Bible Strands
1 Samuel 10:12
Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A local resident answers the crowd’s inquiry about Saul’s lineage after Saul joins the prophetic company in Gibeah.
The words — אֲבִיהֶם ('a.vi./hem) translates as “their father,” and כֵּן (ken) means “therefore” or “fore,” anchoring the phrase that becomes a proverb.
The thread — The text records this exchange as the origin of the saying “Is Saul also among the prophets?” which emerges directly from the crowd’s reaction in 1 Samuel 10:11 and stands as a standalone cultural reference.
Why it lands — The text states that divine inspiration can override expected social or familial patterns, requiring readers to assess spiritual phenomena by their source rather than human pedigree.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
Cross-references
- Isaiah 54:13 Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.
- John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—
- John 7:16 “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.
- James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.