Samuel gathers all Israel and delivers his farewell address as judge, formally transferring leadership to the newly anointed king. He challenges the people to testify whether he has ever defrauded them, then prosecutes a covenant lawsuit (riv) against Israel, rehearsing God's righteous acts from the exodus through the judges. He declares their demand for a king an act of rejection against the LORD, then calls down thunder and rain during wheat harvest as a divine sign confirming his words. The people, terrified, beg Samuel to intercede for them. Samuel closes with a warning: if Israel and their king serve the LORD faithfully, all will be well — but if they turn to empty things (tohu), both they and their king will be swept away.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
This chapter is structured as a formal covenant lawsuit — the Hebrew riv pattern found in the prophets (Micah 6:1-8, Hosea 4:1-3). Samuel stands as both plaintiff's attorney and witness, arraigning Israel before God. The lawsuit follows a recognizable Near Eastern legal form: the summoning of witnesses (verses 1-5), the recitation of the suzerain's past faithfulness (verses 6-11), the accusation of breach (verses 12-13), and the pronouncement of conditional sentence (verses 14-15). What makes this passage extraordinary is that the judge who prosecutes the case simultaneously announces his own retirement — Samuel is dismantling the system he embodied. He is the last judge, and the thunder he calls down is not merely a miracle but a divine seal on the lawsuit, God's own testimony entering the court record. The wheat harvest setting is also significant: thunder and rain during wheat harvest (late May to early June) is virtually unheard of in the Levant, making the sign unmistakable.
Translation Friction
The central tension is theological: Samuel declares that asking for a king was a great evil (ra'ah gedolah, verse 17), yet God has already granted the king (verse 13). The text does not resolve whether monarchy is inherently wrong or merely wrongly motivated. Samuel's statement in verse 12 — 'the LORD your God is your king' — frames the issue as competing kingships, but verse 14 immediately offers a path forward where both the human king and the divine king coexist. Translators must decide whether ra'ah here means 'evil' (moral fault) or 'disaster' (harmful consequence). We render it as 'evil' because the context treats the request as a breach of covenant loyalty, not merely a strategic mistake. Verse 21 introduces tohu ('emptiness, chaos'), the same word used in Genesis 1:2 for the formless void before creation. Applying this cosmic term to idols is a deliberate theological claim: to follow other gods is to choose pre-creation nothingness over the God who orders existence.
Connections
Samuel's covenant lawsuit echoes Moses' farewell in Deuteronomy 31-32, where Moses also recites God's faithfulness, predicts Israel's unfaithfulness, and calls witnesses. The formula 'the LORD and his anointed' in verse 3 anticipates the pairing that will define the rest of 1-2 Samuel: God and his chosen king, a relationship that will fracture with Saul and be restored with David. The thunder-and-rain sign connects to Elijah's drought on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) — both are weather events that serve as divine testimony in a covenant dispute. Samuel's promise in verse 23 that it would be sin for him to stop praying for Israel establishes intercessory prayer as a prophetic obligation, a thread that runs through Jeremiah (7:16, 11:14) and into the New Testament's understanding of Christ's ongoing intercession (Hebrews 7:25). The word tohu in verse 21 deliberately evokes Genesis 1:2, framing idolatry as a return to primordial chaos.
Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to your voice in everything you said to me, and I have set a king over you.
KJV And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb shamati ('I have listened') is the same root as Samuel's own name (shemu'el, popularly connected to shama, 'to hear'). The man whose name means 'heard by God' has now heard the people — but what they asked for grieves him. The verb himlikhti ('I have caused to reign') is the Hiphil form of malakh, indicating that Samuel served as the agent of royal installation, though God was the ultimate authority behind it.
Now — the king walks before you. As for me, I have grown old and gray, and my sons are here among you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
KJV And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The repetition of mithallekh/hithallakhti ('walks/I have walked') creates a deliberate handoff: Samuel's public conduct is now being transferred to the king. The Hithpael form of halakh carries the sense of ongoing, visible conduct — how one lives in full view of others. Samuel's claim that he walked before them from his youth (min-ne'uray) reaches back to his childhood service at Shiloh (chapter 2-3).
The mention of 'my sons are with you' is a painful concession. Samuel's sons were corrupt judges (8:1-3), and their failure was the stated reason Israel demanded a king. Samuel does not defend them here — he simply notes their presence and moves on to his own record.
