Year of the Bible
1 Samuel 8
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Commentary on the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 8:
The time has come to replace Samuel as leader of the nation. The elders of the tribes gather and ask Samuel to appoint them a new type of leader: a king. They make this request for three reasons: Samuel has grown old, Samuel’s sons are not moral men, and the people want to be like the other nations that have kings. A human king was not God’s plan for His people; God alone was to be their King. But, as God points out to a distraught Samuel, the people have been rebellious for hundreds of years, and this is yet one more instance of their rejecting God’s plan. God uses Samuel to warn the people of the ways a human king will exploit them, but the people insist they want to be like their neighbors.
The First Book of Samuel, Chapter 8
Israel Asks for a King
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his first-born son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint for us a king to govern us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds which they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your menservants and maidservants, and the best of your cattle and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Israel’s Demand Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No! but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
A pivotal chapter in Israel’s history: they choose monarchy over theocracy, God’s rule. The chapter cites various reasons. The first reason given is Samuel’s failure, not as a prophet, but as a father. His sons did not walk in their father’s ways (vs. 3). How important is your parenting role for your family! How can you strengthen this?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
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1 Cuando Samuel se fue haciendo
viejo, designó a sus hijos como jueces
sobre Israel; 2 el nombre del mayor
era Joel, y el del segundo, Abías. Eran
jueces en Berseba. 3 Pero sus hijos no se
comportaron como él, sino que se –inclinaron
al propio provecho, aceptando
el soborno y pervirtiendo la justicia.
4 Entonces todos los ancianos de Israel
se reunieron y se acercaron a Samuel en
Ramá, 5 diciéndole:
–Tú te vas haciendo viejo y tus hijos
no se comportan como tú. Nómbranos
un rey que nos gobierne como hacen las
demás naciones.
6 Disgustó a Samuel que fueran diciéndole:
«Nómbranos un rey que nos
gobierne», e invocó al Señor; 7 pero el
Señor le dijo:
–Escucha la voz del pueblo en todo
lo que te propone. No es a ti a quien rechazan,
sino a mí; no quieren que sea su
rey. 8 Han obrado así desde que salieron
de Egipto hasta el día de hoy: me han
abandonado y han servido a dioses extranjeros,
y así se portan ahora contigo.
9 Sin embargo, escucha su voz, pero adviérteles
bien y explícales los derechos
del rey que reine sobre ellos.
10 Samuel transmitió estas palabras
del Señor al pueblo que solicitaba un
rey, 11 y les dijo:
–Éstos son los derechos del rey que
reine sobre vosotros: tomará a vuestros
hijos, los destinará a sus carros y a
sus caballos y les hará correr delante de
sus carrozas. 12 Los utilizará en su ejército
como jefes de centuria y oficiales.
Les hará sembrar y segar sus campos,
y fabricar armas y carros. 13 A vuestras
hijas las tomará como perfumistas,
panaderas y cocineras. 14 Vuestros
campos, vuestras viñas y vuestros mejores
olivares os los tomará para dárselos
a sus sirvientes. 15 De vuestras cosechas
y de vuestras vendimias os exigirá
el diezmo para dárselo a sus cortesanos
y servidores. 16 Vuestros siervos y siervas,
y vuestros mejores bueyes y asnos,
los llevará para emplearlos en sus labores.
17 Hasta de vuestros rebaños os exigirá
diezmos, y vosotros mismos seréis
sus siervos. 18 Aquel día gritaréis contra
los reyes que vosotros mismos habéis
elegido, y no os responderá el Señor en
aquel día.
19 Sin embargo, el pueblo no quiso
atender la voz de Samuel y dijeron:
–No. Tendremos un rey que nos gobierne
20 y seremos como las demás naciones.
Nos gobernará nuestro rey y saldrá
delante de nosotros para luchar con
nosotros.
21 Samuel escuchó todas las peticiones
del pueblo y las transmitió ante el
Señor. 22 Y dijo el Señor a Samuel:
–Atiende a sus ruegos y nómbrales
un rey.
23 Samuel, entonces, dijo a los hombres
de Israel:
–Que cada uno regrese a su ciudad.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
Un capítulo fundamental en la historia de Israel: eligen la monarquía en lugar de la teocracia, el gobierno de Dios. El capítulo cita varias razones. La primera razón es el fracaso de Samuel, no como profeta, sino como padre. Sus hijos no siguieron los caminos de su padre (vs. 3). ¡Qué importante es tu papel de padre para tu familia! ¿Cómo puedes mejorarlo?
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).