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Selected Verse: 1 Samuel 9:18 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Sa 9:18	Strong Concordance	Then Saul [07586] drew near [05066] to Samuel [08050] in [08432] the gate [08179], and said [0559], Tell [05046] me, I pray thee, where [0335] the seer's [07200] house [01004] is.
	King James	Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is--Satisfying the stranger's inquiry, Samuel invited him to the feast, as well as to sojourn till the morrow; and, in order to reconcile him to the delay, he assured him that the strayed asses had been recovered.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is--Satisfying the stranger's inquiry, Samuel invited him to the feast, as well as to sojourn till the morrow; and, in order to reconcile him to the delay, he assured him that the strayed asses had been recovered.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The thread of the narrative, which was broken off in Sa1 9:15, is resumed in Sa1 9:18. Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and asked him for the seer's house. The expression השּׁער בּתוך is used to define more precisely the general phrase in Sa1 9:14, העיר בּתוך בּאים; and there is no necessity to alter העיר in Sa1 9:14 into השּׁער, as Thenius proposes, for העיר בּתוך כּוא does not mean to go (or be) in the middle of the town, as he imagines, but to go into, or enter, the town; and the entrance to the town was through the gate. Sa1 9:19-21 Samuel replied, "I am the seer: go up before me to the high place, and eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will send thee away, and make known to thee all that is in thy heart." Letting a person go in front was a sign of great esteem. The change from the singular עלה to the plural אכלתּם may be explained on the ground that, whilst Samuel only spoke to Saul, he intended expressly to invite his servant to the meal as well as himself. "All that is in thine heart" does not mean "all that thou hast upon thy heart," i.e., all that troubles thee, for Samuel relieved him of all anxiety about the asses at once by telling him that they were found; but simply the thoughts of thy heart generally. Samuel would make these known to him, to prove to him that he was a prophet. He then first of all satisfied him respecting the asses (Sa1 9:20): "As for the asses that were lost to thee to-day three days (three days ago), do not set thy heart upon them (i.e., do not trouble thyself about them), for they are found." After this quieting announcement, by which he had convinced Saul of his seer's gift, Samuel directed Saul's thoughts to that higher thing which Jehovah had appointed for him: "And to whom does all that is worth desiring of Israel belong? Is it not to thee, and to all thy father's house?" "The desire of Israel" (optima quaeque Israel, Vulg.; "the best in Israel," Luther) is not all that Israel desires, but all that Israel possesses of what is precious or worth desiring (see Hag 2:7). "The antithesis here is between the asses and every desirable thing" (Seb. Schmidt). Notwithstanding the indefinite character of the words, they held up such glorious things as in prospect for Saul, that he replied in amazement (Sa1 9:21), "Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin (בן שׁבטי is unquestionably a copyist's error for בן שׁבת); and how speakest thou such a word to me?" Samuel made no reply to this, as he simply wanted first of all to awaken the expectation in Saul's mind of things that he had never dreamt of before. Sa1 9:22 When they arrived at the high place, he conducted Saul and his servant into the cell (the apartment prepared for the sacrificial meal), and gave them (the servant as well as Saul, according to the simple customs of antiquity, as being also his guest) a place at the upper end among those who had been invited. There were about thirty persons present, no doubt the most distinguished men of the city, whilst the rest of the people probably encamped in the open air. Sa1 9:23-24 He then ordered the cook to bring the piece which he had directed him to set aside, and to place it before Saul, namely the leg and העליה (the article in the place of the relative; see Ewald, 331, b.); i.e., not what was over it, viz., the broth poured upon it (Dathe and Maurer), but what was attached to it (Luther). The reference, however, is not to the kidney as the choicest portion (Thenius), for the kidneys were burned upon the altar in the case of all the slain sacrifices (Lev 3:4), and only the flesh of the animals offered in sacrifice was applied to the sacrificial meal. What was attached to the leg, therefore, can only have been such of the fat upon the flesh as was not intended for the altar. Whether the right or left leg, is not stated: the earlier commentators decide in favour of the left, because the right leg fell to the share of the priests (Lev 7:32.). But as Samuel conducted the whole of the sacrificial ceremony, he may also have offered the sacrifice itself by virtue of his prophetic calling, so that the right leg would fall to his share, and he might have it reserved for his guest. In any case, however, the leg, as the largest and best portion, was to be a piece of honour for Saul (see Gen 43:34). There is no reason to seek for any further symbolical meaning in it. The fact that it was Samuel's intention to distinguish and honour Saul above all his other guests, is evident enough from what he said to Saul when the cook had brought the leg: "Behold, that which is reserved is set before thee (שׂים is the passive participle, as in Num 24:21); for unto this time hath it been kept for thee, as I said I have invited the people." למּועד is either "to the appointed time of thy coming," or possibly, "for the (this) meeting together." Samuel mentions this to give Saul his guest to understand that he had foreseen his coming in a supernatural way. לאמר, saying, i.e., as I said (to the cook).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The thread of the narrative, which was broken off in Sa1 9:15, is resumed in Sa1 9:18. Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and asked him for the seer's house. The expression השּׁער בּתוך is used to define more precisely the general phrase in Sa1 9:14, העיר בּתוך בּאים; and there is no necessity to alter העיר in Sa1 9:14 into השּׁער, as Thenius proposes, for העיר בּתוך כּוא does not mean to go (or be) in the middle of the town, as he imagines, but to go into, or enter, the town; and the entrance to the town was through the gate.

