United Commentaries

1Sam.8.1-22

During Israel’s transition to a monarchy, neither God (8:7-9) nor Samuel (12:1-25) was pleased by the people’s demand for a king. Saul, the first king (chs 9–11), failed in his role (chs 13–31) and fulfilled Samuel’s warnings (see 8:10-18; cp. 16:1-13).

1Sam.8.2

Samuel’s two oldest sons functioned as judges in Beersheba, fifty miles south of their father’s home.

1Sam.8.3

they were not like their father: They were more like Eli’s two sons (2:12-17). Their corruption was a primary reason the era of the judges ended.

1Sam.8.5

you are now old, and your sons are not like you: Judges tended to be local leaders; kings, as national leaders, were more capable of uniting a whole nation in times of crisis (8:20). However, a spiritual problem underlay the request for a king (8:7-8).

Other nations, such as Egypt and Sumer, had monarchies for almost 2,000 years before Samuel’s time.

1Sam.8.6

Samuel was displeased: He probably felt personally rejected (8:7).

1Sam.8.7

Do everything they say: God rarely instructed a prophet to heed the voice of the errant populace. The will of the people and the will of God would converge in King David (see 2 Sam 7:8-17).

they are rejecting me: Their rejection of judgeship was a deeper rejection of God’s rule and sovereignty (see also 1 Sam 12:1-17).

1Sam.8.8

followed other gods: The people’s request for a king was tantamount to idolatry. Israel’s monarchy was a divine concession rather than a divine gift. Kingship or any other human institution becomes idolatrous when it replaces trust in God.

1Sam.8.10-18

These verses list the disadvantages of kingship. Each sentence begins with something the king would take. A king would be a confiscator, not just a protector.

1Sam.8.11

While the people wanted a king to judge them, Samuel warned that the king would reign over them. They wanted a leader but received a ruler.

1Sam.8.12-17

The king would take people as well as possessions.

1Sam.8.15

A tenth of the harvest was already required as a sacred donation to support God’s Temple and servants (Deut 12:6, 17-18; 14:22-29; 26:12-15). The king would demand an additional tenth, a burdensome amount given the uncertainties of agriculture.

1Sam.8.17

you will be his slaves: By demanding a king, the people whose ancestors had once been slaves in Egypt were risking a new enslavement (cp. 1 Kgs 12:1-20).

1Sam.8.18

The people would beg for relief as their ancestors had done in Egypt under another punishing and exacting ruler (see Exod 3:7).

1Sam.8.20

God had set Israel apart from the nations (Lev 20:26; Num 23:9). By insisting on a king and desiring to be like the nations, they were rejecting God’s plan (see 1 Sam 8:5-7; cp. Deut 17:14).

judge us and lead us into battle: Kings performed three basic functions: (1) waging offensive and defensive war, (2) administering law, and (3) ensuring economic well-being.

1Sam.8.21

repeated to the Lord: The role of a prophet included bringing the people’s case before God (cp. Num 27:5).

1Sam.8.22

give them a king: See study note on 8:7; cp. Rom 1:24-26.