1 Samuel 10:21

1Sa 10:21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

Ver. 21. The family of Matri was taken.] Which is not the name of a man - see 1Ch 8:30; but signifieth a mark, saith one out of Lyra; whence he eoncludeth that the family of Matri was of those that could shoot at a mark so excellently. {Jdg 20:16} Fides sit penes Authorem.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 10:21. When they sought him, he could not be found — Having withdrawn himself, either out of feebleness of spirit, as some think, or rather out of modesty, he declined so high an authority unless imposed upon him. Or perhaps he was discouraged, and even affrighted, when he heard Samuel still representing God as offended with them for asking a king; which he might think was to reject his government.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 21. When they sought him, he could not be found.] Through modesty or fear he had secreted himself.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(21) The family of Matri was taken.—In none of the Benjamite genealogies connected with the royal house of Saul does this name occur. We cannot account for the omission. Ewald conjectures that the name Matri is a corruption from “Bikri” (see 1Ch_7:8).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. the family of Matri] The family of the Matrites is nowhere else mentioned. It has therefore been conjectured that we should read Bikrites, or descendants of Becher the son of Benjamin (1Ch_7:6).

Saul the son of Kish was taken] The description of the process of casting lots is abridged. The family taken would be brought by houses, and the house taken then brought by persons. The Sept. inserts “and they bring the family of Mattari man by man,” which must be understood, as in Jos_7:17, to mean the heads of houses only, not all the individuals of the family, which would be far too long a process. In this way Kish would be taken, and finally, when he brought his household forward man by man, Saul was taken.

he could not be found] Natural feelings of modesty and humility prompted Saul to hide himself. He knew already that he was the object of God’s choice, but he would not appear to court advancement, or in any way put himself forward for the royal dignity.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Therefore they inquired of the Lord further,.... Or again, by lot, by which they knew who the person was the was chosen king, but they did not know where he was, and therefore inquire further how they must come at him; and this inquiry was made either before the high priest by Urim and Thummim, or by Samuel the prophet of the Lord: and the inquiry was:

if the man should yet come thither; whether he was already come, or would come there, and if not, what methods they must take to find him:

and the Lord answered, behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff the word signifies household stuff, vessels, utensils, arms, &c. which the people had brought along with them for their use, and were laid up in some one place; and among these baggages Saul hid himself, hoping that if he was not found they would proceed to another choice, so free from ambition was he, and such was his modesty; nor does this seem to be affected and dissembled, but real; though afterwards, when he was settled in the kingdom, he did not care to part with it, and sought to kill David, whom he looked upon as his rival: there were many things which now concurred, that made him uneasy and unwilling to assume the government of the people; partly the envy and ill will of some of them, which he must expect; chiefly the sense he had of his own unfitness for such an office, being of a mean family, and having had so mean an education, and so little knowledge of the maxims of government; and besides, must at once, as soon as on the throne, enter into a war with the Ammonites; but what might most of all distress him, he perceived by Samuel's speech to the people, that the affair of a king was displeasing to the Lord, though he condescended to grant the people's request; and therefore what comfort and happiness could he expect in such a situation?

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The family of Matri - This name occurs nowhere else among the families of Benjamin, or in the genealogy of Saul. (See 1Sa 9:1 note.)

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Metri. We find none of this name, 1 Paralipomenon viii. 1. It is probably a title which some of the great patriarchs of Benjamin had acquired by shooting, as Metri means "an archer or bowman." (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

21. Family of Matri — Not mentioned among the families of Benjamin in Num_26:38-41; but probably a new family that arose in Benjamin after the tribal war. See note on 1Sa_9:1.

