New Living Translation
1 Samuel 12:19
19“Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
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
17You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!” 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.” 20“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless!
Read all of 1 Samuel 121 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 told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
- Genesis 20:7Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”
- Exodus 9:28Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.”
- Exodus 10:17“Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the Lord your God to take away this death from me.”
- Job 42:8So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.”
- Psalms 78:34When God began killing them, they finally sought him. They repented and took God seriously.
- Isaiah 26:16Lord, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline.
- Malachi 1:9“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
- Acts 8:24“Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon exclaimed, “that these terrible things you’ve said won’t happen to me!”
- James 5:15Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
- 1 John 5:16If you see a fellow believer sinning in a way that does not lead to death, you should pray, and God will give that person life. But there is a sin that leads to death, and I am not saying you should pray for those who commit it.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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