1 Samuel 15:17
in 1 Samuel 15And Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel;
KJV
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
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This verse in 1 Samuel 15
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Gregory the DialogistThe Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 6 · Written before 604.
Thus Saul, after merit of humility, became swollen with pride, when in the height of power: for his humility he was preferred, for his pride rejected; as the Lord attests, Who says, "When thou wast little in thine own sight, did I not make thee the head of the tribes of Israel?" He had before seen himself little in his own eyes, but, when propped up by temporal power, he no longer saw himself little. For, preferring himself in comparison with others because he had more power than all, he esteemed himself great above all.
This site's exposition
Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night
on 1 Samuel 15:16-19
Samuel's rebuke returns Saul to the beginning, "Although you were once small in your own eyes," the smallness Saul claimed at his anointing. The command is restated in full, "devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites," closing off any reading that the order was partial. Verse 19 names the offense without softening it, since Saul rushed "upon the plunder" and did "evil in the sight of the LORD."
This site's exposition
Although you were once small in your own eyes
Gregory the Great read the verse as the pattern of power working on a humble man. Saul was preferred for his humility and rejected for his pride. Once propped up by rule, Gregory says, he no longer saw himself small.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church4 voices
Hence against the proud Saul it is said: "When you were little in your own eyes, you were made head among the tribes of Israel." As if it were openly said: When you saw yourself as little, I made you great above others. But because you now see yourself as great, you are esteemed little by me.
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 6, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
17. By these words, the disobedience of the proud king is subtly examined: because he first sets before him the gifts that were bestowed, then strikes at the audacity of his transgression through a careful investigation of that same fault. For it is a subtle examination when a crafty sinner is so scrutinized that no excuse for his guilt is left to him, so that God's sentence holds him bound, as it were, to the death of his crime, since no refuge from sin remains for him. Therefore, so that every way of escape may be blocked for the deceitful and proud, both the loftiness of his dignity and the manner of his ministry are recalled to him, when he says: 'Were you not, when you were little in your own eyes, made the head among the tribes of Israel? And the Lord said to you: Destroy the sinners of Amalek.' And so that, now surrounded and besieged by these arguments, he might catch him, he lays upon him the hand of guilt, saying: 'Why then did you not hear the voice of the Lord, but turned to the spoil and did evil in the sight of the Lord?' As if to say: Behold what you were, what you were made, what you ought to have done; behold what you have done; behold how far you have departed from what you ought to have carried out. Therefore, when he pressed further, saying: 'Why did you do evil in the eyes of the Lord?' he seized the deceitful defendant, as it were, by surrounding him on every side. 18. But in this passage it should be noted that, while the proud king is rebuked, the times of his election are recalled, so that the swelling of his heart may be perceived not to have been present at his choosing, but to have grown from the eminence of his office. He was indeed chosen as a good man by the Lord, but while he grew from his high position, he declined through pride. […]
And Samuel said: Were you not small in your own eyes? etc. And this rebuke of blessed Samuel is fitting for any Christian transgressing the faith with which he was imbued; someone saying to him, one of the spiritual teachers, whose likeness Samuel presents: Were …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 6, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.
proposed
By these words, the disobedience of the proud king is subtly examined: because he first sets before him the gifts that were bestowed, then strikes at the audacity of his transgression through a careful investigation of that same fault. For it is a subtle examination when a crafty sinner is so scrutinized that no excuse for his guilt is left to him, so that God's sentence holds him bound, as it were, to the death of his crime, since no refuge from sin remains for him. Therefore, so that every way of escape may be blocked for the deceitful and proud, both the loftiness of his dignity and the manner of his ministry are recalled to him, when he says: "Were you not, when you were little in your own eyes, made the head among the tribes of Israel? And the Lord said to you: Destroy the sinners of Amalek." And so that, now surrounded and besieged by these arguments, he might catch him, he lays upon him the hand of guilt, saying: "Why then did you not hear the voice of the Lord, but turned to the spoil and did evil in the sight of the Lord?" As if to say: Behold what you were, what you were made, what you ought to have done; behold what you have done; behold how far you have departed from what you ought to have carried out. Therefore, when he pressed further, saying: "Why did you do evil in the eyes of the Lord?" he seized the deceitful defendant, as it were, by surrounding him on every side.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), when he was little in his own sight. God regarded the lowness of his state and rewarded the lowliness of his spirit. Note, Those that are advanced to honour and wealth ought often to remember their mean beginnings, that they may never think highly of themselves, but always study to do great things for the God that had advanced them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord--Saul was either blinded by a partial and delusive self-love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people.
Little in thine own sight - Who can bear prosperity? Is it not of the Lord’s great goodness that the majority of the inhabitants of the earth are in comparative poverty?
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
You are the head of the tribes of Yisroel. Targum Yonoson renders, 'the tribe of Binyomin crossed the [Reed] Sea ahead of all the people, as it is said, 'Binyomin, the youngest, rules them.' 18 Tehillim:28.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל | shemuel | Samuel | H8050 → | 141 times |
| הֲל֗וֹא | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | though | H518 → | 1069 times |
| קָטֹ֤ן | katon | [were] small | H6996 → | 101 times |
| אַתָּה֙ | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ | beeineikha | in own eyes your | H5869 → | 887 times |
| רֹ֛אשׁ | rosh | [the] head of | H7218 → | 599 times |
| שִׁבְטֵ֥י | shivtei | [the] tribes of | H7626 → | 190 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אָ֑תָּה | ʾatah | [are] you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| וַיִּמְשָׁחֲךָ֧ | vaiyimshachakha | and he anointed you | H4886 → | 70 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לְמֶ֖לֶךְ | lemelekh | to king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שְׁמוּאֵ֔לSamuel
shemuelH8050 →141 times
הֲל֗וֹא¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
אִם־though
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
קָטֹ֤ן[were] small
katonH6996 →101 times
אַתָּה֙you
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָin own eyes your
beeineikhaH5869 →887 times
רֹ֛אשׁ[the] head of
roshH7218 →599 times
שִׁבְטֵ֥י[the] tribes of
shivteiH7626 →190 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אָ֑תָּה[are] you
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
וַיִּמְשָׁחֲךָ֧and he anointed you
vaiyimshachakhaH4886 →70 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לְמֶ֖לֶךְto king
lemelekhH4428 →2525 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 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
Judges 6:15“Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 9:21
Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ephesians 3:8
Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 3:11
But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
- Exodus 4:10
“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- Jeremiah 1:6
“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
- 1 Samuel 9:21
Through
1 Samuel 10:1Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 16:13
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and…
- Psalms 78:71
from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
- 1 Samuel 9:16
“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him leader over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of…
- 1 Samuel 16:13
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 2, Chapter 6; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 7; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 6, Chapter 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.