And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Saul built an altar to Yahweh. This was the first altar that he built to Yahweh.
- BSB Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
- NKJV Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
- NASB And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
- NLT Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first of the altars he built to the Lord.
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
Saul builds an altar to the Lord, the first he is recorded to have built.
Overview
The note that this was Saul's first altar is telling, suggesting that genuine worship had not marked his reign. While building an altar is in itself an act of devotion, the timing, amid the disorder caused by his oath, raises questions about the depth of his piety. The verse invites reflection on the difference between religious acts and a heart wholly devoted to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Sam 7:17And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.
- 1 Sam 7:12Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.
- Judg 21:4And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
- 1 Sam 7:9And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.
- Hos 8:14For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples; and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities: but I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.
- 2 Tim 3:5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:35 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.