Bible Strands
1 Samuel 8:22
“Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks directly to Samuel immediately after Samuel relays the elders' demand for a monarch. Samuel then addresses the assembled men of Israel and dismisses them to their respective cities.
The words — The verb וְ/הִמְלַכְתָּ֥ (ve./him.lakh.Ta) means "and you will make king," paired with מֶ֑לֶךְ (Me.lekh) for "a king." This Hiphil construction commands the formal installation of royal authority.
The thread — This directive repeats the command in 1 Samuel 8:7 to heed the people's request, and later aligns with Hosea 13:11 where God acknowledges giving Israel a king in anger.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that human political demands trigger divine sovereign action rather than spontaneous rebellion. It demands an acknowledgment that God's permission of a monarchy operates within His established authority.
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 the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.
- Hosea 13:11 So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away.