And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
- BSB When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
- NKJV Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
- NASB Now it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
- NLT As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.
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
When Samuel grows old, he appoints his sons as judges over Israel.
Overview
Samuel's attempt to pass on leadership through his sons reflects a natural but flawed succession. Unlike the prophetic call he himself received, this appointment rested on lineage. The verse sets up the crisis that will lead Israel to demand a king.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Deut 16:18–19Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
- 1 Tim 5:21I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
- Neh 7:2That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
- 2 Chr 19:5–6And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city,
- Judg 8:22–23Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.
- Judg 12:14And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.
- Judg 10:4And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
- Judg 5:10Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
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 8:1 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.