1 Samuel 8:13

And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Samuel addresses the elders of Israel who demanded a human monarch, detailing the specific burdens the future king will impose on their households.

The words — The Hebrew יִקָּ֑ח (yi.Kach) means "he will take," and לְ/רַקָּח֥וֹת (le./ra.ka.Chot) translates to "to perfumers," marking the transition from military conscription to domestic appropriation.

The thread — This pattern of royal seizure continues in 1 Samuel 8:12 with military and agricultural conscription, and in 1 Samuel 8:14 with the confiscation of the best fields and vineyards.

Why it lands — The text demands a clear-eyed assessment of centralized power, showing how institutional authority systematically redirects personal labor and property toward the ruler's service.

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

וְאֶת־ve./'Etand/ <obj.>בְּנוֹתֵיכֶ֖םbe.no.tei./Khemdaughters/ your יִקָּ֑חyi.Kachhe will take לְרַקָּח֥וֹתle./ra.ka.Chotto/ perfumers וּלְטַבָּח֖וֹתu./le./ta.ba.Chotand/ to/ cooks וּלְאֹפֽוֹת׃u./le./'o.Fotand/ to/ bakers

King James Version

And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.