Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear ,.... In a private manner, whispering in his ear, telling him in a free, familiar, friendly way, as a secret: a day before Saul came ; that he might prepare for the entertainment of him, and not be surprised at his coming, as well as hereby be assured he was the person designed to be king of Israel, when he should come: saying ; as follows. read more
Now the Lord had told Samuel - How this communication was made, we cannot tell. read more
Man's accidents God's ordinations. The facts are— 1 . On entering the city Saul inquires for the seer, and is informed that he is present for a special religious service. 2 . Following the directions given, he meets Samuel ascending to the high place. 3 . Samuel is already instructed by God to expect during the day the man whom he is to anoint as king. 4 . On seeing Saul, an intimation is given from God that he is the chosen man. In some respects this narrative of events... read more
Now Jehovah had told Samuel in his ear. Literally, "had uncovered his ear," as in Ruth 4:4 ; 2 Samuel 7:27 . The phrase is taken from the pushing aside of the headdress in order to whisper, and therefore means that Jehovah had secretly told Samuel. read more
1 Samuel 9:14-15. Behold, Samuel came out against them Met them directly in his way to the sacrifice. For so God, in his providence, had disposed things, as it follows in the next words. The Lord had told Samuel in his ear That is, secretly, perhaps by a small, still voice. In the Hebrew it is, He revealed, or uncovered the ear of Samuel. read more
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
the LORD . Hebrew. Jehovah . App-4 . told Samuel in his ear = opened or uncovered the ear of Samuel. a = one. read more
WHAT GOD HAD ALREADY TOLD SAMUEL"Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the tribe of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the afflictions of my people, because their cry has come to me. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall rule over my people."So... read more
15, 16. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before—The description of Saul, the time of his arrival, and the high office to which he was destined, had been secretly intimated to Samuel from heaven. The future king of Israel was to fight the battles of the Lord and protect His people. It would appear that they were at this time suffering great molestation from the Philistines, and that this was an additional reason of their urgent demands for the appointment of a king (see 1 Samuel... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:11-17
Here, I. Saul, by an ordinary enquiry, is directed to Samuel, 1 Sam. 9:11-14. Gibeah of Saul was not twenty miles from Ramah where Samuel dwelt, and was near to Mizpeh where he often judged Israel, and yet, it seems, Saul had lived so very privately, and had taken so little notice of public affairs, that he had never seen Samuel, for when he met him (1 Sam. 9:18) he did not know him, so that there was no cause to suspect any secret compact or collusion between them in this matter. I knew him... read more