1 Samuel 10:27

1 Samuel 10:27 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
• New Living Translation (NLT)But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them. [Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]

Context of 1 Samuel 10:27

25Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes. 26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

1 Samuel 10:27 word by word

וּבְנֵ֧י בְלִיַּ֣עַל אָמְר֗וּ מַה־יֹּשִׁעֵ֙נוּ֙ זֶ֔ה וַיִּבְזֻ֕הוּ וְלֹֽא־הֵבִ֥יאוּ ל֖וֹ מִנְחָ֑ה וַיְהִ֖י כְּמַחֲרִֽישׁ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the childrenבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121
• of Belialבְּלִיַּ֫עַלbelîya‛al · BelialH1100
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• How shall this man saveיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
• us? And they despisedבָּזָהbâzâh · to despiseH959
• him, and broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• him no presentsמִנְחָהminchâh · offering: giftH4503
• But he held his peaceחָרֵשׁchârash · be quietH2790

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 10:27

• 1 Samuel 2:12Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 11:12The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”
• Deuteronomy 13:13that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known),
• 2 Samuel 20:1Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!”
• 2 Chronicles 13:7Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them.
• Acts 7:35“This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
• 2 Samuel 8:2David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
• 1 Kings 4:21And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
• 1 Kings 10:25Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
• 2 Chronicles 17:5The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor.
• Psalms 72:10May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.
• Matthew 2:11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
• Psalms 38:13I am like the deaf, who cannot hear, like the mute, who cannot speak;
• Isaiah 36:21But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
• Matthew 27:12When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 10:27

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27Brought him no presents - They gave him no proofs that they acknowledged either the Divine appointment or his authority. The Arab chiefs are, to this day, when on a march or excursion of any kind, supplied with every necessary by the free-will offerings or presents of the people in the villages or places where they encamp. Saul was now a public character, and had a right to support from the public. These sons of Belial refused to bear their part; they…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27Presents - The מנחה mı̂nchāh was the token of homage and acknowledgment from the subject to the sovereign, and from the tributary nation to their suzerain. (See 2 Samuel 8:2, 2 Samuel 8:6; Judges 3:17-18; 1 Kings 4:21; 2 Kings 17:4, etc.; Psalm 72:10; Isaiah 16:1.) Saul dissembled his resentment, and waited for the favorable tide which soon came with the invasion of Nahash.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-27Verses 17-27 Samuel tells the people, Ye have this day rejected your God. So little fond was Saul now of that power, which soon after, when he possessed it, he could not think of parting with, that he hid himself. It is good to be conscious of our unworthiness and insufficiency for the services to which we are called; but men should not go into the contrary extreme, by refusing the employments to which the Lord and the church call them. The greater part…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27These men were wicked (see 1 Samuel 2:12) because they disrespected God’s chosen king. People gave gifts to show respect (Genesis 32:13, 18, 20), build political friendships (2 Kings 20:12), or show submission (Judges 3:15, 17). Saul remained silent about it: His calmness when insulted showed maturity. In contrast, Proverbs 16:14 warns about a king’s anger when challenged. See also 1 Samuel 11:12–13. One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript includes this…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents--In Eastern countries, the honor of the sovereign and the splendor of the royal household are upheld, not by a fixed rate of taxation, but by presents brought at certain seasons by officials, and men of wealth, from all parts of the kingdom, according to the means of the individual, and of a customary registered value. Such was the tribute which…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 10:27

• Citizens
• King
• Meekness
• Self-Control
• Tact
• Treason

In the dictionaries

• Adversity
• Samuel, Books of
• Saul
• Vial
• Belial
• Government
• Holy Spirit
• Israel, History of
• Judges, Period of
• King; Kingdom

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 10

• 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