He could not be found — Saul knew from his former interview with Samuel, what the result of this casting of lots would be, and probably a feeling of mingled reserve, timidity, and embarrassment led him to hide himself.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The family of Matri, or of the Matrites. Matri is not mentioned anywhere else; and numerous as are the omissions in the genealogies, we can scarcely suppose that the name of the head of one of the main subdivisions of a tribe could be passed over. The conjecture, therefore, is probable that Matri is a corruption of Bikri, i.e. a descendant of Becher, for whom see 1Ch_7:8. After the lot had fallen upon this family they would next cast lots upon its smaller subdivisions, as in Jos_7:17, Jos_7:18, until at last they came to households, when first Kish, and finally Saul was taken. The latter, foreseeing that this would happen, had concealed himself. For though a noble change had taken place in him (ver. 9), yet no really worthy man was ever promoted to high office without having to overcome his own unwillingness, and no one probably ever worthily discharged solemn duties without having felt oppressed and humbled with the consciousness of his own unfitness to undertake them. As a matter of fact, Saul was now called to a most weighty responsibility, and he failed and was rejected, though not without proving that he was a man of extraordinary genius and power. And it never can be said of him that presumption was the cause of his fall, or that he hastily undertook serious duties in the spirit of light-hearted levity.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa_10:22. “They inquired of the Lord … and the Lord answered.” “The inquiry was made through the high priest, by means of the Urim and Thummim. There can be no doubt that in a gathering of the people for so important a purpose, the high priest would also be present, even though this is not expressly stated.” (Keil). “The high-priest’s office was vacant, some other, not Samuel, who presided over the assembly and the election, but a priest, in the high priestly robes, conducted the solemn inquiry, which was exclusively the privilege of the priests.” (Erdmann). “If the man should yet come hither;” rather, has any one else come hither? i.e., besides those here present among whom Saul was not to be found.” (Erdmann). “Among the stuff.” “Rather, the baggage. The assembly was like a camp, and the baggage of the whole congregation was probably collected in one place, where the waggons were arranged for protection.” (Biblical Commentary). “The ground was his diffidence and shyness in respect to appearing publicly before the whole people. Nagelsbach rightly remarks that his hiding behind the baggage during the election is not in conflict with the account of his change of mind. At so decisive a moment, which turns the eyes of all on one with the most diverse feelings, the heart of the most courageous man may well beat.” (Erdmann).

1Sa_10:23. “He was higher than any of the people,” etc. “When in battle much less depended on military skill than upon the bodily prowess of the chief in single combats, or in the partial actions with which most battles commenced, it was natural that the people should take pride in the gigantic proportions of their leader, as calculated to strike terror into the enemy, and confidence into his followers; besides, it was no mean advantage that the crest of the leader should, from his tallness, be seen from afar by his people. The prevalence of this feeling of regard for personal bulk and stature is seen in the sculptures of ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Persia, and even in the modern paintings of the last-named nation, in which the sovereign is invested with gigantic proportions in comparison with the persons around him.” (Kitto).

1Sa_10:24. “God save the king,” Rather, let the king live. The Hebrew is equivalent to the French Vive le Roi.

1Sa_10:25. “Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom.” On the first establishment of the kingdom it was possible to make conditions and to impose restrictions, to which any future king, royal by birth, and on whom the crown devolved by hereditary right, would not very willingly submit. There can be no doubt that the people, under the infatuation which now possessed them, would have put themselves under the monarchy without any conditions whatever, and it is entirely owing to the wise forethought of Samuel, acting under the Divine direction, that this evil was averted, and the kings of Israel did not become absolute and irresponsible masters of the lives and properties of their subjects.” (Kitto). “This law of the kingdom is not identical with the manner of the king described by Samuel in 1Sa_8:11-18. The Hebrew word rendered manner in both places is mishpat, which properly means judgment, right, law, that which is strictly de jure; but it also signifies usage, manner, custom, that which is de facto, and the mishpat of the kingdom here expresses the former, but the mishpat of the king in chap. 8 comprehends also the latter.” (Wordsworth). “In content it was no doubt essentially the same with the law of the king in Deu_17:14-20, especially 1Sa_10:19-20, and therefore related to the divinely-established rights and duties of the theocratic king, the fulfilment of which the people were authorised to demand from him.” (Erdmann). “Wrote it in a book.” “We find here the first trace, after the written records of Moses, of writing among the prophets, long before the literary activity to which we owe what we have now.” (Erdmann). “Laid it up before the Lord.” “It was, no doubt, placed in the tabernacle, where the law of Moses was also deposited.” (Keil).

1Sa_10:26. “A band of men,” etc.; rather, the host; but “here it does not signify a large military force, but a crowd of brave men whose hearts God had touched to give him a royal escort, and show their readiness to serve him.” (Keil).

1Sa_10:27. “Children of Belial” (see on 1Sa_2:12). “Presents,” Minchah. “The token of homage and acknowledgment from the subject to the sovereign, and from the tributary nation to their suzerain” (see 2Sa_8:2; 2Sa_8:6; Jdg_3:17-18; 1Ki_4:21, etc.). (Biblical Commentary). “But he held his peace.” Literally, “He was as being deaf,” i.e., he acted as if he had not heard.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Shaul… was singled out. Even though he was not there, the lot fell upon him, for their names were written on pieces of parchment and placed in a box. The prophet would insert his hand and take one piece of parchment.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.