And now, behold, the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has put a king over you.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for. Behold, Yahweh 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.
- BSB Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you.
- NKJV “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the Lord has set a king over you.
- NLT All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Samuel presents the king Israel chose, whom the Lord has now set over them. God grants their request despite its sinful root.
Overview
The Lord 'has set a king over you' shows that even Israel's flawed demand is taken up into His sovereign plan. Saul is both the people's choice and God's appointment. This tension prepares the way for the line of kings through which God will ultimately bring David and, in time, the true and righteous King, Jesus Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Hos 13:11I have given you a king in my anger, and have taken him away in my wrath.
- 1 Sam 10:24Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” All the people shouted, and said, “Long live the king!”
- 1 Sam 8:5They said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
- 1 Sam 9:20As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don’t set your mind on them; for they have been found. For whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father’s house?”
- 1 Sam 11:15All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
- Ps 78:29–31So they ate, and were well filled. He gave them their own desire.
- Acts 13:21Afterward they asked for a king, and God gave to them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 12:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.