָעֹלָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• I, The Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• will come downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• now upon me to Gilgalגִּלְגָּלgilgâl · GilgalH1537
• and I have not made supplicationחָלָהchâlâh · to begH2470
• untoפָּנֶהpânîym · face ofH6440
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• I forcedאָפַק'âphaq · to refrainH662
• myself therefore, and offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
• a burnt offeringעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 13:12

• 1 Kings 12:26Jeroboam thought, ‘I do not want the people of my kingdom to accept David's descendants as king again.
• 1 Samuel 21:7One of Saul's servants was there that day. His name was Doeg. He came from Edom. He was the leader of Saul's shepherds. He was staying in Nob to make offerings to the Lord.
• Psalms 66:3Say to God, ‘You do great things! Your great power makes your enemies afraid. They come to you and they bend down to the ground.
• Amos 8:5You say to yourselves, ‘We want the new moon festival to finish so that we can sell food again. We want our Sabbath day of rest to finish so that we can sell grain.’ But when you sell things, you cheat the people who buy from you. You deceive them with false weights, and you make the price too high.
• 2 Corinthians 9:7Each of you should think carefully and then decide how much you can give. Then you will not be sad to give that money. Nobody has made you give it. God loves someone who is happy to give help to other people.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12I forced myself - It was with great reluctance that I did what I did. In all this Saul was sincere, but he was rash, and regardless of the precept of the Lord, which precept or command he most evidently had received, 1 Samuel 13:13. And one part of this precept was, that the Lord should tell him what he should do. Without this information, in an affair under the immediate cognizance of God, he should have taken no step.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-14Verses 8-14 Saul broke the order expressly given by Samuel, see ch. 1Sa 10:8, as to what should be done in cases of extremity. Saul offered sacrifice without Samuel, and did it himself, though he was neither priest nor prophet. When charged with disobedience, he justified himself in what he had done, and gave no sign of repentance for it. He would have this act of disobedience pass for an instance of his prudence, and as a proof of his piety. Men…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12sought the favor of the LORD: The burnt offering aimed to ask God for victory in battle. Samuel had offered a similar sacrifice, which led to victory (see 1 Samuel 7:7–11). But Samuel, unlike Saul, served in a priestly role.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-149-14. Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings--Saul, though patriotic enough in his own way, was more ambitious of gaining the glory of a triumph to himself than ascribing it to God. He did not understand his proper position as king of Israel; and although aware of the restrictions under which he held the sovereignty, he wished to rule as an autocrat, who possessed absolute power both in civil and sacred things. This occasion…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 13:12

• Armies
• Church and State
• Confidence
• Gilgal
• Minister, Christian
• Presumption
• Samuel
• Saul
• Usurpation

In the dictionaries

• Gilgal
• Philistines
• Burnt offering
• Continue
• Samuel
• Names, Proper
• Sacrifice
• Samuel, Books of
• Saul
• Temperance; Temperate

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13

• 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