1 Samuel 9:23
in 1 Samuel 9And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.
KJV
And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 9
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd Samuel said unto the cook,.... That dressed and prepared the food for the entertainment of the guests: bring the portion which I gave thee; to dress; for part of the provisions of the feast was Samuel's, and the other part the people's that brought the peace offerings: of which I said unto thee, set it by thee; do not bring it in with the rest, but keep it in the kitchen till called for.
This site's exposition
made them sit in the chiefest place
on 1 Samuel 9:22-24
Samuel seats Saul at the head of about thirty guests and calls for a specific portion, the shoulder, reserved in advance for a guest Saul did not know he would be. The cook's answer, kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people, shows Samuel arranged this meal before Saul ever set out looking for asses, matching the word given him the day before at verse 16. A stranger off the road is served the best cut at a feast prepared for him before he existed to the town as anyone at all.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you," etc. John spoke in his own language, which was accustomed to provide the audience with the food of life, saying: "Preach the power of the singular virtue, which I commanded you to …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.
proposed
And since great things, and not small ones, are now shown to him to accomplish, it is added: Samuel said to the cook: Give the portion which I gave to you, and which I commanded you to set aside with you. So the cook took up the shoulder and placed it before Saul. And Samuel said: Behold what remains, set it before you and eat, because it was purposely kept for you when I called the people. And Saul ate with Samuel on that day. What is signified by the shoulder of the breast, if not the strength of action?
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
32 ); the next in honour to that was the left shoulder, which probably was always allotted to those that sat at the upper end of the table, and was wont to be Samuel's mess at other times; so that his giving it to Saul now was an implicit resignation of his place to him.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Said unto the cook - טבח tabbach, here rendered cook; the singular of טבחות tabbachoth, female cooks, 1Sa 8:13, from the root tabach, to slay or butcher. Probably the butcher is here meant.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שְׁמוּאֵל֙ | shemuel | Samuel | H8050 → | 141 times |
| לַטַּבָּ֔ח | latabach | to the cook | H2876 → | |
| תְּנָה֙ | tenah | give ! | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמָּנָ֔ה | hamanah | the portion | H4490 → | 13 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֖תִּי | natati | I gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | to <the> you | ||
| אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָמַ֣רְתִּי | ʾamarti | I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלֶ֔יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שִׂ֥ים | sim | put | H7760 → | 584 times |
| אֹתָ֖הּ | ʾotah | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עִמָּֽךְ׃ | ʾimakh | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שְׁמוּאֵל֙Samuel
shemuelH8050 →141 times
לַטַּבָּ֔חto the cook
latabachH2876 →
תְּנָה֙give !
tenahH5414 →2011 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַמָּנָ֔הthe portion
hamanahH4490 →13 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נָתַ֖תִּיI gave
natatiH5414 →2011 times
לָ֑ךְto <the> you
lakh
אֲשֶׁר֙which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָמַ֣רְתִּיI said
ʾamartiH559 →5305 times
אֵלֶ֔יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
שִׂ֥יםput
simH7760 →584 times
אֹתָ֖הּ<obj.> it
ʾotahH853 →10935 times
עִמָּֽךְ׃with you
ʾimakhH5973 →1050 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
Genesis 43:34When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.
it leads to
- Genesis 45:22
He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 1:5
But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
- 2 Samuel 11:8
Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him.
- Ecclesiastes 10:19
A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
- Matthew 11:19
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”
- Genesis 45:22
Through
1 Samuel 1:5But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.
it leads to
- Genesis 30:2
Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from you?”
- Genesis 29:30–31
Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.
- Genesis 20:18
for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.
- Genesis 30:2
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 Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 4; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.