Bible Strands
1 Samuel 8:3
But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the failure of Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, who were appointed judges in Beersheba, as the elders of Israel prepare to demand a king. This moment occurs just before the elders gather at Ramah to confront Samuel about their request for monarchy.
The words — The phrase וַיִּטּוּ אַחֲרֵי הַבָּצַע (va.yi.tu a.cha.rei ha.ba.tza') literally means "they turned aside after unjust gain." This Hebrew idiom describes abandoning righteous conduct in favor of corrupt profit.
The thread — This pattern of judicial corruption echoes the warning in Deuteronomy 16:19 against perverting justice and accepting bribes. It also anticipates the New Testament warning in 1 Timothy 6:10 that craving dishonest gain leads some to wander from the faith.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers examine whether their leadership or personal conduct prioritizes integrity over personal profit. It requires a clear rejection of bribery and partiality in any position of 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 his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Psalms 15:5 who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
- 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
- Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exodus 23:8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
- 2 Samuel 15:4 And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
- Isaiah 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
- 1 Timothy 3:3 not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.
- Ecclesiastes 2:19 And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
- Jeremiah 22:15 Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.