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mannafest.faith

1 Samuel 9:6

in 1 Samuel 9

“Look,” said the servant, “in this city there is a man of God who is highly respected; everything he says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.

KJV

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.

This verse in 1 Samuel 9

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
And he said unto him,.... That is, the servant of Saul: behold, now, there is in this city a man of God; a prophet of the Lord, as the Targum; such were called men of God, because not only partakers of the grace of God, but of extraordinary gifts, which qualified them for the office of prophets.

This site's exposition

Perhaps he will tell us which way to go

on 1 Samuel 9:6-8

The servant knows the town has a man of God, and “everything he says surely comes to pass”. Saul's objection is practical, since “there is no gift to take to the man of God”, and the servant's “quarter shekel of silver” becomes the gift. The custom of bringing a present to a man of God recurs at First Kings 14:3, when Jeroboam's wife carries bread to Ahijah.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

He said to him: Behold, there is a man of God in this city, etc. For this is the patience and faith of the saints, this is continuous love, this long expectation seeing from afar and greeting the joy of the Lord's incarnation and the …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

Saul said to his servant: Behold, we will go, etc. Saul, indeed, and his servant were wandering, in that they thought to seek the gifts of prophecy from the man of God, and therefore they were disturbed in vain, because they had not even taken …

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 4, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.

proposed

He calls Samuel a man of God, in whom we have already said that the preachers of Holy Church are designated. He is indeed called a man out of reverence for his holy manner of life, and everything he speaks is declared to come without ambiguity: because whatever he threatens concerning eternal punishments, whatever he promises to the just concerning eternal joy, comes to pass just as he announces it, and the impious shall go away to punishment and the elect to glory.

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Acquaintance with the things of God, and serviceableness to the kingdom of God, put true honour upon men, and make them great. This was the honour of Samuel, as a man of God, that all he saith comes surely to pass. This was observed concerning him when he was a young prophet ( ch. iii.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

But it is probable that at the introduction of the prophetic office, the seers had discovered things lost or stolen, and thus their power for higher revelations was gradually established.

The words behind it

26 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • ל֗וֹto <the> him

    lo

  • הִנֵּה־here!

    hineh-H2009 →843 times

  • נָ֤אplease

    na'H4994 →404 times

  • אִישׁ־a man of

    ʾish-H376 →1663 times

  • אֱלֹהִים֙God

    ʾelohimH430 →2601 times

  • בָּעִ֣יר[is] in the city

    bairH5892 →1090 times

  • הַזֹּ֔את<the> this

    hazotH2063 →603 times

  • וְהָאִ֣ישׁand the man

    vehaishH376 →1663 times

  • נִכְבָּ֔ד[is] honored

    nikhbadH3513 →113 times

  • כֹּ֥לall

    kolH3605 →5413 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־that

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • יְדַבֵּ֖רhe speaks

    yedaberH1696 →1141 times

  • בּ֣וֹאactually <come>

    bo'H935 →2568 times

  • יָב֑וֹאit comes

    yavo'H935 →2568 times

  • עַתָּה֙now

    ʾatahH6258 →433 times

  • נֵ֣לֲכָהlet us go

    nelakhahH1980 →1546 times

  • שָּׁ֔םthere

    shamH8033 →834 times

  • אוּלַי֙perhaps

    ʾulaiH194 →45 times

  • יַגִּ֣ידhe will tell

    yagidH5046 →370 times

  • לָ֔נוּto <the> us

    lanu

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • דַּרְכֵּ֖נוּjourney our

    darkenuH1870 →707 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • הָלַ֥כְנוּwe have walked

    halakhnuH1980 →1546 times

  • עָלֶֽיהָ׃on it

    ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 Timothy 6:11

    But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

    it leads to

    • 2 Timothy 2:22

      Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

    • 1 Timothy 4:12

      Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

    • 2 Timothy 3:17

      so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

    • Hebrews 12:14

      Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

    • 2 Peter 1:5–7

      For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;

  • Through

    1 Kings 13:1

    Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 12:32–33

      And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to…

    • 2 Kings 23:17

      Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced these things…

  • Through

    1 Thessalonians 2:10

    You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.

    it leads to

    • 1 Thessalonians 1:5

      because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.

Where this verse is studied

On this page

About 1 Samuel

Anointing of David by Samuel, Félix-Joseph Barrias, 1842, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris. Public domain.
Anointing of David by Samuel, Félix-Joseph Barrias, 1842, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris. Public domain.

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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.