Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 7th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

1 Samuel 9:12

The young women answered, "Yes, he's here. He's ahead of you. Hurry now. He has just come to our town today, because the people will offer a sacrifice at the place of worship.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - High Places;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   High Places;   Home;   Places;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - High Places;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - High Places;   Ramah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Prophecy, prophet;   Sacrifice;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Benjamin;   David;   Kish;   Synagogue;   Holman Bible Dictionary - High Place;   Transportation and Travel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - City;   Idolatry;   Israel;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - High Place;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - High places;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ben'jamin, the Tribe of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - City;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   High Place;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abbreviations;   High Place;   Sacrifice;   Saul;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The women answered, “Yes, he is ahead of you. Hurry, he just now entered the city, because there’s a sacrifice for the people at the high place today.
Hebrew Names Version
They answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before you: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place:
King James Version
And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:
Lexham English Bible
They answered them and said, "There is. Look, he is just in front of you! Hurry now, because he has come to the town today, because there is a sacrifice for the people today at the high place.
English Standard Version
They answered, "He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
New English Translation
They replied, "Yes, straight ahead! But hurry now, for he came to the town today, and the people are making a sacrifice at the high place.
Amplified Bible
They answered them, "He is; look, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today because the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.
New American Standard Bible
They answered them and said, "He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, because the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they answered them, and said, Yea: loe, he is before you: make haste nowe, for he came this day to the citie: for there is an offering of the people this day in the hie place.
Legacy Standard Bible
And they answered them and said, "He is! Behold, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.
Contemporary English Version
"Yes, he is," they replied. "He's in town today because there's going to be a sacrifice and a sacred meal at the place of worship. In fact, he's just ahead of you. Hurry
Complete Jewish Bible
The girls answered them, "He's here, he's right ahead of you. Hurry now, he just came into the city today, because the people are sacrificing today at the high place.
Darby Translation
And they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
Easy-to-Read Version
The young women answered, "Yes, the seer is here. He is just up the road. He came to town today. Some people are meeting together today to share in a fellowship offering at the place for worship.
George Lamsa Translation
And they answered him and said, There is; behold, he is ahead of you; go up now quickly, for he came today to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place;
Good News Translation
"Yes, he is," the young women answered. "In fact, he is just ahead of you. If you hurry, you will catch up with him. As soon as you go into town, you will find him. He arrived in town today because the people are going to offer a sacrifice on the altar on the hill. The people who are invited won't start eating until he gets there, because he has to bless the sacrifice first. If you go now, you will find him before he goes up the hill to eat."
Literal Translation
And they replied to them and said, He is. See, he is before you. Hurry now, for today he will come into the city, for the people have a sacrifice in the high place.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They answered them and sayde: Yee. Beholde, he is there, make haist, for he came in to the cite this daye, because the people haue a sacrifice to do to daye in the hye place.
American Standard Version
And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
Bible in Basic English
And they said, He is; in fact he is before you: go quickly now, for he has come into the town today, for the people are making an offering in the high place today:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the maydens aunswered them, and sayd: yea, beholde he is before you, make hast nowe, for he came this day to the citie, for ther is an offring of the people this day in the hill.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they answered them, and said: 'He is; behold, he is before thee; make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
King James Version (1611)
And they answered them, and said, He is: behold, he is before you, make haste now: for he came to day to the citie; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the hie place.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the virgins answered them, and they say to them, He is: behold, he is before you: now he is coming to the city, because of the day, for to-day there is a sacrifice for the people in Bama.
English Revised Version
And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before thee: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place:
Berean Standard Bible
"Yes, he is ahead of you," they answered. "Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because the people have a sacrifice on the high place.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whiche dameselis answeriden, and seiden to hem, He is here; lo! he is bifor thee; `haste thou now, for to day he cam in to the citee; for to dai is sacrifice of the puple in the hiy place.
Young's Literal Translation
And they answer them and say, `He is; lo, before thee! haste, now, for to-day he hath come in to the city, for the people hath a stated sacrifice in a high place.
Update Bible Version
And they answered them, and said, He is; look, [he is] before you: hurry now, for he has come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place:
Webster's Bible Translation
And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before you: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for [there is] a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place:
World English Bible
They answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before you: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place:
New King James Version
And they answered them and said, "Yes, there he is, just ahead of you. Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place.
New Living Translation
"Yes," they replied. "Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship.
New Life Bible
The women answered, "He is. Look, he is up in front of you. Hurry now, for he has come to the city today because the people are giving a gift in worship on the high place today.
New Revised Standard
They answered, "Yes, there he is just ahead of you. Hurry; he has come just now to the town, because the people have a sacrifice today at the shrine.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the young women answered them and said: He is, lo! before you now, even as, to-day, hath he entered the city, for the people have a sacrifice, to-day, in the high place.
Douay-Rheims Bible
They answered and said to them: He is: behold he is before you, make haste now: for he came to day into the city, for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place.
Revised Standard Version
They answered, "He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Make haste; he has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
THE MESSAGE
They answered, "It sure is—just ahead. Hurry up. He's come today because the people have prepared a sacrifice at the shrine. As soon as you enter the town, you can catch him before he goes up to the shrine to eat. The people won't eat until he arrives, for he has to bless the sacrifice. Only then can everyone eat. So get going. You're sure to find him!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They answered them and said, "He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.

