1040 B.C.

6)

 1: And the ark of Yehovah (the Ark now gets its own devine title) was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

6:2-16. Removal to Beth-shemesh.

(Alternation).

K  M  2-12-. Dismissal of Ark.
    N  -12. Lords of Philistines following.
   M  13-15. Reception of Ark.
    N  16. Lords of Philistines returning.

2-12-. Dismissal of Ark.

(Alternation).

M  e  2-8. Consutation of Philistines.
    f  9. Test suggested.
   e  10,11. Consultation. Result.
    f  12-. Test applied.

2-8. Consultation of Philistines.

(Alternation).

e  g  2. Questions. What? Wherewith?
    h  3. Answer. Trespass offering.
   g  4-. Question. What?
    h  -4-8. Answer. A new cart.

 2: And the Philistines called for the priests (not God's priests) and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do to the ark of the Lord (Yehovah)? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.”

 3: And they said, “If you all send away the ark of the God (Elohim) of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return Him a trespass offering: then you all shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” (they are trying to work things to their favor)
 4: Then said they, “What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?”

They answered, “Five golden hemroids (see 5:5: i.e. models of them in gold; of which, modern "votive offerings" are the lineal descendants. Cp. v.5), and five golden mice (these 2 things very unclean to place near holy things), according to the number of the princes of the Philistines (cp. Josh.13:3): for one plague was on you all, and on your princes.
 5: Wherefore you all shall make images of your hemroids, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you all shall give glory to the God (Elohim) of Israel: perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you (see 5:6), and from off your gods, and from off your land. (The Philistines were not punished for what they did to the Ark because it was done in ignorance)
 6: Wherefore then do you all harden your hearts, according as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when He had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
 7: Now therefore make a new cart (this was done in ignorance of God's requirments [Num.4:15; 7:9; 10:21]. They could not have complied wih the Law, even if they had known it; hence, no judgment fell on them. But contrast David's "new cart", and see note on 2 Sam.6:3), and take two milch kine (= milk cows. Milk cows will go to where calves are: this is deception by their priests), on which there has come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:
 8: And take the ark of the Lord (Yehovah), and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you all return Him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.

 9: And see, if it (i.e. the "ark", which is masc.; not the "cart", which is fem.) goes up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh (= House of the sun, now Ain Shems, on the borders of Judah and Dan. Cp. Josh.15:10), then He has done us all this great evil (= tumolt): but if not, then we shall know that is not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.”

 10: And the men did so; and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
 11: And they laid the ark of the Lord (Yehovah) upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their hemroids.

 12: And the sows took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went (calling for their calves), and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left;

and the princes of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh. (their plan didn't work)

 13: And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. (God brought it home, not man)
 14: And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone (an altar): and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered up the cows a burnt offering to the Lord (Yehovah).
 15: And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord (Yehovah), and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone (this was a great insult and an abomination. See v.19): and the men of Beth-shemesh offered up burnt offerings and made great sacrifices the same day to the Lord (Yehovah).

 16: And when the five princes of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

 17: And these are the golden hemroids which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to Yehovah; for Ashdod one (see Gen.10:14), for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
 18: And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five princes, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even to the great stone of Aben, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord (Yehovah): which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.

 19: And He smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord (Yehovah) (these people were not ignorant like the Philistines, they knew beter), even He smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men (= 50,070. This number being out of all proportion to the size of Beth-shemesh, has led to various readings. Some codices omit 50,000. The Syr. and Arabic versions read "five" instead of fifty. Josephus reads "seventy". The Heb. text reads "seventy men two fifties and one thousand" = 70 + 100 + 1,000 = 1,170): and the people lamented, because the Lord (Yehovah) had smitten many of the people with a great smiting.
 20: And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this set apart (see Ex.3:5) the Lord God (Yehovah Elohim)? and to whom shall he (i.e. the ark, see v.9) go up from us?”

 21: And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord (Yehovah); come you all down, and fetch it up to you.”

7)

1040 to 1020 B.C.

 2: And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long (Ark remined with Philistines seven months [6:1]; sent from Ekron to Kirjath-jearim in 1040, and remained the 20 years [chapter 7]. From the capture in 1040 .C. to its entry into Zion in 950 B.C. was 89 years [2 Sam2:17]); for it was twenty years:

A  i  -2-6-. Israel. Repentance.
    k  -6. Government of Samuel. Place.
B  i  7-14. Isreal. Recovery.
    k  15-17. Government of Samuel. Time.

1020. B.C.

and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord (Yehovah).
 3: And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you all do return to the Lord (Yehovah) with all your hearts (minds), then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your minds to the Lord (Yehovah), and serve Him only: and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
 4: Then the sons of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord (Yehovah) only.
 5: And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you to the Lord (Yehovah).”
 6: And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord (Yehovah), and fasted on that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord (Yehovah).” (Notice the difference. This is doing it the right way. God's way. Discipline)

And Samuel ruled the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

 7: And when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the princes of the Philistines (see Josh. 13:3) went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
 8: And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Cease not to cry to the Lord (Yehovah) our God (Elohim) for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.” (Ask God for help)
 9: And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it up for a burnt offering wholly to the Lord (Yehovah) (Samuel was a Levite, and according to 1 Chron.23:27-32 could do this; though according to Num.18:3 he could not have acted in the holy place): and Samuel cried to the Lord (Yehovah) for Israel; and the Lord (Yehovah) heard him.
 10: And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord (Yehovah) thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. (It makes a big difference when God is involved)
 11: And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh (= watchtower), and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car (=house of the lamb).
 12: Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen (= tooth), and called the name of it Eben-ezer (= stone of help), saying, “Up to this time has the Lord (Yehovah) helped us.”
 13: So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the borders of Israel: and the hand of Yehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
 14: And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites (= people of highlands).