Here I am. Testify against me before the LORD and before his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I crushed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to look the other way? Tell me, and I will make it right."
KJV Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
From the root mashach ('to smear, to anoint with oil'). Here it refers to Saul as the LORD's anointed king. The term will become increasingly loaded throughout 1-2 Samuel as David refuses to harm 'the LORD's anointed' even when Saul tries to kill him. Its trajectory leads from political title to eschatological hope.
Translator Notes
The phrase neged YHWH ve-neged meshicho ('before the LORD and before his anointed') establishes the two witnesses required by Deuteronomic law: God and the king. The word mashiach ('anointed one') here refers to Saul — this is one of the earliest uses of the term that will later develop into the concept of the Messiah. Samuel places his entire career under oath before both divine and human authority.
The verb ratsoti ('I have crushed') comes from ratsats, meaning to crush, oppress, or break — it describes the abuse of judicial power to destroy the vulnerable. This is stronger than mere exploitation; it implies using authority to grind people down. Samuel's rhetorical questions follow the pattern of Mosaic judicial ethics (Deuteronomy 16:19) and anticipate the prophetic indictments of corrupt leaders (Ezekiel 34, Micah 3).
They said, "You have not cheated us. You have not crushed us. You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."
KJV And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The people's threefold denial precisely mirrors Samuel's questions from verse 3 — using the same verbs ashaqta ('you cheated'), ratsota ('you crushed'), and laqachta ('you took'). The repetition functions as formal legal testimony: the community publicly certifies Samuel's integrity. The word me'umah ('anything at all') is emphatic — not even the smallest thing was taken. This public acquittal is Samuel's vindication before he prosecutes Israel's case.
He said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."
KJV And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The word ed ('witness') appears three times in rapid succession — Samuel declares it twice and the people confirm it once. The legal procedure is now sealed: God and the king serve as witnesses, and the people have ratified the verdict. The phrase bakhem ('against you') is striking — the witnesses are against the people, not against Samuel. By clearing Samuel, Israel has inadvertently placed themselves under scrutiny. Samuel's clean hands become the foil for Israel's guilty request. The stage is set for the prosecution to shift from Samuel's defense to Israel's indictment.
Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.
KJV And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb asah here means 'made' in the sense of 'appointed, established' — God made Moses and Aaron into what they were. This opening line sets the framework for the covenant lawsuit: before any accusation, the prosecutor establishes the suzerain's credentials. The pattern mirrors Hittite treaty forms where the great king recites his benevolent acts before listing the vassal's obligations. Samuel begins with the foundational saving act: the exodus from Egypt (he'elah, 'brought up'), using the same verb that will recur throughout the historical review.
Now then, stand here, and I will bring a case against you before the LORD — the case of all the righteous acts of the LORD that he performed for you and for your ancestors.
KJV Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
Plural of tsedaqah. In covenant-lawsuit contexts, tsidqot refers not to moral abstraction but to God's concrete acts of deliverance and faithfulness — the historical record of God keeping covenant. The same legal usage appears in Micah 6:5 and Judges 5:11, where God's tsidqot are recited as evidence in a covenant dispute.
Translator Notes
The word tsidqot (plural of tsedaqah) here means 'righteous acts' or 'acts of covenant faithfulness' — not abstract righteousness but concrete historical interventions where God proved faithful. The term carries legal weight: these are God's demonstrations of covenant loyalty that obligate a response from the vassal. Samuel will now recite these acts as a prosecutor presents evidence.
The construction ishafetah itkhem ('I will judge/argue with you') uses the same root as Samuel's title — he is the shofet ('judge'). His final act as judge is not to adjudicate between two Israelites but to adjudicate between God and Israel. The preposition lifnei YHWH ('before the LORD') indicates that God is both the offended party and the presiding authority — the covenant lawsuit is tried in God's own court.
When Jacob went into Egypt and your ancestors cried out to the LORD, the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
KJV When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Samuel compresses centuries into a single sentence: Jacob's descent into Egypt, the oppression, the cry (za'aqu, a cry of distress in covenant context), the sending of deliverers, and the settlement in Canaan. The verb za'aqu ('they cried out') is the technical term for covenant appeal — the cry of the vassal to the suzerain when the treaty is being violated by a third party. God's response (sending Moses and Aaron) is presented as fulfilling his covenant obligation.
