New English Translation
1 Samuel 11:2
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!”
1 Samuel 11:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.
- New International Version (NIV)But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But 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."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.”
Context of 1 Samuel 11:2
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.” But 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.” 4When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived) and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly.
Read all of 1 Samuel 111 Samuel 11:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֗ם נָחָשׁ֙ הָעַמּוֹנִ֔י בְּזֹאת֙ אֶכְרֹ֣ת לָכֶ֔ם בִּנְק֥וֹר לָכֶ֖ם כָּל־עֵ֣ין יָמִ֑ין וְשַׂמְתִּ֥יהָ חֶרְפָּ֖ה עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Nahashנָחָשׁnâchâsh · NahashH5176
- the Ammoniteעַמּוֹנִי‛ammônîy · AmmonH5984
- answeredאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- them, On thisזֹאתzô'th · thisH2063
- will I makeכָּרַתkârath · to cut: make(covenant)H3772
- with you, that I may thrust outנָקַרnâqar · to digH5365
- all your rightיָמִיןyâmîyn · rightH3225
- eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
- and layשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
- a reproachחֶרְפָּהcherpâh · reproachH2781
- upon all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 11:2
- 2 Kings 18:31Don’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,
- Judges 16:21The Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him in bronze chains. He became a grinder in the prison.
- Exodus 3:6He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
- Proverbs 12:10A righteous person cares for the life of his animal, but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel.
- Jeremiah 39:7Then he had Zedekiah’s eyes put out and had him bound in chains to be led off to Babylon.
- 1 Samuel 17:26David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?”
- Genesis 34:14They said to them, “We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 11:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2I may thrust out all your right eves - This cruel condition would serve at once as a badge of their slavery, and a means of incapacitating them from being effective warriors. Theodoret observes, "He who opposes his shield to the enemy with his left hand, thereby hides his left eye, and looks at his enemy with his right eye; he therefore who plucks out that right eye makes men useless in war." Josephus gives the same reason.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2put out everyone’s right eye: In the ancient Near East, it was common to mutilate captured soldiers. These soldiers, with one eye, lost depth perception, making it hard for them to fight in a revolt.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. thrust out all your right eyes--literally, "scoop" or "hollow out" the ball. This barbarous mutilation is the usual punishment of usurpers in the East, inflicted on chiefs; sometimes, also, even in modern history, on the whole male population of a town. Nahash meant to keep the Jabeshites useful as tributaries, whence he did not wish to render them wholly blind, but only to deprive them of their right eye, which would disqualify them for war. Besides…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 11:2
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries