1 Samuel 15:17

1 Samuel 15:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
• New International Version (NIV)Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?

Context of 1 Samuel 15:17

15And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Yhwh thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what Yhwh hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, And Yhwh anointed thee king over Israel? 18And Yhwh sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Yhwh, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of Yhwh?

1 Samuel 15:17 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל הֲל֗וֹא אִם־קָטֹ֤ן אַתָּה֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ רֹ֛אשׁ שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אָ֑תָּה וַיִּמְשָׁחֲךָ֧ יְהוָ֛ה לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

• And Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemû'êl · SamuelH8050
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• littleקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• in thine own sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: appearanceH5869
• the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
• of the tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• And Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• anointedמָשַׁחmâshach · to anointH4886
• thee kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 15:17

• 1 Samuel 9:21And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?
• 1 Samuel 10:22Therefore they enquired of Yhwh further, if the man should yet come thither. And Yhwh answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
• Judges 6:15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
• Hosea 13:1When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
• Matthew 18:4Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• 1 Samuel 15:1Samuel also said unto Saul, Yhwh sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Yhwh.
• 1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Yhwh hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 15:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Little in thine own sight - Who can bear prosperity? Is it not of the Lord's great goodness that the majority of the inhabitants of the earth are in comparative poverty?Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-23Verses 10-23 Repentance in God is not a change of mind, as it is in us, but a change of method. The change was in Saul; "He is turned back from following me." Hereby he made God his enemy. Samuel spent a whole night in pleading for Saul. The rejection of sinners is the grief of believers: God delights not in their death, nor should we. Saul boasts to Samuel of his obedience. Thus sinners think, by justifying themselves, to escape being judged of the Lord…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17As the anointed king of Israel, Saul was responsible for disobeying God. False humility or excuses could not lessen this responsibility.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2313-23. Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord--Saul was either blinded by a partial and delusive self-love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people. Samuel saw the real state of the case, and in discharge of the commission he had…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 15:17

• Agency
• Amalekites
• Church and State
• Falsehood
• Gilgal
• Ingratitude
• Minister, Christian
• Presumption
• Repentance
• Reproof
• Rulers
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Samuel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Agag
• Better
• Chief
• Pardon
• Reject
• Saul

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 15

• 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