1 Samuel 12:10

1Sa 12:10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

Ver. 10. And they cried unto the Lord.] Lachrymas angustiae exprimit Crux; lachrymas poenitentiae Peccatum. Misery is the best art of memory; God whippeth his stragglers home by weeping cross.

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.

12:10 Then they cried to the Lord: Sometimes only suffering turns people’s hearts toward God. During the period of the judges, Israel repeatedly went through cycles of sin, oppression, repentance, and rescue. • Baal and Ashtoreth: When people turn away from God, they inevitably turn to idols (see 7:3; Judg 2:13; 10:6). • An attitude such as if you will rescue us turns worship into a debased bargain, in which God must perform some action to a person’s liking. God deserves obedience and worship because he is God, not because of favors he can perform.

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

(10) And they cried unto the Lord.—As soon as they were convinced of their sin and rebellion, and accused themselves, and returned to their old allegiance, their invisible King, ever full of pity and tender compassion, forgave them, and sent them quick deliverance.

And have served Baalim and Ashtaroth.—Baal and Ashtaroth were the well-known leading Phœnician deities; the worship, with most of its details, was imported probably from Carthage, the great Phœnician centre. The temple of Baal-shemesh, the Sun god, at Carthage, was renowned in that luxurious and splendid city. (For a detailed and picturesque account of the worship and ritual of Baal at Carthage, see M. Gustave Flaubert’s romance of Salômbo.) Baal and Ashtaroth, the Greek Astarté, were probably originally worshipped simply as the sun and moon. The plural form refers to the various personifications and different titles of the god and goddess.

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

10. And they cried unto the Lord] The resemblance of the language to Jdg_10:10 is so close as to lead us to suppose that the compiler of Samuel had the book of Judges before him, or at any rate that the words are derived from a common source. Cp. also Jdg_2:18; Jdg_3:15; Jdg_4:3; Jdg_6:7.

Baalim and Ashtaroth] See note on 1Sa_7:3.

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 they cried unto the Lord,.... When in the hands of their enemies, and in bondage to them, and cruelly oppressed by them:

and said, we have sinned; the word for "said" is in the Cetib, or written text, singular, and in the Keri, or marginal reading, plural; and may signify, that everyone of them had a sense of their sin, and made acknowledgment of it; their confession was universal, as their sin was:

because we have forsaken the Lord; the Word of the Lord, as the Targum:

and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth; See Gill on Jdg 2:11; see Gill on Jdg 2:13.

but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee; they did not ask for a king to go before them, and fight their battles, as they did now, but applied to the Lord for deliverance, promising to serve him as their King and their God.

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

We have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth. I.e. the numerous Baals and Astartes, which were worshipped under various titles by the heathen. For though representing the same power, each people had their own epithets for their own particular personification of the god. (see 1Sa_7:4)

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

They cried out to Yahweh

"They" refers to the nation of Israel.

Jerub Baal

This is sometimes translated Jerubbaal. This is a name of godly honor and strength to fight the false god.

Yahweh sent ... and gave you victory

Samuel is telling the story of what God did after the people's confession of sin and plea for help. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Jerub Baal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel

These are the names of some judges that God raised up. Samuel included himself in this list. (See: How to Translate Names)

have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths

Serving here is referring to acting worshipful towards the false gods. AT: "have worshiped false gods and goddesses" (See: Metonymy)

the hand of our enemies

This statement is using "hand" to refer to power. AT: "the power or control of our enemies" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

Yahweh

sin

forsake

servant

Baal

adversary

send

life

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