God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 8:12
12He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
- New International Version (NIV)Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
Context of 1 Samuel 8:12
10Then Samuel told the people who had asked him for a king everything the Lord had said. 11Samuel said, “These are the rights of a king: He will draft your sons, make them serve on his chariots and horses, and make them run ahead of his chariots. He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots. 13He will take your daughters and have them make perfumes, cook, and bake. 14He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials.
Read all of 1 Samuel 81 Samuel 8:12 word by word
וְלָשׂ֣וּם ל֔וֹ שָׂרֵ֥י אֲלָפִ֖ים וְשָׂרֵ֣י חֲמִשִּׁ֑ים וְלַחֲרֹ֤שׁ חֲרִישׁוֹ֙ וְלִקְצֹ֣ר קְצִיר֔וֹ וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת כְּלֵֽי־מִלְחַמְתּ֖וֹ וּכְלֵ֥י רִכְבּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he will appointשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: appointH7760
- him captainsשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- over thousandsאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- over fiftiesחֲמִשִּׁיםchămishshîym · fiftyH2572
- to earחָרַשׁchârash · to plow/plotH2790
- his groundחָרִישׁchârîysh · plowingH2758
- and to reapקָצַרqâtsar · to reapH7114
- his harvestקָצִירqâtsîyr · harvestH7105
- and to makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- his instrumentsכְּלִיkelîy · article/utensilH3627
- of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
- of his chariotsרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 8:12
- 1 Chronicles 27:1This is a list of Israelite family heads, regiment and battalion commanders, and officers who were serving the king in all the army’s units. Throughout each year they came for a month at a time and then left. Each unit consisted of 24,000 men.
- 1 Kings 4:7Solomon appointed 12 district governors in Israel. They were to provide food for the king and his palace. Each one had to supply food for one month every year.
- 2 Chronicles 32:28He made sheds to store his harvests of grain, new wine, and fresh olive oil, and he made barns for all his cattle and stalls for his flocks.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 8:12
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12This organization was as old as the time of Moses Numbers 31:14; Deuteronomy 1:15, and prevailed among the Philistines also 1 Samuel 29:2. The civil and military divisions were identical, and the civil officers were the same as the captains of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, in time of war. To ear his ground - literally, “to plow his plowing.” “To ear” is an old English word, now obsolete, for to plow.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-22Verses 10-22 If they would have a king to rule them, as the eastern kings ruled their subjects, they would find the yoke exceedingly heavy. Those that submit to the government of the world and the flesh, are told plainly, what hard masters they are, and what tyranny the dominion of sin is. The law of God and the manner of men widely differ from each other; the former should be our rule in the several relations of life; the latter should be the measure of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-17The king would take both people and their belongings.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. he will appoint him captains--In the East, a person must accept any office to which he may be nominated by the king, however irksome it may be to his taste or ruinous to his interests.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 8:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 8
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries