Bible Strands
1 Samuel 8:1
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a leadership transition as Samuel ages and formally delegates judicial authority to his sons.
The words — זָקֵן (za.Ken) literally means "he was old," establishing the chronological condition, while שֹׁפְטִים (sho.fe.Tim) denotes the specific judicial office he assigns to them.
The thread — This appointment mirrors Deuteronomy 16:18’s command to establish judges in every town and directly precedes the Israelite elders’ request for a monarchy in 1 Samuel 8:5.
Why it lands — The text documents a human succession plan without editorial comment, requiring the reader to track how delegated authority functions before the narrative shifts to divine judgment.
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 came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
- 1 Timothy 5:21 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
- Judges 8:22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
- Judges 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight years.
- 2 Chronicles 19:5 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
- Nehemiah 7:2 Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
- Judges 5:10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
- Judges 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.