Bible Strands
1 Samuel 10:2
When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Samuel speaks to Saul immediately after anointing him with oil and declaring his royal appointment. He outlines a specific sign to confirm the anointing before Saul departs.
The words — וּ/מָצָאתָ֩ (u./ma.tza.Ta) literally means "and you will find," establishing a future certainty. It is paired with שְׁנֵ֨י אֲנָשִׁ֜ים (she.Nei 'a.na.Shim), meaning "two men," specifying the exact witnesses Saul will encounter.
The thread — The search for Kish’s donkeys originates in 1 Samuel 9:3, where Kish first sends Saul on the journey. The location of Rachel’s tomb recalls Genesis 35:19, while Zelzah corresponds to the border city noted in Joshua 18:28.
Why it lands — The text states that God confirms prophetic appointments through precise, observable events tied to real geography and immediate human circumstances. It requires the reader to attend to how divine promises are anchored in verifiable details rather than abstract assurances.
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
When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 9:3 One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”
- Genesis 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
- Joshua 18:28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 10:16 And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
- Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”