Bible Strands
1 Samuel 10:9
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate aftermath of Samuel’s anointing and prophetic instructions. As Saul turns his shoulder to depart from Samuel, the divine action occurs before Saul reaches Gibeah.
The words — וַיַּהֲפֹךְ (wa-yah·pōḵ) means “and he changed,” describing God’s direct intervention in Saul’s inner disposition. The phrase כְּהַפְּנוֹתוֹ שִׁכְמוֹ (ke-ha·pə·nōwṯ šik·mōw) literally renders “when he turned his shoulder,” marking the precise physical moment of departure.
The thread — This immediate fulfillment of prophetic signs follows the pattern seen in Judges 6:21 and Isaiah 38:7, where divine promises are confirmed through tangible, time-bound events. The narrative continues in 1 Samuel 10:10 as the Spirit of God rushes upon Saul, fulfilling the preceding signs at Gibeah.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that divine appointment precedes human preparation. It demands attention to how God sovereignly alters human nature to fulfill His stated purposes without delay.
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 it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
Cross-references
- Judges 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
- Isaiah 38:7 This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:
- Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
- Judges 6:36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said,
- 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?”’
- Mark 14:16 So the disciples left and went into the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And they prepared the Passover.