1 Samuel 9:21

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:18-27

Providence having at length brought Samuel and Saul together, we have here an account of what passed between them in the gate, at the feast, and in private. I. In the gate of the city; passing through that, Saul found him (1 Sam. 9:18), and, little thinking that he was Samuel himself, asked him the way to Samuel's house: Tell me where the seer's house is; for there he expected to find him. See how mean a figure Samuel made, though so great a man: he took not any state, had no attendants, no... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:21

And Saul answered and said, am not I a Benjamite ,.... Or the son of Jemini, the name of one of his ancestors, see 1 Samuel 9:1 or rather, as the Targum, a son of the tribe of Benjamin: of the smallest of the tribes of Israel ? having been greatly reduced, even to the number of six hundred men, by the fatal war between that tribe and the rest, on account of the Levite's concubine, and is called little Benjamin, Psalm 68:27 . and my family the least of all the families of the tribe... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 9:21

Am not I a Benjamite - This speech of Saul is exceedingly modest; he was now becomingly humble; but who can bear elevation and prosperity? The tribe of Benjamin had not yet recovered its strength, after the ruinous war it had with the other tribes, Judges 20:29-46. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:18-24

Shadows of coming events. The facts are— 1 . Saul, on accosting Samuel, is invited to stay with him, is assured of the safety of the asses, and is caused to know that great honour is in store for him. 2 . Saul, taken by surprise, desires to have further explanations of the language used. 3 . Samuel entertains Saul with all the honours due to a distinguished guest. The position of Samuel was one of relative advantage, for Saul was ignorant of the Divine intent, while he knew the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:21

Wherefore then speakest thou so to me? Though Samuel's words contained the promise of supreme power,—for to whom less than a king could all that was desirable in Israel belong?—yet Saul probably regarded them as a high-flown compliment, such as Orientals love to use, and gave a modest and proper answer. Benjamin, already the smallest tribe, had been so crushed that its power must have been very small, and Soul's house, though opulent, was not a leading one; how then could one of its members... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 9:21

The tribe of Benjamin, originally the smallest of all the tribes Numbers 1:36, if Ephraim and Manasseh are reckoned as one tribe, had been nearly annihilated by the civil war recorded in Judges 20:0. It had of course not recovered from that terrible calamity in the time of Saul, and was doubtless literally much the smallest tribe at that time. Nothing could be more improbable, humanly speaking, than that this weak tribe should give a ruler to the mighty tribes of Joseph and Judah. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 9:21

1 Samuel 9:21. Of the smallest of the tribes of Israel Such indeed the tribe of Benjamin was, having been all cut off except six hundred, (Judges 20:0.,) which blow they never recovered, and therefore they were scarce reckoned as an entire tribe, but as a remnant of a tribe; and being ingrafted into Judah, in the division between the ten tribes and the two, they in some sort lost their name, and together with Judah were accounted but one tribe. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:1-27

Samuel’s prediction about Saul (9:1-10:16)Saul, who became Israel’s first king, originally had no desire for political power and little interest in the spiritual ministry of Samuel. As the son of a wealthy landowner, he was more concerned about the loss of his father’s donkeys, and the worry he might cause his father by being away so long in search of them (9:1-5). This concern led him to seek help from Samuel. He thought that Samuel, with his ability to see visions and make predictions, could... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 9:21

Am not I . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . the smallest . Very true, since the events recorded in Judges 20:35 . so to me = according to this word. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 9:21

1 Samuel 9:21. Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, &c.— Samuel convinced Saul that he was a prophet, by informing him of the business for which he came to consult him; and this done, he acquaints him with God's future designation of him to the throne of Israel: for which Saul replies in terms equally modest and humble with those of Gideon. Judges 6:15. read more

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