New English Translation
1 Samuel 11:1
1Nahash the Ammonite marched against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead 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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)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."
- 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.”
Context of 1 Samuel 11:1
Nahash the Ammonite marched against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.” 2But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “The only way I will make a treaty with you is if you let me gouge out the right eye of every one of you and in so doing humiliate all Israel!” 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily 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 12:12“When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king!
- Judges 10:7The Lord was furious with Israel and turned them over to the Philistines and Ammonites.
- Judges 11:8The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, but now we pledge to you our loyalty. Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader of all who live in Gilead.”
- 1 Samuel 31:11When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
- Judges 21:8So they asked, “Who from all the Israelite tribes did not assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” Now it just so happened no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the gathering.
- Genesis 26:28They replied, “We could plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be a pact between us – between us and you. Allow us to make a treaty with you
- Exodus 23:32“You must make no covenant with them or with their gods.
- Deuteronomy 23:3An Ammonite or Moabite may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever do so,
- 1 Kings 20:34Ben Hadad said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
- Job 41:4Will it make a pact with you, so you could take it as your slave for life?
- Isaiah 36:16Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
- Ezekiel 17:13He took one from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. He then took the leaders of the land
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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