1 Samuel 10:1-27

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:9-16

Saul has now taken his leave of Samuel, much amazed, we may well suppose, at what has been done to him, almost ready to question whether he be awake or no, and whether it be not all a dream. Now here we are told, I. What occurred by the way, 1 Sam. 10:9. Those signs which Samuel had given him came to pass very punctually; but that which gave him the greatest satisfaction of all was this, he found immediately that God had given him another heart. A new fire was kindled in his breast, such as he... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 10:17-27

Saul's nomination to the throne is here made public, in a general assembly of the elders of Israel, the representatives of their respective tribes at Mizpeh. It is probable that this convention of the states was called as soon as conveniently it might, after Saul was anointed, for, if there must be a change in their government, the sooner the better: it might be of bad consequence to be long in the doing. The people having met in a solemn assembly, in which God was in a peculiar manner present... read more

John Gill

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

Then Samuel took a vial of oil ,.... Out of his pocket very probably, which he brought along with him on purpose for the use he made of it: this, as the Jews F25 T. Bab. Horayot, fol. 11. 2. & 12. 1. say, was not the anointing oil that was in the tabernacle, which was at another and distant place, and with which only the kings of the house of David were anointed; but common oil, or, as they say, oil of balsam; and this was not an horn, but a vial, which held a small quantity, and... 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

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