1 Samuel 12:12 KJV,ASV

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 12:12

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

Adam Clarke

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

When ye saw that Nahash - This was not the first time they had demanded a king; see before, 1 Samuel 8:5 . But at the crisis mentioned here they became more importunate; and it was in consequence of this that the kingdom was a second time confirmed to Saul. Saul was elected at Mizpeh, he was confirmed at Gilgal. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:6-15

The immutable condition of well being. The facts are— 1 . Samuel, having shown his right to be heard, calls on the people to hearken to his argument. 2 . He refers to historic instances to show that trouble always came with unfaithfulness to God, and prosperity with a return to fidelity. 3 . He reminds them that their desire for a king implied distrust of God. 4 . Recognising the new order of things, he insists that the adversity or prosperity of the nation rested where it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 12:12

Nahash the king of the children of Ammon. This makes it probable that there had been threats of war, and even incursions into the Israelite territory, by Nahash before his attack on Jabesh-Gilead. We thus, too, should be able to account for the rancour displayed in his wish so to treat the men of that town as to make them a reproach to all Israel; for his hatred of Israel may have grown in intensity in the course of a harassing war, or he may have learnt to despise a people incapable of... read more

Joseph Benson

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

1 Samuel 12:12. When ye saw that Nahash came against you, &c. From this it appears that Nahash had levied war against them some time before he came against Jabesh-gilead, as mentioned in the foregoing chapter; and that they took occasion from thence to demand a king, as being fearful and impatient of staying till God should raise them up a deliverer, or command Samuel, who was their judge, to go out to fight against him. When the Lord your God was your king That is, when God was your... 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 12:12

ye saw . Figure of speech Hysteresis, or Hysterologia ( App-6 ), by which a prior event is recorded later. children-sons. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 12:12

7-16. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you—The burden of this faithful and uncompromising address was to show them, that though they had obtained the change of government they had so importunely desired, their conduct was highly displeasing to their heavenly King; nevertheless, if they remained faithful to Him and to the principles of the theocracy, they might be delivered from many of the evils to which the new state of things would expose them. And in confirmation of those... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 12:1-25

Samuel’s second warning to the people ch. 12The writer wrote chapters 12-15 very skillfully to parallel chapters 8-11. Each section begins with Samuel warning the people about the dangers of their requesting a king (chs. 8 and 12). Each one also follows with a description of Saul’s exploits (chs. 9-10 and 13-14) and ends with Saul leading Israel in battle (chs. 11 and 15). This parallel structure vividly sets off the contrast between Saul’s early success as Israel’s king and his subsequent... read more