Samuel Anoints Saul
1Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not Yahweh anointed you ruler over His inheritance? 2When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
- 1SA 10:1[NOTABLE]The first anointing of an Israelite king; the beginning of the monarchy
- 1SA 10:1[FULFILLS]God told Samuel a man from Benjamin would come to him the next day to be anointed king ← 1SA 9:16
- 1SA 10:2[PROPHECY]Samuel gave Saul signs of who he would meet on the road home → 1SA 10:9-10
3Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
5After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
6Then the Spirit of Yahweh will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
7When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. 8And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day. 10When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
- 1SA 10:9[HEART]God changed Saul's heart. The Hebrew says God gave him another heart.
- 1SA 10:9[MIRACLE]God changes Saul's heart and the Spirit comes on him
- 1SA 10:9[FULFILLS]Samuel gave Saul signs of who he would meet on the road home ← 1SA 10:2
11When all those who had formerly known Saul saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
- 1SA 10:11[NOTE]IS SAUL ALSO AMONG THE PROPHETS? This became a saying, used again in 19:24, for someone acting very unlike himself.
12Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13And when Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the high place.
14Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
“To look for the donkeys,” Saul replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15“Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
16And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Saul Proclaimed King
17After this, Samuel summoned the people to Yahweh at Mizpah 18and said to the Israelites, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and clans.”
20Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him. 22So again they inquired of Yahweh, “Has the man come here yet?”
And Yahweh replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23So they ran and brought Saul, and when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others. 24Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one Yahweh has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25Then Samuel explained to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll and laid it up before Yahweh. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.
- 1SA 10:27[TEXT]A MISSING PARAGRAPH? A Dead Sea Scroll, 4QSam a, has a paragraph here that the Hebrew text does not. It says Nahash king of the Ammonites had been cruelly oppressing Gad and Reuben, gouging out each man's right eye, and 7,000 men had escaped to Jabesh Gilead. Josephus tells the same story. The NRSV prints it. Most Bibles, like this one, do not.