1 Samuel 10:25

1Sa 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote [it] in a book, and laid [it] up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

Ver. 25. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom.] Not what it usually is, - degenerating into tyranny, as if it were not enough to be above men, but to be above mankind, {1Sa 8:9-10} - but what it ought to be, according to Deu 17:14-16 Eze 45:9-10; Eze 46:6.

And wrote it in a book.] {a} That it might be as their Magna Charta, made to keep the beam right betwixt sovereignty and subjection.

{a} Hic liber periit cum multis aliis. - Vat.

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_10:25

And wrote it in a book.

Value or a written constitution

A written revelation is an incomparable blessing. Is not the cry of subjects everywhere for a constitution, something written, the fights and duties of sovereign and subject in black and white? The Bible is to us like a written constitution; we can take it home, we can consult it when we please, quote from it, appeal to it God graciously binds Himself by it. Of all the modern heresies, none is more contrary to human experience than the rejection of a written word, and the proposed substitution of human conscience and the moral sentiments as our guide. (N. Adams.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 10:25. Samuel said, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen? — Though the people were resolutely bent on having a king, yet they were sensible only God could make one. And therefore they came in the beginning of this business, to ask one of his prophet. But Samuel could not constitute one without divine direction and appointment, as appears by the first verse of this chapter, where he says to Saul, The Lord hath anointed thee; and the lot whereby he was publicly chosen was cast before the Lord, 1Sa 10:19; 1Sa 10:23. Accordingly he here tells them, The Lord hath chosen him. Thus afterward the Lord commanded David to be anointed, 1Sa 19:1; 1Sa 19:3; and of all his sons, Solomon was particularly appointed by God to succeed him, 1Ch 29:5. There is none like him among all the people — As to his aspect and the height of his bodily stature, which was in itself desirable in a king, and some kind of indication of great endowments of mind. God save the king — Hebrew, Let the king live; that is, long and prosperously. The same form was used in after ages when they made kings, 1Ki 1:34; 1Ki 1:39; 2Ki 11:12; 2Ch 23:11. Hereby they accepted him for their king, and, in effect, promised subjection to him. None will be losers in the end by their humility and modesty. Honour, like the shadows, follows them that flee from it, but flees from them that pursue it.

1Sa 10:25. The manner of the kingdom — The laws and rules by which the kingly government was to be managed; agreeably to those mentioned Deu 17:16, &c. Before the Lord — Before the ark, where it was kept safe from depravation.

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

10:25 rights and duties of a king: See Deut 17:14-20. • He wrote them: Cp. Exod 24:4; Josh 24:26. • Samuel placed the document before the Lord—presumably in the Tabernacle. This position showed that God would honor those who lived by the covenant and punish those who violated it.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

As it is written in Deut. 17:15, etc.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 25. The manner of the kingdom] It is the same word as in 1Sa 8:9; and doubtless the same thing is implied as is there related. But possibly there was some kind of compact or covenant between them and Saul; and this was the thing that was written in a book, and laid up before the Lord, probably near the ark.

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

(25) Wrote it in a book.—The “Law of the Kingdom,” which Samuel rehearsed before the people, and which he wrote in a roll, and laid solemnly up and preserved among the State archives, related to the divinely established right and duties of the God-appointed king, and also clearly set forth the limitations of his power. The vice-gerent on earth of the invisible King could be no arbitrary despot, unless he transgressed plainly and openly the “manner of the kingdom” written in a book, and laid up before the Lord by Samuel.

This sacred document, we may assume, contained, too, the exact details of the singular story of the choice of the first king of Israel. It was well, no doubt, thought Samuel, that coming ages should know exactly how it came to pass that he, the seer, anointed the Benjamite of Gibeah as king over the Lord’s inheritance. We may, therefore, fairly conclude that from the record laid up among the sacred archives in the sanctuary, the compiler or redactor of this “Book of Samuel” derived his intimate knowledge of every little fact connected with the Divine choice of Saul.

The legal portion of this writing respecting the kingdom was, of course, strictly based upon what Moses had already written on this subject in Deuteronomy (see 1Sa_17:14-20).

We find here, in this writing of Samuel, the first trace of literary composition among the Israelites since the days of Moses. The great revival in letters which began shortly after the days of Saul was due, most probably, to the influence of Samuel and those great schools of the prophets which he had established in the land.

And laid it up before the Lord.—We are not told where this was done, but the words seem to imply that the document, or roll, was placed by the side of the Ark, then in the “city of woods,” Kiriath-yearim. Josephus says this writing was preserved in the Tabernacle of the Holy of Holies, where the Book of the Law had been laid up (Deu_31:26).

And Samuel sent all the people away.—It is noteworthy that even after the formal popular ratification of Saul’s election as king, it is Samuel who dismisses the assembly. Indeed, throughout the remainder of the great seer’s life, whenever he appears on the scene, he is evidently the principal person, occupying a position above king or priest. On the other hand, after this period Samuel made but comparatively few public appearances; of his own free will he seems to have retired into privacy, and only in emergencies to have left his retirement.

