1 Samuel 9:1

1 Samuel 9:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
• New International Version (NIV)There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
• English Standard Version (ESV)There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
• New King James Version (NKJV)There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

Context of 1 Samuel 9:1

Kish was an important man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel. Abiel was the son of Zeror. Zeror was the son of Becorath. Becorath was the son of Aphiah. Aphiah was a descendant of Benjamin. 2Kish had a son whose name was Saul. Saul was a handsome young man. No other Israelite was more handsome than he was. When Saul stood with other people, you could see his head above everyone else. 3Some of Kish's donkeys had run away. Kish said to Saul, ‘Go and look for my donkeys. Take one of the servants with you.’

1 Samuel 9:1 word by word

וַֽיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ין וּ֠שְׁמוֹ קִ֣ישׁ בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵ֞ל בֶּן־צְר֧וֹר בֶּן־בְּכוֹרַ֛ת בֶּן־אֲפִ֖יחַ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ יְמִינִ֑י גִּבּ֖וֹר חָֽיִל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now there was a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
• whose nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• Kishקִישׁqîysh · KishH7027
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Abielאֲבִיאֵל'ăbîy'êl · AbielH22
• of Zerorצְרוֹרtserôr tserôr · ZerorH6872
• of Bechorathבְּכוֹרַתbekôrath · BecorathH1064
• of Aphiahאֲפִיחַ'ăphîyach · AphiahH647
• a Benjamiteבֶּן־יְמִינִיben-yemîynîy ben-ha-yemînîy ben-'îysh yemîynîy · BenjaminiteH1145
• a mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
• of powerחַ֫יִלchayil · strength: richH2428

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 9:1

• 1 Samuel 14:51Abiel was the father of both Saul's father, Kish, and Abner's father, Ner.
• 1 Chronicles 8:30His firstborn son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab,
• 1 Chronicles 9:36His firstborn son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
• Acts 13:21Then the people of Israel asked Samuel to choose a king for them. So God gave Saul to them as their king. Saul was the son of Kish and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. He ruled Israel for 40 years.
• 1 Samuel 25:2There was a very rich man who lived at Maon. His name was Nabal. He was a descendant of Caleb. His wife's name was Abigail. She was wise and beautiful. But Nabal was a cruel man who did evil things. Nabal had some land near Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. He was with his men in Carmel as they cut the wool from his sheep.
• 2 Samuel 19:32But Barzillai was a very old man, 80 years old. He had taken care of David when David was living in Mahanaim. He had helped David with many gifts, because he was a very rich man.
• Job 1:3He had 7,000 sheep and 3,000 camels. He had 500 pairs of oxen and 500 donkeys. He also had many servants. He was the richest person in the east part of the world.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1A mighty man of power - Literally, a strong man; this appears to be the only power he possessed; and the physical strength of the father may account for the extraordinary size of the son. See 1 Samuel 9:2.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The genealogy of Saul is here given as far as Aphiah (“Abiah,” 1 Chronicles 7:8), who was of the house of Becher the son of Benjamin Genesis 46:21. “Kish” 1 Chronicles 9:35-39 was the son of “Ner” the son of “Jehiel,” (or, “Abiel” here and 1 Samuel 14:51), the first settler (“father,” 1 Chronicles 9:35) at Gibeon, or Gibeah of Saul, and who married “Maachah,” a daughter or granddaughter of Caleb. If so, it is obvious that the names of several generations…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Saul is brought to Samuel. (1-10) Samuel told concerning Saul. (11-17) Samuel's treatment of Saul. (18-27) Verses 1-10 Saul readily went to seek his father's asses. His obedience to his father was praise-worthy. His servant proposed, that since they were now at Ramah, they should call on Samuel, and take his advice. Wherever we are, we should use our opportunities of acquainting ourselves with those who are wise and good. Many will consult a man of God…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1a powerful man, whose name was Kish: Saul came from a wealthy family.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-141Sa 9:1-14. Saul, Despairing to Find His Father's Asses, Comes to Samuel. 1. a mighty man of power--that is, of great wealth and substance. The family was of high consideration in the tribe of Benjamin, and therefore Saul's words must be set down among the common forms of affected humility, which Oriental people are wont to use.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 9:1

• Abiel
• Abner
• Aphiah
• Bechorath
• Benjamin
• Kish
• Saul
• Zeror

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• Abiel
• Herdsman
• Kish
• Samuel, Books of
• Saul
• Spring
• Aphiah
• Becorath

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