The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, 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.
- BSB The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was 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 5:5but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
- 1 Kgs 19:3When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
- 1 Chr 6:28The sons of Samuel: the firstborn, Joel, and the second, Abijah.
- Gen 22:19So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at 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.