1 Samuel 12:5
in 1 Samuel 12Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they said, He is witness.
KJV
And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
⋯
This verse in 1 Samuel 12
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIn this way, too, Samuel, who judged the people so many years, and bore rule over Israel without any pride, in the end cleared himself, saying, "I have walked before you from my childhood even unto this day: answer me in the sight of God, and before His anointed; whose ox or whose ass of yours have I taken, or over whom have I tyrannized, or whom have I oppressed? or if I have received from the hand of any a bribe or [so much as] a shoe, speak out against me, and I will restore it to you."
This site's exposition
You have not wronged us or oppressed us
on 1 Samuel 12:4-5
The people answer, "You have not wronged us or oppressed us," and Samuel calls the LORD’s anointed as a second witness beside the LORD. The title anointed had appeared only at 2:10 and 2:35, and here the man who anointed Saul treats the office as fit to witness beside God. The exchange reads as a formal lawsuit, closed by the people’s "He is a witness."
This site's exposition
His anointed is a witness today
The case closes with nothing found in Samuel's hand. Gregory the Dialogist noticed that Samuel names only the evil he has not done and keeps silent about the good. Gregory held that the silence kept his good works for their reward from the LORD.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
That a priest must avoid covetousness even Samuel teaches when he proves before all the people that he has taken nothing from any one.
For Samuel also put together a high panegyric upon himself, when he anointed Saul, saying, "Whose ass have I taken, or calf, or shoes? or have I oppressed any of you?" And yet no one finds fault with him. And the reason is because he did not say it by way of setting off himself; but because he was going to appoint a king, he wishes under the form of a defence [of himself] to instruct him to be meek and gentle. And observe the wisdom of the prophet, or rather the loving kindness of God. For because he wished to turn them from [their design,] bringing together a number of grievous things he asserted them of their future king, as, for instance, that he would make their wives grind at the mill, the men shepherds and muleteers; for he went through all the service appertaining to the kingdom with minuteness. But when he saw that they would not be hindered by any of these things, but were incurably distempered; he thus both spareth them and composeth their king to gentleness. Therefore he also takes him to witness. For indeed no one was then bringing suit or charge against him that he needed to defend himself, but he said those things in order to make him better. And therefore also he added, to take down his pride, "If ye will hearken, ye and your king," such and such good things shall be yours; "but if ye will not hearken, then the reverse of all."
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
Because indeed he had been known by all for such great contempt of worldly things, there follows: 'And they said: You have not falsely accused us, nor oppressed us, nor taken anything from anyone's hand. And he said to them: The Lord is witness against you, and His Christ is witness on this day, that you will not find anything in my hand. And they said: He is witness.'
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " The Lord is witness, who searcheth the heart, and his anointed is witness, who trieth overt acts;" and the people agree to it: " He is witness. " Note, The testimony of our neighbours, and especially the testimony of our own consciences for us, that we have in our places lived honestly, will be our comfort under the slights and contempts that are put upon us.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And he said unto them, the Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness--that, by their own acknowledgment, he had given them no cause to weary of the divine government by judges, and that, therefore, the blame of desiring a change of government rested with themselves. This was only insinuated, and they did not fully perceive his drift.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם | ʾaleihem | to them | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עֵ֧ד | ʾed | [is] a witness | H5707 → | 70 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בָּכֶ֗ם | bakhem | on <the> you | ||
| וְעֵ֤ד | veed | and [is] a witness | H5707 → | 70 times |
| מְשִׁיחוֹ֙ | meshicho | anointed his | H4899 → | 39 times |
| הַיּ֣וֹם | haiyom | the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַזֶּ֔ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֧א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| מְצָאתֶ֛ם | metzatem | you have found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| בְּיָדִ֖י | beyadi | in hand my | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| מְא֑וּמָה | meumah | anything | H3972 → | 32 times |
| וַיֹּ֖אמֶר | vaiyomer | and someone said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| עֵֽד׃ פ | ʾed | [he is] a witness | H5707 → | 70 times |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֲלֵיהֶ֜םto them
ʾaleihemH413 →5510 times
עֵ֧ד[is] a witness
ʾedH5707 →70 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בָּכֶ֗םon <the> you
bakhem
וְעֵ֤דand [is] a witness
veedH5707 →70 times
מְשִׁיחוֹ֙anointed his
meshichoH4899 →39 times
הַיּ֣וֹםthe day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֧אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
מְצָאתֶ֛םyou have found
metzatemH4672 →455 times
בְּיָדִ֖יin hand my
beyadiH3027 →1618 times
מְא֑וּמָהanything
meumahH3972 →32 times
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרand someone said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
עֵֽד׃ פ[he is] a witness
ʾedH5707 →70 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 Corinthians 4:4My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.
it leads to
- Psalms 143:2
Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.
- 1 John 3:20–21
Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.
- Psalms 130:3
If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?
- Psalms 19:12
Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
- Proverbs 21:2
All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
- Psalms 143:2
Through
2 Corinthians 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom,…
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 2:13
And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
- 2 Corinthians 2:17
For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.
- James 3:13–18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
- 1 Corinthians 2:13
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 2; Irenaeus, AGAINST HERESIES 4.26.4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, LETTER 69.9; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON 2 CORINTHIANS 24.3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. G. Blaikie, The First Book of Samuel (Expositor's Bible).