1 Samuel 11: Saul rescues Jabesh Gilead from Nahash the Ammonite
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What happens?
Nahash the Ammonite camps against Jabesh Gilead and will make a treaty only if every man's right eye is gouged out. When the news reaches Gibeah, God's Spirit comes on Saul; he cuts a pair of oxen in pieces and sends them through all Israel, and the people come out as one man. Saul strikes the Ammonite camp in the morning watch and scatters them. The people want to kill those who had asked whether Saul should reign over them, but Saul says no one will die that day, and at Gilgal all the people make Saul king before Yahweh.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. The men and the elders of Jabesh speak in verses 1, 3 and 10, and Nahash in verse 2. Saul speaks in verse 5, sends his message with the pieces of the oxen in verse 7, and speaks again in verse 13. In verse 9 "they" send word to Jabesh by the messengers. The people speak to Samuel in verse 12, and Samuel speaks in verse 14. Verse 6 tells, in the narrator's words, that God's Spirit came on Saul. In verse 13 Saul says that Yahweh has rescued Israel: these are Saul's own words. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”
In plain English: Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and camped against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty (this Bible: covenant) with us, and we will serve you."
The Hebrew word: The dictionary gives the name Nahash as "the same as" nachash, "a snake", the word used for the serpent in . The text does not explain the name.
Good to know: Jabesh Gilead is the town that sent no one to the gathering at Mizpah in . Israel struck it (), and gave four hundred of its young women to the men of Benjamin ( and ). The text here does not speak of that story. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) begins this verse "And it came to pass about a month after this" (see the note on ).
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2Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be gouged out. I will make this dishonor all Israel.”
In plain English: Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "I will make one with you on this condition: that every one of you has his right eye gouged out. I will make it a disgrace on all Israel."
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3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”
In plain English: The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days (literally: leave us alone seven days), so that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you."
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4Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people, then all the people lifted up their voice and wept.
In plain English: The messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told these things in the hearing (literally: in the ears) of the people, and all the people wept out loud (literally: lifted up their voice and wept).
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5Behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, “What ails the people that they weep?” They told him the words of the men of Jabesh.
In plain English: Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind the oxen. Saul said, "What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?" They told him what the men of Jabesh had said.
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6God’s Spirit came mightily on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger burned hot.
In plain English: God's Spirit (or: spirit) rushed on Saul (this Bible: came mightily on Saul) when he heard these words, and his anger burned hot.
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7He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, then sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” The dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.
In plain English: He took a pair (this Bible: yoke) of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout all the territory of Israel, saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, this is what will be done to his oxen." The dread (or: terror) of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.
Good to know: The words "cut in pieces" and "all the borders of Israel" are the same Hebrew words as in , where a Levite cut up his concubine "and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel". Here Saul cuts up oxen, and his message says what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not come.
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8He counted them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
In plain English: He counted them at Bezek. The Israelites were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Good to know: The Hebrew has three hundred thousand men of Israel and thirty thousand men of Judah, and names the two groups apart. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "six hundred thousand, and the men of Juda seventy thousand". The text does not add the numbers together.
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9They said to the messengers who came, “Tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be rescued.’” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
In plain English: They said to the messengers who had come, "Tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be rescued.'" The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.
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10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you.”
In plain English: So the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you."
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11On the next day, Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
In plain English: The next day Saul put the people in three companies. They came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who were left were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
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12The people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring those men, that we may put them to death!”
In plain English: The people said to Samuel, "Who was it that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Hand those men over, so that we may put them to death!"
Good to know: In some worthless men had said, "How could this man save us?" The text does not say whether the people mean the same men.
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13Saul said, “No man shall be put to death today; for today Yahweh has rescued Israel.”
In plain English: But Saul said, "No one shall be put to death today, because today Yahweh has saved (this Bible: rescued) Israel."
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14Then Samuel said to the people, “Come! Let’s go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.”
In plain English: Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom (or: the kingship) there."
The Hebrew word: "Renew" is chadash, which the dictionary gives as "to be new; causatively, to rebuild".
What changes: Read as "renew", the people confirm again the kingship Saul was given at Mizpah (). Read as "rebuild" or "make new", they set it up fresh. The text does not say why it was needed. Verse 15 says only that they made Saul king there before Yahweh.
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15All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
In plain English: So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered peace offerings before Yahweh, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
Good to know: The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "Samuel anointed Saul there to be king" instead of "they made Saul king", and ends with "Samuel and all Israel rejoiced exceedingly" instead of Saul and all the men of Israel.
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