1 Samuel 12:19

1 Samuel 12:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
• New International Version (NIV)The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”

Context of 1 Samuel 12:19

17Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves.” 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both the Lord and Samuel. All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us – your servants – so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.” 20Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. 21You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, since they are empty.

1 Samuel 12:19 word by word

וַיֹּאמְר֨וּ כָל־הָעָ֜ם אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל הִתְפַּלֵּ֧ל בְּעַד־עֲבָדֶ֛יךָ אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וְאַל־נָמ֑וּת כִּֽי־יָסַ֤פְנוּ עַל־כָּל־חַטֹּאתֵ֙ינוּ֙ רָעָ֔ה לִשְׁאֹ֥ל לָ֖נוּ מֶֽלֶךְ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And all the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemû'êl · SamuelH8050
• Prayפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
• for thy servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• that we dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• not: for we have addedיָסַףyâsaph · to addH3254
• unto all our sinsחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
• evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
• to askשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• us a kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 12:19

• 1 Samuel 7:5Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”
• Genesis 20:7But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray for you; thus you will live. But if you don’t give her back, know that you will surely die along with all who belong to you.”
• Exodus 9:28Pray to the Lord, for the mighty thunderings and hail are too much! I will release you and you will stay no longer.”
• Exodus 10:17So now, forgive my sin this time only, and pray to the Lord your God that he would only take this death away from me.”
• Job 42:8So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job will intercede for you, and I will respect him, so that I do not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.”
• Psalms 78:34When he struck them down, they sought his favor; they turned back and longed for God.
• Isaiah 26:16O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.
• Malachi 1:9But now plead for God’s favor that he might be gracious to us. “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord who rules over all.
• Acts 8:24But Simon replied, “You pray to the Lord for me so that nothing of what you have said may happen to me.”
• James 5:15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
• 1 John 5:16If anyone sees his fellow Christian committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 12:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Pray for thy servants - that we die not - As they knew they had rebelled against God, they saw that they had every thing to fear from his justice and power. We have added unto all our sins this evil - It is no sin to have a king; a good king is one of the greatest blessings of God's providence; but it is a sin to put a man in the place of God. Is it not strange that they did not now attempt to repair their fault? They might have done it, but they did not…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-25Verses 16-25 At Samuel's word, God sent thunder and rain, at a season of the year when, in that country, the like was not seen. This was to convince them they had done wickedly in asking a king; not only by its coming at an unusual time, in wheat harvest, and on a clear day, but by the prophet's giving notice of it before. He showed their folly in desiring a king to save them, rather than God, or Samuel; promising themselves more from an arm of flesh…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19The people asked Samuel to pray for them (see also 1 Samuel 7:8) instead of praying themselves, likely because they were not close to God (notice they say "your God" instead of "our God"). added to all our sins: Their sins included idol worship (1 Samuel 12:21; see study note on 1 Samuel 8:8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-2517-25. Is it not wheat harvest to-day?--That season in Palestine occurs at the end of June or beginning of July, when it seldom or never rains, and the sky is serene and cloudless. There could not, therefore, have been a stronger or more appropriate proof of a divine mission than the phenomenon of rain and thunder happening, without any prognostics of its approach, upon the prediction of a person professing himself to be a prophet of the Lord, and giving…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 12:19

• Intercession
• Rain
• Repentance

In the dictionaries

• God
• Samuel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Reason
• Samuel, Books of
• Intercession
• Jotham
• Judges, Period of
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 12

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings