Now 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.
- KJV And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
- BSB When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as 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 16:18–19You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which Yahweh your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
- 1 Tim 5:21I command you in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality.
- Neh 7:2I put my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.
- 2 Chr 19:5–6He set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city,
- Judg 8:22–23Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
- Judg 12:14He had forty sons and thirty sons’ sons, who rode on seventy donkey colts. He judged Israel eight years.
- Judg 10:4He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
- Judg 5:10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 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.