Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Green's Literal Translation

1 Samuel 15:17

And Samuel said, Were you not, even you, little in your own eyes before becoming leader of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you as king over Israel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agency;   Amalekites;   Church and State;   Falsehood;   Gilgal;   Ingratitude;   Minister, Christian;   Presumption;   Repentance;   Reproof;   Rulers;   Self-Righteousness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Samuel;   Saul, King of Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amalekites, the;   Head;   Ingratitude to God;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gilgal;   Head;   Samuel;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Anoint;   Esther, Theology of;   Mediator, Mediation;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Sin;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Saul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek, Amalekites;   Ban;   Israel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Agag ;   Amalek, Amalekites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mordecai;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Punishments;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Parashiyyot, the Four;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Samuel continued, “Although you once considered yourself unimportant, have you not become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel
Hebrew Names Version
Shemu'el said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Yisra'el? the LORD anointed you king over Yisra'el;
King James Version
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
Lexham English Bible
Samuel said, "Even though you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel.
English Standard Version
And Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
New Century Version
Samuel said, "Once you didn't think much of yourself, but now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord appointed you to be king over Israel.
New English Translation
Samuel said, "Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose you as king over Israel.
Amplified Bible
Samuel said, "Is it not true that even though you were small (insignificant) in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel,
New American Standard Bible
So Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the LORD anointed you as king over Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Samuel saide, When thou wast litle in thine owne sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord anointed thee King ouer Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel,
Contemporary English Version
Samuel continued, "You may not think you're very important, but the Lord chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sh'mu'el then said, "You may be small in your own sight, but you are head of the tribes of Isra'el — Adonai anointed you king over Isra'el!
Darby Translation
And Samuel said, Was it not when thou wast little in thine eyes that thou [becamest] the head of the tribes of Israel, and Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel?
Easy-to-Read Version
Samuel said, "In the past you didn't think that you were important, but the Lord chose you to be the king. So you became the leader of the tribes of Israel.
George Lamsa Translation
And Samuel said to Saul, Behold, even though you were little in your own eyes; nevertheless you were made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed you king over Israel.
Good News Translation
Samuel answered, "Even though you consider yourself of no importance, you are the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord anointed you king of Israel,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Samuel sayde: Whan thou wast but small in thine awne eyes, wast thou not ye heade amoge the trybes of Israel? & the LORDE anoynted the to be kynge ouer Israel?
American Standard Version
And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel;
Bible in Basic English
And Samuel said, Though you may seem little to yourself, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord with the holy oil made you king over Israel,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Samuel said: When thou wast litle in thyne owne sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lorde annoynted thee kyng ouer Israel?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Samuel said: 'Though thou be little in thine own sight, art thou not head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed thee king over Israel;
King James Version (1611)
And Samuel said, When thou wast litle in thine owne sight, wast thou not made the Head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee King ouer Israel?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Samuel said to Saul, Art thou not little in his eyes, though a leader of one of the tribes of Israel? and yet the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel.
English Revised Version
And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed thee king over Israel;
Berean Standard Bible
And Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Samuel seide, Whether not, whanne thou were litil in thin iyen, thou were maade heed in the lynages of Israel, and the Lord anoyntide thee in to kyng on Israel;
Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel saith, `Art not thou, if thou [art] little in thine own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? and Jehovah doth anoint thee for king over Israel,
Update Bible Version
And Samuel said, Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel;
Webster's Bible Translation
And Samuel said, When thou [wast] little in thy own sight, [wast] thou not [made] the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
World English Bible
Samuel said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over Israel;
New King James Version
So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?
New Living Translation
And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel.
New Life Bible
Samuel said, "Is it not true that even when you were not important in your own eyes, you were made the head of the families of Israel? The Lord chose you to be king over Israel.
New Revised Standard
Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Samuel said, Was it not, when, little, thou wast in thine own eyes, that thou wast made, head of the tribes of Israel, - and that Yahweh anointed thee to be king over Israel?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Samuel said: When thou wast a little one in thy own eyes, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel.
Revised Standard Version
And Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.
THE MESSAGE
And Samuel told him. "When you started out in this, you were nothing—and you knew it. Then God put you at the head of Israel—made you king over Israel. Then God sent you off to do a job for him, ordering you, ‘Go and put those sinners, the Amalekites, under a holy ban. Go to war against them until you have totally wiped them out.' So why did you not obey God ? Why did you grab all this loot? Why, with God 's eyes on you all the time, did you brazenly carry out this evil?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel,

Contextual Overview

10 And the Word of Jehovah was to Samuel, saying, 11 I repent that I made Saul reign as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and he has not risen to do My Words. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to Jehovah all night. 12 And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told to Samuel, saying, Saul has come to Carmel. And behold, he has set up a monument to himself, and has gone around, and has passed over and gone down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul. And Saul said to him, Blessed are you of Jehovah. I have risen to do the Word of Jehovah. 14 And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the flock in my ears, and the sound of the herd that I hear? 15 And Saul said, They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah your God. And the rest we have exterminated. 16 And Samuel said to Saul, Stop, and I will declare to you that which Jehovah spoke to me tonight. And he said to him, Speak. 17 And Samuel said, Were you not, even you, little in your own eyes before becoming leader of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you as king over Israel. 18 And Jehovah sent you on the way, and said, Go, and exterminate the sinners, Amalek; and fight against them until they finish them. 19 Then why did you not listen to the voice of Jehovah? Yea, you flew on the spoil, and did you not do evil in the eyes of Jehovah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

When thou: 1 Samuel 9:21, 1 Samuel 10:22, Judges 6:15, Hosea 13:1, Matthew 18:4

the Lord: 1 Samuel 15:1-3, 1 Samuel 10:1

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 2:8 - set them 2 Samuel 7:18 - Who am I 2 Samuel 12:7 - I anointed 1 Kings 16:2 - I exalted thee 2 Kings 9:3 - I have anointed Proverbs 25:6 - in the presence Isaiah 26:10 - favour Luke 14:10 - go Luke 14:11 - whosoever Ephesians 6:9 - forbearing

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what will You give to me since I am going childless and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eleazar of Damascus?
Genesis 15:3
And Abram said, Behold! You have given no seed to me; and lo, the son of my house is inheriting of me!
Genesis 15:18
On that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Genesis 15:19
the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
Deuteronomy 4:20
And Jehovah has taken you, and has brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people to Him, an inheritance, as it is this day.
Judges 6:21
And the Angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff in His hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened bread . And the fire rose up out of the rock and burned up the flesh and the unleavenedwent out of his sight.
Judges 13:20
And it happened as the flame from off the altar was going up to the heavens, that the Angel of Jehovah went up in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife were watching. And they fell on their faces to the ground.
2 Samuel 22:9
Smoke rose up in His nostrils, and fire devoured out of His mouth; coals were kindled by it.
1 Chronicles 21:26
And David built an altar there to Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called to Jehovah; and He answered him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt offering.
Isaiah 62:1
For Zion's sake, I will not be silent; and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest; until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Samuel said, when thou [wast] little in thine own sight,.... Humble and lowly, and had a mean opinion of himself, his family and tribe, and judged himself unworthy of the kingdom; see 1 Samuel 9:21 suggesting, that now he was proud and haughty, and would have his own will and way:

wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel; not of his own tribe only, which was the least, but of all the tribes, and so they were all subject to him, and at his command:

and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel; all which is observed, partly to point out unto him the high honour he was raised unto, from a low estate, which laid him under obligation to serve the Lord, and obey him; and partly as an answer to him, excusing himself, and laying the blame upon the people; whereas seeing he was made king over them, his business was to rule and govern them, guide and direct them in the right way, and restrain them from that which was evil; and since he was anointed by the Lord, and not by the people, he ought to have obeyed him, and not regarded the pleasure of them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 15:17. Little in thine own sight — Who can bear prosperity? Is it not of the Lord's great goodness that the majority of the inhabitants of the earth are in comparative poverty?


 
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