1 Samuel 9:10
in 1 Samuel 9“Good,” said Saul to his servant. “Come, let us go.” So they set out for the city where the man of God was.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
KJV
Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseSamuel needed not their money, nor would he have denied them his advice if they had not brought it (it is probable, when he had it, he gave it to the poor); but they brought it to him as a token of their respect and the value they put upon his office; nor did he refuse it, for they were able to give it, and, though it was but little, it was the widow's mite.
This site's exposition
was formerly called the seer
on 1 Samuel 9:9-10
The narrator pauses to explain an older word, and the seer appears here for the first time in Scripture: “the prophet of today was formerly called the seer”. The aside was written after the vocabulary had shifted, and it comes as the word of the LORD, rare through chapter 3, is about to speak again. The servant leads Saul straight to the man the town still calls the seer.
This site's exposition
said Saul to his servant
John Gill renders Saul's answer as good is your word, praise for the servant's plan and his generosity. Matthew Henry notes that Samuel would have given his counsel freely. The gift honoured his office.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
And they went to the city where the man of God was. And the Lord came through the incarnation into the world, where at that time the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, was; with him also came those saints, not indeed being born …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.
proposed
And because none but spiritual men do this, there follows: And Saul said to his servant: "Your word is excellent; come, let us go." The best speech is that than which no better can be heard. Therefore, whenever counsels of our salvation are spiritually suggested to us, a speech is made within us than which no better can be found. We praise the speech of the boy, therefore, whenever we are pleased with ourselves in the purpose of our spiritual understanding. And we promise to go with him when we consent to spiritual thoughts.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then said Saul to his servant, well said,.... Or "good is thy word" (d), thou hast well spoken; it is a good proposal thou hast made, and thou art very generous to give all thou hast to the man; and very promising it is, that since he is a seer he may inform us where the asses are, or which way we must take to find them.
The words behind it
14 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 |
| שָׁא֧וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| לְנַעֲר֛וֹ | lenaaro | to servant his | H5288 → | 239 times |
| ט֥וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| דְּבָרְךָ֖ | devarekha | word your | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| לְכָ֣ה׀ | lekhah | come ! | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| נֵלֵ֑כָה | nelekhah | let us go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ | vaiyelekhu | and they went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעִ֔יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | [was] there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃ | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שָׁא֧וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
לְנַעֲר֛וֹto servant his
lenaaroH5288 →239 times
ט֥וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
דְּבָרְךָ֖word your
devarekhaH1697 →1440 times
לְכָ֣ה׀come !
lekhahH1980 →1546 times
נֵלֵ֑כָהlet us go
nelekhahH1980 →1546 times
וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙and they went
vaiyelekhuH1980 →1546 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָעִ֔ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
אֲשֶׁר־where
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
שָׁ֖ם[was] there
shamH8033 →834 times
אִ֥ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 4; 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.