The phrase ba-maqom hazzeh ('in this place') likely refers to the land of Canaan generally, though some interpreters connect it specifically to the location of the assembly (Gilgal or Mizpah). The settlement in the land is the culmination of God's saving act — not just rescue from Egypt but establishment in the promised territory.
But they forgot the LORD their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab — and these made war against them.
KJV And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb shakhchu ('they forgot') is not mere forgetfulness but covenantal amnesia — deliberate failure to remember God's acts. In covenant theology, to 'remember' (zakhar) is to act on the relationship; to 'forget' (shakhach) is to abandon it. The consequence is expressed with the commercial verb vayyimkor ('he sold them'), depicting God handing Israel over to enemies as one transfers property. The metaphor is deliberately degrading: the people who forgot their Redeemer are sold like goods.
The three enemies — Sisera (Judges 4-5), the Philistines (Judges 13-16), and the king of Moab (Judges 3:12-30) — represent threats from the north, west, and east respectively. Samuel selects enemies that encircle Israel, showing that covenant unfaithfulness exposed them on every front.
They cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned, because we abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. Now rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'
KJV And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The cry follows a fixed pattern from the book of Judges: sin, suffering, crying out, deliverance. The confession chatanu ('we have sinned') is paired with the specific charge azavnu ('we abandoned') — the same verb used for covenant breach. The Baals (ba'alim, plural 'lords, masters') and Ashtaroth (plural of Ashtoreth, the Canaanite fertility goddess) represent the full spectrum of Canaanite worship. The people's promise ve-na'avdekka ('and we will serve you') uses the same verb (avad) they used for serving the Baals — the question of whom Israel will serve is the chapter's central issue.
The LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and he rescued you from the hand of your enemies on every side, so that you lived in safety.
KJV And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt safe.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Jerubbaal is Gideon's alternate name (Judges 6:32), meaning 'let Baal contend' — Samuel pointedly uses this name rather than Gideon, keeping the anti-Baal polemic alive. Bedan is debated: some identify him with Barak (Judges 4-5), others with Samson, and some see it as an otherwise unknown judge. The Septuagint reads 'Barak' here. Jephthah delivered Israel from the Ammonites (Judges 11). Samuel includes himself in the list — he is the last in the chain of deliverers God sent.
The verb vayyatsel ('he rescued') and the phrase vateshvu vetach ('you lived in safety') complete the cycle: Israel sinned, cried out, and God delivered. Samuel's point is that this pattern should have been sufficient — God always answered. The demand for a king breaks this established pattern of trust.
But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No — a king must reign over us!' — even though the LORD your God was your king.
KJV And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The clause ki melekh yimlokh aleinu ('a king must reign over us') uses the emphatic construction of the verb malakh with the cognate noun melekh — 'a king must king over us.' The intensity of the demand is embedded in the grammar. Samuel juxtaposes this with va-YHWH Eloheikhem malkekhem ('and the LORD your God is your king'), creating an irreconcilable collision: Israel already has a king, but they demanded another.
Nahash's invasion (detailed in chapter 11) was the immediate trigger for the monarchy demand, but Samuel frames it as the latest iteration of the Judges cycle — another enemy, another moment where Israel should have cried out to God but instead sought a structural solution. The shift from 'cry out to God' to 'give us a king' is the covenant breach Samuel is prosecuting.
Now then — here is the king you chose, the one you asked for. The LORD has set a king over you.
KJV Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired: and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb she'eltem ('you asked for') is from sha'al ('to ask'), the root embedded in the name Sha'ul (Saul). The wordplay saturates 1 Samuel: Hannah 'asked' for a son, the people 'asked' for a king, and the king's very name means 'asked for.' Samuel distinguishes between two agents: bechartem ('you chose') places the initiative on Israel, but natan YHWH ('the LORD has given') acknowledges that God ratified the request. The tension is unresolved — the king is simultaneously Israel's choice and God's gift, a paradox that will define Saul's entire reign.
If you fear the LORD and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the command of the LORD — then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.
