Bible Strands
1 Samuel 9:1
Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative introduces Kish, a prominent figure from the tribe of Benjamin, immediately before detailing the physical appearance and selection of his son Saul.
The words — The phrase וְהִיא (va/y.hi-) rendered as "and he was" introduces the subject, while אִישׁ ('ish) literally means "a man."
The thread — This lineage and tribal identification recur in 1 Samuel 14:51, Acts 13:21, and 1 Chronicles 9:36 to trace Saul’s royal ancestry.
Why it lands — The verse establishes genealogical and tribal credentials before any narrative action begins, requiring the reader to recognize that leadership claims in Israel depend on documented lineage.
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
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 14:51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.
- Acts 13:21 Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
- 1 Chronicles 9:36 Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
- 1 Samuel 25:2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
- 1 Chronicles 8:30 and Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab,
- Job 1:3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
- 2 Samuel 19:32 Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.