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You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
1 Samuel 8:18 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
  • BSB When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”
  • NKJV And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
  • NASB Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”
  • NLT When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

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

In that day the people will cry out because of the king they chose, but the LORD will not answer them.

Overview

God warns that the consequences of their choice will bring distress for which they will find no relief. Having rejected God's kingship, they cannot expect rescue from the burdens of their own decision. The verse soberly underscores that we may receive what we demand against God's better will.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Mic 3:4Then they will cry to Yahweh, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil.”
  • Prov 1:25–28but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;
  • Isa 1:15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
  • Isa 8:21They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward,
  • Prov 21:13Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.
  • Luke 13:25When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ then he will answer and tell you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
  • Job 27:9Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
  • Ps 18:41They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 8:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 8:18 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.