KJV If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The conditional im ('if') introduces a fork in Israel's future — one path leads to flourishing, the other to destruction (verse 15). The four verbs (fear, serve, listen, not rebel) are not synonyms but an ascending sequence of covenant commitment: reverence, active service, attentive obedience, and refusal to resist.
The phrase gam attem ve-gam hammelekh ('both you and the king') binds the people and their ruler to the same standard. The king is not above covenant law — he stands under the same conditions as every Israelite. This principle, articulated here, becomes the theological standard by which every king in 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings will be judged.
But if you do not listen to the voice of the LORD and you rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
KJV But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The apodosis — ve-hayetah yad YHWH bakhem ('the hand of the LORD will be against you') — uses the image of God's hand as an instrument of judgment. The same 'hand of the LORD' that delivered Israel from Egypt (Exodus 9:3) and struck the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:6-9) will now turn against his own people. The phrase u-va'avoteikhem ('and against your ancestors') is textually difficult; the Septuagint reads 'and against your king,' which fits the context better since verse 14 addressed both people and king. The MT reading may preserve the original, connecting Israel's future disobedience to their ancestors' pattern of rebellion.
Now stand and witness this great thing that the LORD is about to do before your eyes.
KJV Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb hityatsvu ('stand') echoes the same legal summons from verse 7 — the defendants who were called to hear the case are now ordered to stand for the verdict's demonstration. The phrase ha-davar ha-gadol hazzeh ('this great thing') signals a theophanic event — God is about to intervene visibly. The construction oseh le-eineikhem ('doing before your eyes') emphasizes eyewitness experience: this will not be reported secondhand but seen in real time.
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD, and he will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your evil is great — this thing you have done in the eyes of the LORD, asking for a king."
KJV Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The rhetorical question halo qetsir chittim hayyom ('is it not wheat harvest today?') forces the audience to acknowledge what they already know: this is the dry season. Any rain that follows will be impossible to explain naturally. Samuel is engineering a situation where the sign is self-authenticating.
The phrase ra'atkhem rabbah ('your evil is great') uses ra'ah ('evil, wickedness, disaster') paired with rabbah ('great, much'). Samuel classifies the monarchy request not as a mistake or a preference but as a great evil (ra'ah gedolah). The word lish'ol ('to ask') — from sha'al — continues the wordplay with the name Sha'ul. Israel's 'asking' for a king produced 'the asked-for one,' but the asking itself was the transgression.
Samuel called on the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day. All the people feared the LORD — and Samuel — greatly.
KJV So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The sequence is immediate: Samuel called (vayyiqra), the LORD gave (vayyitten) — no delay, no waiting. The storm arrives as a divine response to prophetic prayer in real time. The word qolot ('thunderclaps,' literally 'voices') is the same word used for God's voice at Sinai (Exodus 19:16), connecting this moment to the original covenant-making event. The people's fear (vayyira) extends to both God and Samuel — the prophet's authority is confirmed alongside the divine demonstration. The phrase et YHWH ve-et Shemu'el ('the LORD and Samuel') pairs God and prophet just as verse 3 paired God and the anointed king. Samuel's authority, now publicly vindicated, is the very authority he is laying down.
All the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, so that we do not die! For we have added to all our sins this evil — asking for a king."
KJV And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The people's plea hitpallel be'ad avadekha ('pray on behalf of your servants') uses the same verb for intercessory prayer (hitpallel) that will anchor Samuel's commitment in verse 23. They call themselves avadekha ('your servants'), submitting to Samuel's authority even as he retires from office. The phrase yasafnu al kol chatoteinu ra'ah ('we have added to all our sins an evil') is a remarkable confession: the people acknowledge not just the sin of asking for a king but that it was added to an already existing accumulation of sins. The verb lish'ol ('to ask') appears yet again — the 'asking' that produced Saul is now confessed as the crowning transgression.
Samuel said to the people, "Do not be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil — but do not turn away from following the LORD. Serve the LORD with all your heart.
KJV And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Samuel's response is pastorally remarkable: he confirms the sin (attem asitem et kol ha-ra'ah hazzot, 'you have done all this evil') but immediately pivots to the path forward. The conjunction akh ('but, only, nevertheless') is the hinge — it acknowledges the past without letting it determine the future. The prohibition al tasuru me-acharei YHWH ('do not turn aside from after the LORD') uses sur ('to turn aside, to depart'), the verb that will later describe Saul's own falling away. The command va-avadtem et YHWH be-khol levavkhem ('serve the LORD with all your heart') echoes the Shema's language (Deuteronomy 6:5) — total devotion, not partial compliance.