Contextual Overview

11 As Saul and the servant were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water. Saul and the servant asked them, "Is the seer here?" 12 The young women answered, "Yes, he's here. He's ahead of you. Hurry now. He has just come to our town today, because the people will offer a sacrifice at the place of worship. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the place of worship to eat. The people will not begin eating until the seer comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. After that, the guests will eat. Go now, and you should find him." 14 Saul and the servant went up to the town. Just as they entered it, they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the place of worship. 15 The day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel: 16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Appoint him to lead my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people, and I have listened to their cry." 17 When Samuel first saw Saul, the Lord said to Samuel, "This is the man I told you about. He will organize my people."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sacrifice: or, feast, 1 Samuel 16:2, Genesis 31:54, Deuteronomy 12:6, Deuteronomy 12:7, 1 Corinthians 5:7, 1 Corinthians 5:8

the high place: 1 Kings 3:2-4, 1 Chronicles 16:39

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 7:9 - a sucking 1 Samuel 16:3 - call Jesse 1 Samuel 20:6 - sacrifice 1 Corinthians 10:18 - are

Cross-References

Genesis 9:17
So God said to Noah, "The rainbow is a sign of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth."
Genesis 9:23
Then Shem and Japheth got a coat and, carrying it on both their shoulders, they walked backwards into the tent and covered their father. They turned their faces away so that they did not see their father's nakedness.
Genesis 9:25
he said, "May there be a curse on Canaan! May he be the lowest slave to his brothers."
Genesis 9:26
Noah also said, "May the Lord , the God of Shem, be praised! May Canaan be Shem's slave.
Genesis 9:28
After the flood Noah lived 350 years.
Genesis 17:11
Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you.
Exodus 12:13
But the blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing terrible will hurt you when I punish the land of Egypt.
Exodus 13:16
This feast is like a mark on your hand and a reminder on your forehead to help you remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power."
Joshua 2:12
So now, promise me before the Lord that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed kindness to you. Give me some proof that you will do this.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they answered them, and said, he is,.... That is, he is in the city, at home, and to be spoken with:

behold, he is before you; his house is straight before you as you go along, you cannot miss of it. Some Jewish writers say f they gave a token to know it by, that there was a cloud at the door, and when they saw that, they might know it was the seer's house:

haste now, for he came today to the city; from the suburbs to it, or from his country house, or from the other Ramah, for there were two of them, one over against the other, see 1 Samuel 1:1, for that he was just now come off a circuit, is not so probable, since he was now old, and past riding his circuits; and indeed the meaning may be no more than as it may be rendered, "today he comes into the city" g; that is, he comes out of his own house into the city, and was then just coming out; so that, if they made haste, they might meet him in the street before he got to the place of sacrifice and feasting:

for there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place; whether it was the new moon, or some festival they observed, though the tabernacle was not there, is not certain; at which, besides the offerings required, freewill offerings and peace offerings were brought by the people, on part of which they feasted with their friends; and very probably, as Samuel was acquainted by the Lord that he who was to be king of Israel would be with him that day, he might add to the sacrifices of the people, to make the entertainment the more grand and liberal; since he had a principal concern in ordering the guests, and dividing the portions, as well as blessing the food, which indeed he might take upon him, as being judge, priest, and prophet: this was an high place where this sacrifice or feast was; for Shiloh being destroyed, and the tabernacle removed elsewhere, and that being in one place, and the ark in another, and they not together, no distinction of places was made, none being yet chosen, all were fit; and particularly high places, which were always reckoned the most proper for divine service and sacrifice.

f Midrash Schemuel & Pesikta apud Abarbinel in loc. g בא "venit", Pagninus, Montanus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 9:12. He came to-day to the city — Though Samuel lived chiefly in Ramah, yet he had a dwelling in the country, at a place called Naioth, where it is probable there was a school of the prophets. See 1 Samuel 19:18-24.

A sacrifice of the people — A great feast. The animals used were first sacrificed to the Lord; that is, their blood was poured out before him; and then all the people fed on the flesh. By high place probably Samuel's altar is alone meant; which no doubt was raised on an eminence.


 
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