1 Samuel 12:9-15

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:6-15

Samuel, having sufficiently secured his own reputation, instead of upbraiding the people upon it with their unkindness to him, sets himself to instruct them, and keep them in the way of their duty, and then the change of the government would be the less damage to them. I. He reminds them of the great goodness of God to them and to their fathers, gives them an abstract of the history of their nation, that, by the consideration of the great things God had done for them, they might be for ever... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:9

And when they forgat the Lord their God ,.... The worship of the Lord their God, as the Targum; that is, they fell into idolatry, which is a plain instance and proof of forgetfulness of God; for such that neglect his worship, and serve idols, may be truly said to forget him: he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor ; who was general of the army of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor, Judges 4:2 , where they are said to be sold into the hands of Jabin,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:10

And they cried unto the Lord ,.... When in the hands of their enemies, and in bondage to them, and cruelly oppressed by them: and said, we have sinned ; the word for "said" is in the Cetib, or written text, singular, and in the Keri, or marginal reading, plural; and may signify, that everyone of them had a sense of their sin, and made acknowledgment of it; their confession was universal, as their sin was: because we have forsaken the Lord ; the Word of the Lord, as the Targum: and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:11

And the Lord sent Jerubbaal ,.... Or Gideon, as the Targum, for Jerubbaal was the name given to Gideon, when he first became a judge, Judges 6:32 . and Bedan ; if this was one of the judges, he must have two names, or is one that is not mentioned in the book of Judges; the Targum interprets it of Samson; so Jerom F8 Heb. Trad. in lib. Reg. fol. 75. K. , for the word may be rendered "in Dan"; one in Dan, who was of the tribe of Dan, as Samson was; and it was in the camp of Dan the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:12

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you ,.... Or "but yet" F11 ותראו "videntes autem", V. L. "sed", Tigurine version; "et tamen", Vatablus, Piscator. ; however, notwithstanding though the Lord had been so kind and gracious to them, as to raise up judges one after another to deliver them, when they cried unto him, yet when they perceived that Nahash the Ammonite was preparing to make war with them, instead of applying to the Lord for his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:13

Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired ,.... For though God chose their king for them, it was at their request; they chose to have a king, and desired one, and they approved of and consented to, and confirmed the choice he had made, and so it was in effect their own: and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you ; he gratified them in their desires; though he did not suffer them to make themselves a king, he suffered them to have one, and he gave... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:14

If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice ,.... All worship and service of God, and obedience to his word and ordinances, should spring from fear and reverence of him; and therefore the whole of worship, both external and internal, is sometimes expressed by the fear of the Lord: and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord ; break it, and thereby exasperate him, and provoke him to wrath and bitterness: then shall both ye, and also the king that reigneth over you... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:15

But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord ,.... They and their king, by sinning, disregarding his precepts, both affirmative and negative: then shall the hand of the Lord be against you ; by sending some judgments upon them, as famine, sword, or pestilence, particularly captivity and subjection to their enemies: as it was against your fathers ; who had no king; and it is suggested that their case, who had one, would be no better than... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 12:9

The hand of Sisera - See these transactions in the book of Judges, Judges 4:2 ; (note). read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 12:11

Jerubbaal - That is, Gideon. And Bedan: instead of Bedan, whose name occurs nowhere else as a judge or deliverer of Israel, the Septuagint have Barak; the same reading is found in the Syriac and Arabic. The Targum has Samson. Many commentators are of this opinion; but Calmet thinks that Jair is intended, who judged Israel twenty-two years, Judges 10:3 . Instead of Samuel the Syriac and Arabic have Samson; and it is most natural to suppose that Samuel does not mention himself in this place.... read more

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