As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe.
Parallel translations
- WEB As Samuel turned around to go away, Saul grabbed the skirt of his robe, and it tore.
- KJV And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
- BSB As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore.
- NKJV And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
- NASB Then Samuel turned to go, but Saul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off.
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
As Samuel turns to leave, Saul tears the hem of his robe. The torn robe becomes a living parable of the torn kingdom.
Overview
Saul's desperate grasp at Samuel's garment tears it, and the prophet seizes the moment as a prophetic sign. The accidental act becomes a vivid object lesson of what God is doing to Saul's reign. Symbolic actions like this often accompany prophetic words in Scripture to drive the message home.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- 1 Kgs 11:30–31Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.
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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 15:27 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
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