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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:1-8

Samuel is here executing the office of a prophet, giving Saul full assurance from God that he should be king, as he was afterwards, according to these prophecies which went before of him. I. He anointed him and kissed him, 1 Sam. 10:1. This was not done in a solemn assembly, but it was done by divine appointment, which made up the want of all external solemnities, nor was it ever the less valid for its being done in private, under a hedge, or, as the Jews say, by a fountain. God's institutions... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:2

When thou art departed from me today ,.... Not as soon as he was departed, for he had some few miles to go from Ramah to Rachel's grave near Bethlehem: thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah ; the Jews move a difficulty here, that Rachel's sepulchre should be said to be in the border of Benjamin, when it was by Bethlehemephrath, in the tribe of Judah, Genesis 35:19 and which they solve by observing, that these men were now, at the time... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:3

Then shall thou go on forward from thence ,.... From Zelzah and Rachel's sepulchre there: and thou shall come to the plain of Tabor ; not that which lay at the bottom of the famous and well known mountain Tabor; for that was in the tribe of Zebulun, at a great distance from hence: but a plain, so called perhaps from the name of the owner of it: and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel : the same with Luz, where Jacob built an altar, and called upon God; and so... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:4

And they will salute thee ,.... Not as king, of which they knew nothing, but in a common way; and though a stranger and unknown to them, yet finding their hearts disposed and affected towards him, would inquire of his welfare, and wish him all happiness, peace, and prosperity: and give thee two loaves of bread ; which was pretty much that they should give him two out of three, and leave but one for themselves, and especially if they were going to sacrifice; but perhaps they knew they... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:5

After that thou shall come to the hill of God ,.... The Targum is, the hill in which was the ark of the Lord, and that was in the house of Abinadab, on a hill in the city of Kirjathjearim, 1 Samuel 7:1 and so the Jewish commentators generally interpret this hill of God of Kirjathjearim; but rather it was Geba, a city of Benjamin, partly because by this time he must have got out of the tribe of Judah into the tribe of Benjamin, and even almost to the end of his journey, and among those that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:6

And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee ,.... As a spirit of prophecy, so the Targum; whereby he would be enabled at once to compose psalms and hymns of praise, and sing them in a proper manner, though he had not been trained up in this exercise in the school of the prophets; which made it more wonderful to those that knew him: and thou shalt prophesy with them : or "praise" with them, as the same Targum; join with them in singing praises, and perform this service in an orderly... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:7

And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee ,.... And are all fulfilled, especially the last: that thou do as occasion shall serve thee : as his circumstances would require, and as he in his great wisdom and prudence, with which he should now be furnished, would see necessary to prepare for his taking upon him the kingdom he was anointed to, and would be in a little time openly chosen to, and invested with. Some understand this of royal ornaments befitting a king, or of preparing... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:8

And thou shall go down before me to Gilgal ,.... Not immediately; for the first summons of the people, and of Saul, and the first meeting of them by Samuel, were at Mizpeh, where Saul was chosen by lot; nor the first time of Saul's being at Gilgal, when the kingdom was renewed; for Saul had no need to wait seven days there, since he and Samuel went together, 1 Samuel 11:14 rather at the second time of his being there, where not staying the time quite up, was reproved for it, which was two... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 10:2

Rachel ' s sepulcher - This was nigh to Bethlehem. See Genesis 35:19 . At Zelzah - If this be the name of a place, nothing is known of it. The Hebrew בצלצח betseltsach is translated by the Septuagint ἁλλομενους μεγαλα , dancing greatly: now this may refer to the joy they felt and expressed on finding the asses, or it may refer to those religious exultations, or playing on instruments of music, mentioned in the succeeding verses. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 10:3

Three men going up to God to Bethel - Jacob's altar was probably there still, Genesis 28:19 . However this might be, it was still considered, as its name implies, the house of God; and to it they were now going, to offer sacrifice. The three kids were for sacrifice; the three loaves of bread to be offered probably as a thank-offering; and the bottle or skin full of wine, for a libation. When the blood was poured out before the Lord, then they feasted on the flesh and on the... read more

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