Sa1 9:19-21

Samuel replied, "I am the seer: go up before me to the high place, and eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will send thee away, and make known to thee all that is in thy heart." Letting a person go in front was a sign of great esteem. The change from the singular עלה to the plural אכלתּם may be explained on the ground that, whilst Samuel only spoke to Saul, he intended expressly to invite his servant to the meal as well as himself. "All that is in thine heart" does not mean "all that thou hast upon thy heart," i.e., all that troubles thee, for Samuel relieved him of all anxiety about the asses at once by telling him that they were found; but simply the thoughts of thy heart generally. Samuel would make these known to him, to prove to him that he was a prophet. He then first of all satisfied him respecting the asses (Sa1 9:20): "As for the asses that were lost to thee to-day three days (three days ago), do not set thy heart upon them (i.e., do not trouble thyself about them), for they are found." After this quieting announcement, by which he had convinced Saul of his seer's gift, Samuel directed Saul's thoughts to that higher thing which Jehovah had appointed for him: "And to whom does all that is worth desiring of Israel belong? Is it not to thee, and to all thy father's house?" "The desire of Israel" (optima quaeque Israel, Vulg.; "the best in Israel," Luther) is not all that Israel desires, but all that Israel possesses of what is precious or worth desiring (see Hag 2:7). "The antithesis here is between the asses and every desirable thing" (Seb. Schmidt). Notwithstanding the indefinite character of the words, they held up such glorious things as in prospect for Saul, that he replied in amazement (Sa1 9:21), "Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin (בן שׁבטי is unquestionably a copyist's error for בן שׁבת); and how speakest thou such a word to me?" Samuel made no reply to this, as he simply wanted first of all to awaken the expectation in Saul's mind of things that he had never dreamt of before.

Sa1 9:22

When they arrived at the high place, he conducted Saul and his servant into the cell (the apartment prepared for the sacrificial meal), and gave them (the servant as well as Saul, according to the simple customs of antiquity, as being also his guest) a place at the upper end among those who had been invited. There were about thirty persons present, no doubt the most distinguished men of the city, whilst the rest of the people probably encamped in the open air.

Sa1 9:23-24

He then ordered the cook to bring the piece which he had directed him to set aside, and to place it before Saul, namely the leg and העליה (the article in the place of the relative; see Ewald, 331, b.); i.e., not what was over it, viz., the broth poured upon it (Dathe and Maurer), but what was attached to it (Luther). The reference, however, is not to the kidney as the choicest portion (Thenius), for the kidneys were burned upon the altar in the case of all the slain sacrifices (Lev 3:4), and only the flesh of the animals offered in sacrifice was applied to the sacrificial meal. What was attached to the leg, therefore, can only have been such of the fat upon the flesh as was not intended for the altar. Whether the right or left leg, is not stated: the earlier commentators decide in favour of the left, because the right leg fell to the share of the priests (Lev 7:32.). But as Samuel conducted the whole of the sacrificial ceremony, he may also have offered the sacrifice itself by virtue of his prophetic calling, so that the right leg would fall to his share, and he might have it reserved for his guest. In any case, however, the leg, as the largest and best portion, was to be a piece of honour for Saul (see Gen 43:34). There is no reason to seek for any further symbolical meaning in it. The fact that it was Samuel's intention to distinguish and honour Saul above all his other guests, is evident enough from what he said to Saul when the cook had brought the leg: "Behold, that which is reserved is set before thee (שׂים is the passive participle, as in Num 24:21); for unto this time hath it been kept for thee, as I said I have invited the people." למּועד is either "to the appointed time of thy coming," or possibly, "for the (this) meeting together." Samuel mentions this to give Saul his guest to understand that he had foreseen his coming in a supernatural way. לאמר, saying, i.e., as I said (to the cook).

