The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
- KJV Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
- NKJV The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
- NASB The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
- NLT Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba.
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
Samuel's sons, Joel and Abijah, serve as judges in Beersheba.
Overview
Stationed at Israel's far southern edge, Samuel's sons hold real judicial authority. Naming them prepares the reader for the contrast between their conduct and their father's faithfulness. Their failure will become the people's pretext for seeking a king.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Chr 6:38the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
- Amos 5:5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
- 1 Kgs 19:3And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
- 1 Chr 6:28The sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn and Abijah his second son.
- Gen 22:19Abraham went back to his servants, and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham settled in Beersheba.
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 8:2 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.