1 Samuel 10:8
in 1 Samuel 10And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.
KJV
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 10
Commentary
9 notes on this verseSeven days shalt thou tarry - I will come to thee within seven days, offer sacrifices, receive directions from the Lord, and deliver them to thee. It is likely that these seven days referred to the time in which Samuel came to Saul to Gilgal, offered sacrifices, and confirmed the kingdom to him, after he had defeated the Ammonites. See 1Sa 11:14, 1Sa 11:15.
This site's exposition
Wait seven days until I come to you
Samuel's order, “Wait seven days until I come to you”, is a plain command with a plain deadline. The book keeps it for chapter 13, where Saul breaks it and offers the burnt offering himself. The command comes at the outset of his reign, before Saul has done anything wrong, and its weight falls on it only in hindsight.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 5 · Written before 604.
proposed
20. What does it mean that he first says: "Do whatever your hand finds," and then adds: "You shall wait seven days for me, until I come and show you what you are to do"? But he who had received the signs by which he would know himself anointed king by the Lord was to be tested as to whether he would recognize those very signs. This indeed suits a spiritual rather than a historical explanation.
And descending before me in Gilgal, etc. The Lord descended before John in Gilgal, that is, the place of rolling, namely those about which he speaks to the Father in the Psalm: Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my soul. …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It was now a plain intimation to him that he was upon his good behaviour, and, though a king, must act under the direction of Samuel, and do as he should order him. The greatest of men must own themselves in subjection to God and his word. 9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:29w-of-76
It seems this is given as a standing rule for Saul to observe while Samuel and he lived; that in case of any great future difficulties, as the invasion of enemies, Saul should resort to Gilgal, and call the people thither, and tarry there seven days, which was but a necessary time for gathering the people, and for the coming of Samuel thither.
And thou shall go down before me to Gilgal,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal--This, according to JOSEPHUS, was to be a standing rule for the observance of Saul while the prophet and he lived; that in every great crisis, such as a hostile incursion on the country, he should repair to Gilgal, where he was to remain seven days, to afford time for the tribes on both sides Jordan to assemble, and Samuel to reach it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Seven days shalt thou tarry ... - The appointment here made is not to be confounded with that mentioned in marginal reference.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיָרַדְתָּ֣ | veyaradta | and you will go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| לְפָנַי֮ | lefanai | <to> before me | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַגִּלְגָּל֒ | hagilgal | <the> Gilgal | H1537 → | 41 times |
| וְהִנֵּ֤ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| אָֽנֹכִי֙ | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| יֹרֵ֣ד | yored | [am] about to come down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֵלֶ֔יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| לְהַעֲל֣וֹת | lehaalot | to offer up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עֹל֔וֹת | olot | burnt offerings | H5930 → | 287 times |
| לִזְבֹּ֖חַ | lizboach | to sacrifice | H2076 → | 134 times |
| זִבְחֵ֣י | zivchei | sacrifices of | H2077 → | 162 times |
| שְׁלָמִ֑ים | shelamim | peace offerings | H8002 → | 87 times |
| שִׁבְעַ֨ת | shivat | seven | H7651 → | 394 times |
| יָמִ֤ים | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| תּוֹחֵל֙ | tochel | may you wait | H3176 → | |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בּוֹאִ֣י | boi | come I | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלֶ֔יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וְהוֹדַעְתִּ֣י | vehoda'ti | and I will make known | H3045 → | 945 times |
| לְךָ֔ | lekha | to <the> you | ||
| אֵ֖ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ | taaseh | you will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
וְיָרַדְתָּ֣and you will go down
veyaradtaH3381 →381 times
לְפָנַי֮<to> before me
lefanaiH6440 →2123 times
הַגִּלְגָּל֒<the> Gilgal
hagilgalH1537 →41 times
וְהִנֵּ֤הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
אָֽנֹכִי֙I
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
יֹרֵ֣ד[am] about to come down
yoredH3381 →381 times
אֵלֶ֔יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
לְהַעֲל֣וֹתto offer up
lehaalotH5927 →890 times
עֹל֔וֹתburnt offerings
olotH5930 →287 times
לִזְבֹּ֖חַto sacrifice
lizboachH2076 →134 times
זִבְחֵ֣יsacrifices of
zivcheiH2077 →162 times
שְׁלָמִ֑יםpeace offerings
shelamimH8002 →87 times
שִׁבְעַ֨תseven
shivatH7651 →394 times
יָמִ֤יםdays
yamimH3117 →2304 times
תּוֹחֵל֙may you wait
tochelH3176 →
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
בּוֹאִ֣יcome I
boiH935 →2568 times
אֵלֶ֔יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
וְהוֹדַעְתִּ֣יand I will make known
vehoda'tiH3045 →945 times
לְךָ֔to <the> you
lekha
אֵ֖ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
אֲשֶׁ֥ר[that] which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃you will do
taasehH6213 →2628 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 15:33But Samuel declared: “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.
it leads to
- Judges 1:7
Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought…
- Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- Matthew 7:2
For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
- Revelation 18:6
Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.
- James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Judges 1:7
Through
1 Samuel 13:4And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
it leads to
- Genesis 34:30
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if…
- Exodus 5:21
“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill…
- Zechariah 11:8
And in one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me.
- Genesis 34:30
About 1 Samuel

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
