Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:1 - 9:10

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Samuel 9:1 - 9:10


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Saul Seeks the Lost Asses

v. 1. Now, there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, literally, "a son of a man of Jemini," a mighty man of power, literally, "a man of substance," a man living in comfortable circumstances. We have here, apparently, a case of an abbreviated chronological table, in which less important members are sometimes omitted. Cf 1Ch_8:29-33; 1Ch_9:35-39.

v. 2. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and a goodly,
tall, strong, and well-proportioned; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he, possessed of more manly handsomeness;from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people, he excelled in bodily height, corresponding to his other physical development.

v. 3. And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost,
they had strayed away. And Kish said to Saul, his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. Kish was evidently an energetic man, quick in decision and action.

v. 4. And he, Saul, passed through Mount Ephraim,
the highlands extending down into the territory of Benjamin, moving in a northwesterly direction first, and passed through the land of Shalisha, in the foothills toward the west, but they found them not; then they passed through the land of Shalim, in a southeasterly direction, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, Its extreme western section, but they found them not.

v. 5. And when they were come to the land of Zuph,
southwest of the territory of Benjamin proper, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses and take thought for us. The tender regard for his father's feelings was a fine trait in Saul's character at that time.

v. 6. And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man,
held in high regard and honor by all men; all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. The city to which reference is here made may well have been Ramah or Ramathaim, for this was in the district of Zuph, in the tribe of Benjamin, 1Sa_1:1; Jos_18:25.

v. 7. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man?
He was worried about a possible present or fee. For the bread is spent in our vessels, they had consumed all the provisions which they had taken along, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have we? Saul had not provided for such a contingency.

v. 8. And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver,
a piece or coin of determined weight and value (about 16 cents); that will I give to the man of God to tell us our way.

v. 9. (Beforetime in Israel,
as the author here notes in order to have his readers understand the next part of the story, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer. )

v. 10. Then said Saul to his servant, Well said,
that's a good idea; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. Saul here appears as a pious, God-fearing man, who valued the word of the servant of God. So the Lord often selects the men through whom He intends to accomplish great things from the lowly among the people. Only he who fears God and His Word is really fit for work in the kingdom of God.