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²¹ And he looked [07200] on the Kenites [07017], and took up [05375] his parable [04912], and said [0559], Strong [0386] is thy dwellingplace [04186], and thou puttest [07760] thy nest [07064] in a rock [05553].

³⁴ And he took [05375] and sent messes [04864] unto them from before him [06440]: but Benjamin's [01144] mess [04864] was five [02568] times [03027] so much as [07235] any of theirs. And they drank [08354], and were merry [07937] with him.

³² And the right [03225] shoulder [07785] shall ye give [05414] unto the priest [03548] for an heave offering [08641] of the sacrifices [02077] of your peace offerings [08002].

⁴ And the two [08147] kidneys [03629], and the fat [02459] that is on them, which is by the flanks [03689], and the caul [03508] above the liver [03516], with the kidneys [03629], it shall he take away [05493].

²³ And Samuel [08050] said [0559] unto the cook [02876], Bring [05414] the portion [04490] which I gave [05414] thee, of which I said [0559] unto thee, Set [07760] it by thee.
²⁴ And the cook [02876] took up [07311] the shoulder [07785], and that which was upon it, and set [07760] it before [06440] Saul [07586]. And Samuel said [0559], Behold that which is left [07604] ! set [07760] it before [06440] thee, and eat [0398]: for unto this time [04150] hath it been kept [08104] for thee since I said [0559], I have invited [07121] the people [05971]. So Saul [07586] did eat [0398] with Samuel [08050] that day [03117].

²² And Samuel [08050] took [03947] Saul [07586] and his servant [05288], and brought [0935] them into the parlour [03957], and made them sit [05414] in the chiefest [07218] place [04725] among them that were bidden [07121], which were about thirty [07970] persons [0376].

²¹ And Saul [07586] answered [06030] and said [0559], Am not I a Benjamite [01145], of the smallest [06996] of the tribes [07626] of Israel [03478]? and my family [04940] the least [06810] of all the families [04940] of the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144]? wherefore then speakest [01696] thou so [01697] to me?

⁷ And I will shake [07493] all nations [01471], and the desire [02532] of all nations [01471] shall come [0935]: and I will fill [04390] this house [01004] with glory [03519], saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].

²⁰ And as for thine asses [0860] that were lost [06] three [07969] days [03117] ago [03117], set [07760] not thy mind [03820] on them; for they are found [04672]. And on whom is all the desire [02532] of Israel [03478]? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's [01] house [01004]?

¹⁹ And Samuel [08050] answered [06030] Saul [07586], and said [0559], I am the seer [07200]: go up [05927] before [06440] me unto the high place [01116]; for ye shall eat [0398] with me to day [03117], and to morrow [01242] I will let thee go [07971], and will tell [05046] thee all that is in thine heart [03824].
²⁰ And as for thine asses [0860] that were lost [06] three [07969] days [03117] ago [03117], set [07760] not thy mind [03820] on them; for they are found [04672]. And on whom is all the desire [02532] of Israel [03478]? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's [01] house [01004]?
²¹ And Saul [07586] answered [06030] and said [0559], Am not I a Benjamite [01145], of the smallest [06996] of the tribes [07626] of Israel [03478]? and my family [04940] the least [06810] of all the families [04940] of the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144]? wherefore then speakest [01696] thou so [01697] to me?

¹⁴ And they went up [05927] into [08432] the city [05892]: and when they were come [0935] into the city [05892], behold, Samuel [08050] came out [03318] against [07125] them, for to go up [05927] to the high place [01116].

¹⁸ Then Saul [07586] drew near [05066] to Samuel [08050] in [08432] the gate [08179], and said [0559], Tell [05046] me, I pray thee, where [0335] the seer's [07200] house [01004] is.

¹⁵ Now the LORD [03068] had told [01540] Samuel [08050] in his ear [0241] a [0259] day [03117] before [06440] Saul [07586] came [0935], saying [0559],