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1 Samuel 8:11

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 8:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
1 Samuel 8:11 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 8

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah unto the people that asked of him a king.
11And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;
12and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.
13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
← 1 Samuel 8:101 Samuel 8:12 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said, this will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you, etc.] Not in which he ought to proceed, but what he will do: and this not the manner of one king, or of the first only, but of all of them, more or less; of kings in general, who are commonly inclined to arbitrary power. So Aristotle f154 in opposition to theocracy, describes a full and absolute kingdom, as he calls it, when a king does all things according to his will: and observes, that he that would have the mind or reason preside, would have God and the laws rule; but he that would have a man to reign, adds also a lust, or one led by his own lust: so it follows, he will take your sons, and appoint them for…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“This will be the manner of the king--The following is a very just and graphic picture of the despotic governments which anciently and still are found in the East, and into conformity with which the Hebrew monarchy, notwithstanding the restrictions prescribed by the law, gradually slid. He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself--Oriental sovereigns claim a right to the services of any of their subjects at pleasure. some shall run before his chariots--The royal equipages were, generally throughout the East (as in Persia they still are), preceded and accompanied by a number of attendants who ran on foot.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Will take - Injuriously and by violence. 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 8:12”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“8:11 While the people wanted a king to judge them, Samuel warned that the king would reign over them. They wanted a leader but received a ruler.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“This will: Sa1 10:25; Deu 17:14-20 He will take: Sa1 14:52; Kg1 9:22, Kg1 9:23, Kg1 10:26, Kg1 12:4, Kg1 12:10; Ch2 26:10-15 run: Sa2 15:1; Kg1 1:5, Kg1 18:46 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 8:12”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 8 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification