New Living Translation
1 Samuel 10:27
27But 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.]
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.
- New International Version (NIV)But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
- 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.
Context of 1 Samuel 10:27
25Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again. 26When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 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.]
Read all of 1 Samuel 101 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 2:12Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord
- 1 Samuel 11:12Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
- Deuteronomy 13:13that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying, ‘Let us go worship other gods’—gods you have not known before.
- 2 Samuel 20:1There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram’s horn and began to chant: “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!”
- 2 Chronicles 13:7Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them.
- Acts 7:35“So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior.
- 2 Samuel 8:2David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money.
- 1 Kings 4:21Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.
- 1 Kings 10:25Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
- 2 Chronicles 17:5So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed.
- Psalms 72:10The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts.
- Matthew 2:11They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- Psalms 38:13But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
- Isaiah 36:21But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, “Do not answer him.”
- Matthew 27:12But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.
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
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries