Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

1 Samuel 8:1

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abia;   Bribery;   Judge;   Minister, Christian;   Rulers;   Samuel;   Scofield Reference Index - Israel;   Kingdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Samuel;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abiah;   Justice;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abia;   Judges;   Philistia;   Samuel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Beer-Sheba;   Hadad-Ezer;   Intercession;   Joel;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Government;   Israel;   King;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Joel;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sam'uel;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Judge;   Samuel;   Saul;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
Hebrew Names Version
It happened, when Shemu'el was old, that he made his sons judges over Yisra'el.
King James Version
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Lexham English Bible
When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
English Standard Version
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
New Century Version
When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges for Israel.
New English Translation
In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
Amplified Bible
And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
New American Standard Bible
Now it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
When Samuel was nowe become olde, he made his sonnes Iudges ouer Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.
Contemporary English Version
Samuel had two sons. The older one was Joel, and the younger one was Abijah. When Samuel was getting old, he let them be leaders at Beersheba.
Complete Jewish Bible
When Sh'mu'el grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Isra'el.
Darby Translation
And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version
When Samuel was old, he appointed his sons to be judges for Israel.
George Lamsa Translation
AND it came to pass, when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
Good News Translation
When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel.
Literal Translation
And it happened when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Bvt whan Samuel waxed olde, he set his sonnes to be iudges ouer Israel.
American Standard Version
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Bible in Basic English
Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When Samuel was old, he made his sonnes iudges ouer Israel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe, when Samuel was old, that he made his sonnes Iudges ouer Israel.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
English Revised Version
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe it was don, whanne Samuel hadde wexide eld, he settide hise sones iugis on Israel.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, when Samuel [is] aged, that he maketh his sons judges over Israel.
Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
World English Bible
It happened, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
New King James Version
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
New Living Translation
As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.
New Life Bible
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges in Israel.
New Revised Standard
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons judges to Israel;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.
Revised Standard Version
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
THE MESSAGE
When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel. His firstborn son was named Joel, the name of his second, Abijah. They were assigned duty in Beersheba. But his sons didn't take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.

Contextual Overview

1When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2892, bc 1112, An, Ex, Is, 379

made his: Deuteronomy 16:18, Deuteronomy 16:19, Judges 8:22, Judges 8:23, 2 Chronicles 19:5, 2 Chronicles 19:6, Nehemiah 7:2, 1 Timothy 5:21

sons judges: Judges 5:10, Judges 10:4, Judges 12:14

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:6 - the judges 1 Samuel 2:22 - Now 1 Samuel 12:2 - I am old 1 Samuel 14:52 - when Saul

Cross-References

Genesis 8:7
and sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:9
But the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because water still covered the surface of all the earth. So he reached out his hand and brought her back inside the ark.
Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. Taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall never cease."
Genesis 19:29
So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
Genesis 30:22
Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,
Exodus 2:24
So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Exodus 14:21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
Numbers 22:32
The Angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.
1 Samuel 1:19
The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old,.... The common notion of the Jews is, that he lived but fifty two years t; when a man is not usually called an old man, unless the infirmities of old age came upon him sooner than they commonly do, through his indefatigable labours from his childhood, and the cares and burdens of government he had long bore; though some think he was about sixty years of age; and Abarbinel is of opinion that he was more than seventy. It is a rule with the Jews u, that a man is called an old man at sixty, and a grey headed man at seventy:

that he made his sons judges over Israel; under himself, not being able through old age to go the circuits he used; he sent them, and appointed them to hear and try causes in his stead, or settled them in some particular places in the land, and, as it seems by what follows, at Beersheba; though whether that was under his direction, or was their own choice, is not certain.

t Seder Olam Rabba, ut supra. (c. 13. p. 35.) u Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This verse implies a long period, probably not less than 20 years, of which we have no account except what is contained in the brief notice in 1 Samuel 7:13-17. The general idea conveyed is of a time of peace and prosperity, analogous to that under other Judges.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER VIII

Samuel, grown old, makes his sons judges in Beer-sheba, 1, 2.

They pervert judgment; and the people complain, and desire a

king, 3-5.

Samuel is displeased, and inquires of the Lord, 6.

The Lord is also displeased; but directs Samuel to appoint them

a king, and to show them solemnly the consequences of their

choice, 7-9.

Samuel does so; and shows them what they may expect from an

absolute monarch, and how afflicted they should be under his

administration, 10-18.

The people refuse to recede from their demand; and Samuel lays

the matter before the Lord, and dismisses them, 19-22.

NOTES ON CHAP. VIII


Verse 1 Samuel 8:1. When Samuel was old — Supposed to be about sixty.

He made his sons judges — He appointed them as his lieutenants to superintend certain affairs in Beer-sheba, which he could not conveniently attend to himself. But they were never judges in the proper sense of the word; Samuel was the last judge in Israel, and he judged it to the day of his death. See 1 Samuel 7:16.


 
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