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

25. the manner of the kingdom] A charter establishing and defining the position of the king in relation to Jehovah, and to the people. It must be distinguished from the “manner of the king” in 1Sa_8:11 ff., which describes the arbitrary exactions of an oriental despot; but it can scarcely be said to be “the first example of a limited constitutional monarchy.” In substance at any rate, it probably resembled the law of the king in Deu_17:14-20.

wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord] Lit. in the book. Possibly this important charter was added to “the book of the law” kept by the side of the ark “before the Lord” (Deu_31:26). This book contained not only the record of the Mosaic legislation (Exo_24:7; Deu_28:61), but historical narratives (Exo_17:14), and other records of importance, such as the solemn renewal of the covenant at Shechem under Joshua (Jos_24:26). See Smith’s Dict. of the Bible, Art. Canon, Vol. 1. p. 251.

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.

And Saul also went home to Gibeah,.... His native place, where was his father's house, to which he retired; where were no royal palace, or princely court, nor any of the ensigns of kingly majesty; and whither it does not appear that he was followed by the nobility or princes of the tribes, only accompanied by a few men, as next observed:

and there went with him a band of men; an army, or part of one they seem to be military men, at least men of strength, valour, and courage; gallant men, who, in honour to their king elect, freely offered themselves to be his body guard, however, until he was come to his house at Gibeah; the Targum is only, "some of the people"

whose heart God had touched; and inclined to show honour and respect to their king; the Targum describes them,"men that feared to sin, and in whose hearts the fear of God was put.''

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

The manner of the kingdom - i. e., the just prerogative of the kingdom, the law, or bill of rights, by which the king’s power was limited as well as secured. It is not improbable that what Samuel wrote was simply a transcript of Deu 17:14-20, which he “laid up before the Lord,” i. e., placed by the side of the ark of the covenant with the copy of the Law (see Deu 31:26). It would be ready for reference if either king or people violated the “law of the kingdom.”

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

Before the Lord. It seems that the ark was therefore present. This record of Samuel is lost, so that we cannot determine what laws he prescribed on this occasion. (Calmet) --- Josephus ([Antiquities?] vi. 5.) says that he wrote and read in the hearing of all, and in the presence of the king, what evils would ensue under the regal government; and deposited the writing in the tabernacle, that the truth of the prediction might be ascertained. He probably alludes to the denunciation of tyranny, which had been made [in] chap. viii., and which he says Samuel repeated on this occasion. But the prophet would also take a copy of the law of the kingdom, prescribed by Moses, (Deuteronomy xvii.) and deliver it to Saul, that he might make it the rule of his conduct, and not imitate the wicked customs of tyrants. (Haydock) --- The whole process of this memorable event he would also write down, (Menochius) as we read it at present in this chapter, placing it in the proper order, as a continuation of the sacred history which Moses and Josue had commenced; and like them, depositing the sacred volume beside the ark, or in the tabernacle. See Josue xxiv. 26. (Haydock)

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).

The manner of the kingdom; not the manner of the king, of which he had spoken before, 1Sa 8:11, &c., but of the kingdom: to wit, the laws and rules by which the kingly government was to be managed, agreeable to those mentioned Deu 17:16, &c, which peradventure Samuel did expound and apply to their particular case.

Before the Lord; before the ark, or in the sanctuary, where it was kept safe from depravation.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

25. Manner of the kingdom — This phrase is not identical with the manner of the king, described 1Sa_8:11-18, for that was a description of what oriental despots claimed as their right, while this was probably an expansion of the Mosaic law concerning a monarchy, as recorded Deu_17:14-20. Hence it appears that the kingdom of Israel was a constitutional, not an absolute monarchy. The king himself was to be governed and guided by law, and ever to understand that government itself was a divine ordinance, not a human invention.

Wrote it in a book — According to the commandment, Deu_17:18 : “He shall write him a copy of this law in a book,” etc.

Laid it up before the Lord — Committed it to the charge of the priests, as Moses did the law. Deu_31:9; Deu_31:26. The ark and the tabernacle were at this time separate, and it is uncertain in which of them this book of Samuel was placed. Perhaps this disorganized state of the priesthood was a cause of the loss of many ancient books.

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

THE EVENTS WHICH FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY UPON SAUL"S ELECTION (vers. 25-27).

The manner. The difficult word already discussed in 1Sa_2:13 1Sa_8:11. Here, however, it is not used for rights so exercised as to become wrongs, but in a good sense, for what we should call a constitution. The heathen kings were despots, subject to no higher law, and Samuel, in 1Sa_8:11-18, speaks with merited abhorrence of their violation of the natural rights of their subjects; but under the theocracy the king"s power was limited by laws which protected, in the enjoyment of their privileges, the people, the priests, and the prophets. The latter class especially, as being the mouthpiece of Jehovah, formed a powerful check upon the development of despotic tendencies. In sketching Saul"s kingly rights Samuel would be guided by Deu_17:14-20, and would give the king his true position as the representative of Jehovah both in all matters of internal administration and of war. And laid it up before Jehovah. Probably by the side of the ark. We are not to suppose that Samuel wrote this at Mizpah. He would fully explain to Saul and the people there what a theocratic king ought to be, and would afterwards draw up a formal document both as a memorial of what had been done, and for the use of future sovereigns, and place it within the sanctuary. It is noteworthy that this is the first notice of writing since the days of the illustrious scribe Eleazar.

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

Manner of the kingdom - The laws and rules by which the kingly government was to be managed; agreeable to those mentioned Deut. xvii, 16, &c. Before the Lord - Before the ark, where it was kept safe from depravation.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

the customs and rules of kingship

The abstract noun "kingship" can be translated with a noun clause. AT: "the customs and rules that a king would be required to follow" (See: Abstract Nouns)

translationWords

rule

send

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.