New Living Translation
1 Samuel 9:2
2His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
1 Samuel 9:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
- New International Version (NIV)Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Context of 1 Samuel 9:2
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. His 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.” 4So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.
Read all of 1 Samuel 91 Samuel 9:2 word by word
וְלוֹ־הָיָ֨ה בֵ֜ן וּשְׁמ֤וֹ שָׁאוּל֙ בָּח֣וּר וָט֔וֹב וְאֵ֥ין אִ֛ישׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל ט֣וֹב מִמֶּ֑נּוּ מִשִּׁכְמ֣וֹ וָמַ֔עְלָה גָּבֹ֖הַּ מִכָּל־הָעָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he had a sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- whose nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- a choice young manבָּחוּרbâchûr bâchûr · youthH970
- and a goodlyטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- not among the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- personאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- than he: from his shouldersשְׁכֶםshekem · shoulderH7926
- and upwardמַ֫עַלma‛al · aboveH4605
- higherגָּבֹהַּgâbôhha gâbôhha · highH1364
- than any of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 9:2
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Genesis 6:2The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives.
- 2 Samuel 14:25Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.
- Jeremiah 9:23This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.
- 1 Samuel 10:23So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
- 1 Samuel 17:4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall!
- Numbers 13:33We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 9:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2From his shoulders and upwards - It was probably from this very circumstance that he was chosen for king; for, where kings were elective, in all ancient times great respect was paid to personal appearance.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Saul's looks, choice and handsome, without equal among the Israelites, made people loyal to him (see 1 Samuel 10:23; compare 16:12; 2 Samuel 14:25–26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly--He had a fine appearance; for it is evident that he must have been only a little under seven feet tall. A gigantic stature and an athletic frame must have been a popular recommendation at that time in that country.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 9:2
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
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