The same word used in Genesis 1:2 (tohu va-vohu) for the primordial chaos before creation. When applied to idols, it does not merely mean 'useless' but 'unreal' — the anti-thesis of the God who speaks reality into existence. Isaiah uses the same word for idols (Isaiah 44:9) and for the reversal of creation (Isaiah 34:11). To follow tohu is to walk backward out of creation into the void.
Translator Notes
The Hebrew ha-tohu ('the emptiness') is deliberately shocking in context. This is the word from Genesis 1:2 — tohu va-vohu ('formless and void'). Applying it to idols equates them with pre-creation chaos: they are not merely powerless but anti-real, the negation of everything God's creative word brought into being. Samuel is not saying idols are weak; he is saying they are nothing.
The double negation — lo yo'ilu ('they do not profit') and lo yatsilu ('they do not deliver') — eliminates both categories of divine benefit. A god who cannot profit you in peace or deliver you in war is not a god at all. The clause ki tohu hemmah ('for they are tohu') delivers the verdict: emptiness is not what they produce but what they are.
For the LORD will not abandon his people, for the sake of his great name — because the LORD was pleased to make you his own people.
KJV For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb yittosh ('he will cast off, abandon') is a strong term for total rejection — it means to hurl away, to fling aside. Samuel's assurance is that God will not do this, despite the evil Israel has committed. The ground of this assurance is ba'avur shemo ha-gadol ('on account of his great name') — God's reputation among the nations is bound to Israel's existence. To destroy Israel would be to unmake his own testimony.
The verb ho'il ('he was pleased, he undertook willingly') appears in the Hiphil and carries the sense of free, gracious initiative. God was not compelled to choose Israel; he delighted to do so. This is the doctrine of election stated in its simplest form: God's choice preceded Israel's performance and is not contingent on it. The phrase etkhem lo le-am ('you as his people') uses the possessive — Israel belongs to God not by their decision but by his.
As for me — far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. I will teach you the good and straight path.
KJV Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The word chalilah ('far be it, God forbid') derives from chalal ('to profane, to desecrate'). Samuel is saying that ceasing to intercede would be an act of profanation — not merely neglect but sacrilege. This elevates intercessory prayer from a spiritual practice to a covenant duty. The construction me-chato la-YHWH me-chadol lehitpallel ('from sinning against the LORD by ceasing to pray') makes the cessation of prayer the sin itself, not merely a path to sin.
The verb horeithi ('I will teach/instruct') comes from yarah, the same root that gives us Torah ('instruction, law'). Samuel's teaching role continues after his judicial role ends — he transitions from judge to prophet-teacher. The phrase be-derekh ha-tovah ve-ha-yesharah ('in the good and straight path') uses two adjectives: tov ('good' — morally excellent) and yashar ('straight, upright' — without deviation). The path is both ethically good and directionally clear.
Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
KJV Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The particle akh ('only, but') narrows everything to a single demand: fear and serve. The phrase be-emet ('in truth, in faithfulness') adds the quality of consistency — not sporadic devotion but truthful, reliable service. The verb re'u ('consider, see') calls the people to review the evidence Samuel has just presented: the historical recital of God's acts. The phrase et asher higdil immakhem ('what he has made great with you' or 'the great things he has done for you') summarizes the entire covenant lawsuit — God's track record of faithfulness is the ground for Israel's obligation.
But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."
KJV But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The infinitive absolute hare'a tare'u ('doing evil you will do evil') conveys not a single act but a sustained pattern of wickedness. Samuel is not warning against a momentary lapse but against a settled trajectory of rebellion.
The verb tissafu ('you will be swept away') carries the force of sudden, total destruction. Its use in the Sodom narrative (Genesis 19:15, 17) gives it eschatological weight — this is not gradual decline but catastrophic erasure. The pairing gam attem gam malkekhem ('both you and your king') is Samuel's final word on the monarchy: the king does not exempt the people from covenant consequences, nor do the people exempt the king. They rise or fall together.