English Standard Version
1 Samuel 11:1
1Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you."
1 Samuel 11:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh–gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.
Context of 1 Samuel 11:1
Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." 2But 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." 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you."
Read all of 1 Samuel 111 Samuel 11:1 word by word
וַיַּ֗עַל נָחָשׁ֙ הָֽעַמּוֹנִ֔י וַיִּ֖חַן עַל־יָבֵ֣שׁ גִּלְעָ֑ד וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ כָּל־אַנְשֵׁ֤י יָבֵישׁ֙ אֶל־נָחָ֔שׁ כְּרָת־לָ֥נוּ בְרִ֖ית וְנַעַבְדֶֽךָּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then Nahashנָחָשׁnâchâsh · NahashH5176
- the Ammoniteעַמּוֹנִי‛ammônîy · AmmonH5984
- came upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- and encampedחָנָהchânâh · to campH2583
- against Jabesh–gileadגִּלְעָדgil‛âd · (Jabesh)-gileadH1568
- against Jabesh–gileadיָבֵשׁyâbêsh yâbêysh · JabeshH3003
- and all the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- of Jabeshיָבֵשׁyâbêsh yâbêysh · Jabesh (Gilead)H3003
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
- a covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- with us, and we will serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 11:1
- 1 Samuel 12:12And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the Lord your God was your king.
- Judges 10:7So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,
- Judges 11:8And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "That is why we have turned to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the Ammonites and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."
- 1 Samuel 31:11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
- Judges 21:8And they said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?" And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly.
- Genesis 26:28They said, "We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,
- Exodus 23:32You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.
- Deuteronomy 23:3"No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,
- 1 Kings 20:34And Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities that my father took from your father I will restore, and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." And Ahab said, "I will let you go on these terms." So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
- Job 41:4Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever?
- Isaiah 36:16Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern,
- Ezekiel 17:13And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (the chief men of the land he had taken away),
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 11:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Nahash the Ammonite - In the Vulgate this chapter begins thus: Et factum est quasi post mensem, "And it came to pass about a month after." This addition appears also in the principal copies of the Septuagint; though it is wanting in the Complutensian edition, both in the Greek and Latin, and is not acknowledged by any of the Oriental versions. But it is in Josephus, and probably was inserted from him into some copies of the Septuagint, and thence into the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Nahash was king of the children of Ammon, as appears from 1 Samuel 12:12. He seems to have been connected with the family of David, since Abigail, David‘s sister, was “the daughter (perhaps granddaughter) of Nahash” 2 Samuel 17:25; 1 Chronicles 2:16-17; and, perhaps, in consequence of this connection, he and his family were very friendly to David 2 Samuel 17:27. Jabesh-Gilead must have been re-populated after its destruction (see marginal reference). The…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Jabesh-gilead delivered. (1-11) Saul confirmed in his kingdom. (12-15) Verses 1-11 The first fruit of Saul's government was the rescue of Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites. To save their lives, men will part with liberty, and even consent to have their eyes put out; is it then no wisdom to part with that sin which is as dear to us as our right eye, rather than to be cast into hell-fire? See the faith and confidence of Saul, and, grounded thereon, his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Ammon (see Genesis 19:38), located east of the Jordan River, was a threat to Israel like the Philistines in the southwest (see also Judges 10:6–11:33). Make a treaty with us: Compare Joshua 9; 2 Samuel 10:19.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-41Sa 11:1-4. Nahash Offers Them of Jabesh-gilead a Reproachful Condition. 1. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up--Nahash ("serpent"); (see Jud 8:3). The Ammonites had long claimed the right of original possession in Gilead. Though repressed by Jephthah (Jud 11:33), they now, after ninety years, renew their pretensions; and it was the report of their threatened invasion that hastened the appointment of a king (1Sa 12:12). Make a covenant with us, and we will…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 11:1
In the dictionaries
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
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