And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Parallel translations
- WEB His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
- BSB But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
- NKJV But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
- NASB His sons, however, did not walk in his ways but turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice.
- NLT But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
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 reject his ways, pursuing dishonest gain, taking bribes, and perverting justice.
Overview
Their corruption violates the clear demands of God's law against bribery and injustice (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). This recalls the earlier failure of Eli's sons and shows that godly leadership is not automatically inherited. Their sin gives the elders a genuine grievance, even as it does not justify rejecting God's rule.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 16:19Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
- Ps 15:5He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
- 1 Tim 6:10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
- Exod 23:8And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
- Exod 18:21Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
- 2 Sam 15:4Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
- 1 Tim 3:3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
- Isa 33:15He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;
- Eccl 2:19And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
- Jer 22:15–17Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
- 1 Kgs 12:6–11And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
- Ps 26:10In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
- 2 Kgs 21:1–3Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hephzibah.
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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 8:3 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
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