New Living Translation
1 Samuel 9:1
1There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin.
1 Samuel 9:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
- New International Version (NIV)There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
Context of 1 Samuel 9:1
There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. 3One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.”
Read all of 1 Samuel 91 Samuel 9:1 word by word
וַֽיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ין וּ֠שְׁמוֹ קִ֣ישׁ בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵ֞ל בֶּן־צְר֧וֹר בֶּן־בְּכוֹרַ֛ת בֶּן־אֲפִ֖יחַ בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ יְמִינִ֑י גִּבּ֖וֹר חָֽיִל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now there was a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
- whose nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- Kishקִישׁqîysh · KishH7027
- the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- of Abielאֲבִיאֵל'ăbîy'êl · AbielH22
- of Zerorצְרוֹרtserôr tserôr · ZerorH6872
- of Bechorathבְּכוֹרַתbekôrath · BecorathH1064
- of Aphiahאֲפִיחַ'ăphîyach · AphiahH647
- a Benjamiteבֶּן־יְמִינִיben-yemîynîy ben-ha-yemînîy ben-'îysh yemîynîy · BenjaminiteH1145
- a mightyגִּבּוֹרgibbôr gibbôr · mighty manH1368
- of powerחַ֫יִלchayil · strength: richH2428
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 9:1
- 1 Samuel 14:51Saul’s father, Kish, and Abner’s father, Ner, were both sons of Abiel.
- 1 Chronicles 8:30and his oldest son was named Abdon. Jeiel’s other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
- 1 Chronicles 9:36and his oldest son was named Abdon. Jeiel’s other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
- Acts 13:21Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.
- 1 Samuel 25:2There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time.
- 2 Samuel 19:32He was very old—eighty years of age—and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.
- Job 1:3He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1A mighty man of power - Literally, a strong man; this appears to be the only power he possessed; and the physical strength of the father may account for the extraordinary size of the son. See 1 Samuel 9:2.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The genealogy of Saul is here given as far as Aphiah (“Abiah,” 1 Chronicles 7:8), who was of the house of Becher the son of Benjamin Genesis 46:21. “Kish” 1 Chronicles 9:35-39 was the son of “Ner” the son of “Jehiel,” (or, “Abiel” here and 1 Samuel 14:51), the first settler (“father,” 1 Chronicles 9:35) at Gibeon, or Gibeah of Saul, and who married “Maachah,” a daughter or granddaughter of Caleb. If so, it is obvious that the names of several generations…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Saul is brought to Samuel. (1-10) Samuel told concerning Saul. (11-17) Samuel's treatment of Saul. (18-27) Verses 1-10 Saul readily went to seek his father's asses. His obedience to his father was praise-worthy. His servant proposed, that since they were now at Ramah, they should call on Samuel, and take his advice. Wherever we are, we should use our opportunities of acquainting ourselves with those who are wise and good. Many will consult a man of God…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1a powerful man, whose name was Kish: Saul came from a wealthy family.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-141Sa 9:1-14. Saul, Despairing to Find His Father's Asses, Comes to Samuel. 1. a mighty man of power--that is, of great wealth and substance. The family was of high consideration in the tribe of Benjamin, and therefore Saul's words must be set down among the common forms of affected humility, which Oriental people are wont to use.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 9:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9
- 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