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1 SAMUEL 11

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:1-4
  ¹Now Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us and we will serve you." ²But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "I will make it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it a reproach on all Israel." ³The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you." ⁴Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

11:1 "Nahash" Nahash (BDB 638 II, "serpent") was the contemporary Ammonite king (i.e., 1 Sam. 12:12) in Saul's day. Jabesh-gilead was an important Israelite city north of Ammon on the eastern side of the Jordan.

▣ "Ammonite" This was a tribe on the eastern side of Jordan and north of the Dead Sea, from Lot's incestuous relationship with his daughters (Gen. 19:36-38). They were one of the nations that opposed the Israelites in their march to Canaan (cf. Num. 21:24-35; Deut. 2:16-37).

▣ "Jabesh-gilead" Jabesh-Gilead was ready to surrender until the Ammonites demanded physical mutilation as a way to humiliate all of the Israeli tribes.

Josephus, (Anitq. 6.5.1) and the Dead Sea Scrolls MSS give a brief historical introduction about the mutilation.

"After one month, the war which Saul had with Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, obtained him respect from all the people; for this Nahash had done a great deal of mischief to the Jews that lived beyond Jordan by the expedition he had made against them with a great and warlike army. He also reduced their cities into slavery, and that not only by subduing them for the present, which he did by force and violence, but by weakening them by subtlety and cunning, that they might not be able afterward to get clear of the slavery they were under to him: for he put out the right eyes of those that either delivered themselves to him upon terms, or were taken by him in war; and this he did, that when their left eyes were covered by their shields, they might be wholly useless in war. Now when the king of the Ammonites had served those beyond Jordan in this manner, he led his army against those that were called Gileadites; and having pitched his camp at the metropolis of his enemies, which was the city of Jabesh, he sent ambassadors to them, commanding them either to deliver themselves up, on condition to have their right eyes plucked out, or to undergo a siege, and to have their cities overthrown. He gave them their choice, Whether they would cut off a small member of their body, or universally perish. However, the Gileadites were so affrighted at these offers, that they had not courage to say anything to either of them, neither that they would deliver themselves up, nor that they would fight him; but they desired that he would give them seven days' respite that they might send ambassadors to their countrymen, and entreat their assistance; and if they came to assist them they would fight; but if that assistance were impossible to be obtained from them, they said they would deliver themselves up to suffer whatever he pleased to inflict upon them."

NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 467, notes that the right eye was used for aiming weapons.

11:3 "elders" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ELDERS.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:5-11
  ⁵Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and he said, "What is the matter with the people that they weep?" So they related to him the words of the men of Jabesh. ⁶Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry. ⁷He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man. ⁸He numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000. ⁹They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.'" So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. ¹⁰Then the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you." ¹¹The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

11:5 Saul was king but obviously this title had not yet affected his daily agricultural activities. There was no sense of a national unity at this point. Notice they began to unite in v. 8, "as one man."

11:6 See note at 1 Sam. 10:10.

▣ "he became very angry" Notice the coming of the Spirit invoked a nationalist fervor. Saul is functioning as a "Judge" (i.e., military deliverer).

11:7 Saul summons an army by means of

1. national pride
2. threats
3. religious loyalty

▣ "cut them in pieces" Josephus (Antiq. 6.5.3) interprets this as a threat to cut the hamstring of work animals, as he did to his oxen, if the men of the tribes did not volunteer for military service.

The MT, however, states Saul cut up both oxen and sent them to each of the tribes, similar to Jdgs. 19:29. He even adds Samuel's name to the threat.

11:8 Again the numbers in the historical books are

1. usually round numbers
2. affected by the definition of "thousands"

▣ "300,000. . .30,000" Josephus (Antiq. 6.5.3) gives a higher number.

1. Judah ‒ 70,000
2. all other tribes ‒ 700,000 (the LXX has "600,000")

It is surprising that Judah is listed separately. For a good discussion, see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 823, #3.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

11:10 There was an element of deception in the military plans, like Ai.

11:11 There were elements of military strategy. They believed YHWH was with them but they acted themselves also.

Josephus (Antiq. 6.5.3) adds that not only was Jabesh-gilead relieved but Saul advanced and defeated all of Ammon.

▣ "the morning watch" It is uncertain how many divisions of the night were common in this period. Most scholars think three divisions (i.e., Jdgs. 7:19). If so, this was about dawn.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:12-13
  ¹²Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death." ¹³But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel."

11:12 This victory sealed Saul's acceptance as king by the tribes.

11:13 Saul's compassion and lack of revenge (cf. 1 Sam. 10:27) is seen clearly in this verse. Also seen clearly is that the victory belongs to YHWH, not Saul (v. 6)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 11:14-15
  ¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, "Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." ¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

11:14 "renew the kingdom" This type of renewal (or "reaffirmation," BDB 293, KB 293, Piel IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense) ceremony was done several times in Israel's history. It was a way to recognize YHWH's presence and revelations.

In this context it was the full acceptance of YHWH's choice for king, Saul!

11:15 "peace offerings" See SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE OFFERING.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did Nahash want to gouge out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh-gilead?
2. How is Saul like a Judge?
3. Why are the numbers so different in ancient versions?
4. How is Saul's character revealed in 1 Sam. 11:5,13?
5. What does "to renew the kingdom" mean?

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