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Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 12:6

Advanced - In the sense of appointing them to their office. It is, literally, “made” (see the margin; 1 Kings 12:31; Hebrews 3:2). Samuel’s purpose is to impress the people with the conviction that Yahweh was their God, and the God of their fathers; that to Him they owed their national existence and all their national blessings, and that faithfulness to Him, to the exclusion of all other worship 1 Samuel 12:21 was the only safety of the newly-established monarchy. Observe the constant reference... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 12:1

1 Samuel 12:1. Samuel said unto all Israel While they were assembled together in Gilgal. And this is another instance of Samuel’s great wisdom and integrity. He would not reprove the people for their sin, in desiring a king, while Saul was unsettled in his kingdom; lest, through their accustomed levity, they should as hastily cast off their king, as they had passionately desired him; and therefore he chooseth this season for it, because Saul’s kingdom was now confirmed by an eminent... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 12:2

1 Samuel 12:2. The king walketh before you Ruleth over you. To him I have fully resigned my power, and own myself one of his subjects. I am old And therefore unable to bear the burden of government. My sons are with you Or, among you, in the same state, private persons, as you are; if they have injured any of you, the law is now open against them; any of you may accuse them, your king can punish them, I do not intercede for them. Walked before you That is, been your guide and... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 12:3

1 Samuel 12:3. Behold, here I am I here present myself before the Lord, and before your king, ready to give an account of all my administrations. And this protestation Samuel makes of his integrity, not out of ostentation, but for his own just vindication, that the people might not hereafter, for the defence of their own irregularities, reproach his government; and that, being publicly acquitted from all faults in his government, he might more freely reprove the sins of the people, and... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 12:5

1 Samuel 12:5. The Lord is witness There cannot be a stronger or more amiable picture of integrity than we have in this speech of Samuel. Who can read it without feeling his heart touched with admiration of his character? Happy Samuel, who could thus call a whole kingdom to bear witness to his uprightness! Strange, infatuated people, that could wish to change such a governor for a king possessed of absolute power! read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:1-25

Samuel’s farewell address (12:1-25)The people’s demand for a king was an insult to Samuel as well as to God. Samuel therefore called upon them to declare before God and before the king that he had been blameless in all his behaviour. He had given them no cause to be dissatisfied with his leadership (12:1-5).In the lengthy address that followed, Samuel reminded his hearers of all that God had done in giving Israel the land of Canaan for a homeland (6-8). He reminded them also that Israel’s... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 12:3

the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . whom . Some codices, with three early printed editions, read "or whom", thus preserving the Figure of speech Paradiastole ( App-6 ) throughout verses: 1 Samuel 12:12 , 1 Samuel 12:3 and 1 Samuel 12:4 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Samuel 12:1

SAMUEL ADDRESSES THE NATION OF ISRAELSome have called this, `Samuel's Farewell Address,'[1] but that is an error. Samuel by no means retired from his ministry of guiding Israel into the new system of government, as subsequent chapters of First Samuel abundantly prove. "This speech has a defense of Samuel's administrative leadership, which he is now relinquishing to Saul; but he is not laying down his priestly functions nor his office as the first of the great prophets of God after Moses."[2]The... read more

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