 15: And Samuel ruled Israel all the days of his life.
 16: And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and ruled Israel in all those places.
 17: And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house (cp. 1:19, &c.); and there he ruled Israel; and there he built an altar (Shiloh forsaken, and Ark seperated from Tabernacle. There was no chosen "place") to Yehovah. (Always set aside time to meditate and talk to God.)

B¹  O  8:1–12:25. Choise of Saul.
     P  13:1–15:35. Provocation of Saul. Rejection          threatened.
    O  16:1–27:4. Choise of David.
     P  27:5 – 2 Sam.1:27. Provocation of Saul.
          Rejection carried out.

O  Q  8:1–10:26. Settlement in Kingdom.
    R  10:27. Men of Belial.
     S  11:1-11. Agression of Nahash.
    R  11:12,13. Men of Belial.
   Q  11:14–12:25. Inaugeration of Kingdom.

Q  T  8:1-22-. King desired.
    U  8:-22. Dismissal of People to cities.
   T  9:1–10:25-. King given.
    U  10:-25,26. Dismissal of People to homes.

T  l  n  1-5. Desire expressed.
       o  6-9-. Compliance.
        m  -9. Warning. (General).
        m  10-18. Warning. (Particular).
   l  n  19,20. Desire persisted in.
       o  21,22-. Compliance.

1004 to 1000 B.C.

8)

 6: But the thing was evil in the sight of Samuel (i.e. evil, in not waiting for God's time and for God's king, as promised. Gen.17:6,16; 35:11; 49:10. Num.24:17. Deut.17:14-20), when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord (Yehovah).
 7: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the People in all that they say to you: for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
 8: According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also to you.
 9: Now therefore listen to their voice:

however yet protest solemnly (sincerly) to them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.”

 10: And Samuel told all the words of the Lord (Yehovah) to the people that asked of him a king.
 11: And he said, “This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. (Fulfilled, 14:52)
 12: And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to plough his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
 13: And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries (= perfumers), and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
 14: And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. (Corruption always works its way in)
 15: And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards (cp. 1 Kings 21:7), and give to his officers, and to his servants.
 16: And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men (Sept. reads "oxen"), and your asses, and put them to his work.
 17: He will take the tenth of your sheep: and you all shall be his servants.
 18: And you all shall cry out in that day because of your king which you all shall have chosen you; and the Lord (Yehovah) will not answer you in that day.” (This applies to the end times when the whole world be whoring after the Anti-Christ [= instead of Christ = Satan]. Only one who is in Christ can escape these things)

 19: Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No; but we will have a king over us;
 20: That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may rule us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”

 21: And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord (Yehovah).
 22: And the Lord (Yehovah) said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a king.” (They are going to get their wish)

And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go all you every man to his city.”

T  W¹  9:1,2. King designated.
    X¹  9:3-14. Asses lost.
   W²  9:15–10:13. King sought.
    X²  10:14-16. Asses found.
   W³  10:17-25. King appointed.

1000 B.C.

9)

X¹  Y¹  p¹  3-. Kish. Asses lost.
         q¹  -3. His command.
          r¹  4. Obeyed by Saul.
    Y²  p²  5. Saul's servant.
         q²  6-10-. His advice.
          r²  -10. Taken by Saul.
    Y³  p³  11. Maidens of the city.
         q³  12,13. Their advice.
          r³  14. Taken by Saul.

 3: And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost (contrast David, who had charge over his father's "sheep", and "kept them" [16:11]; with Saul, who lost his father's "asses" 9:3]).

And Kish said to Saul his son, “Take now one of the young men with you (tradition says "Doeg". Cp.21:7), and arise, go seek the asses.” (unclean animals. Compare with David's "sheep", clean animals)

 4: And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha (= trebled land), but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim (= foxes), and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

 5: And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, “Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and be anxious (cp. Matt.6:25,27,28) for us.” (This man was going to be king and couldn't even find his own donkeys with both hands. Watch what happens to the People when they put their trust in man and not God.)

q²  s  6. The man of God. Statement.
     t  7. Objection.
    s  8,9. The man of God. Explanation.
     t  10-. Assent.

 6: And he said to him, “Behold now, there is in this city a man of God (Elohim) (i.e. a prophet, because God's spokesman), and he is an honourable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go to that place; perhaps he can show us our way that we should go.” (The servant was even wiser than Saul. He, the servant said, "lets turn to God (Elohim)")

 7: Then said Saul to his servant, “But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present (Heb. teshurah. Occurs only here. It is from shur, to behold. Hence, that which procures and secures an interview, or sight of the person sought. It was customary to bring a gift) to bring to the God's (Elohim's) man: what have we?”

 8: And the servant answered Saul again, and said, “Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver (aprox. 1/8 oz.): which you can give to the man of God (Elohim), to tell us our way.”
 9: {Beforetime (note the parenthisis) in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God (Elohim), thus he spoke, “Come, and let us go to the seer” (Heb. ro’eh = a seer of visions. Another name for seer was chozeh, which referred rather to spiritual apprehension of what was seen. In 1 Chron.29:29 all three words occur in the same verse): for he that is now called a Prophet (Heb. nab’i = one who spoke for or was moved by God) was beforetime called a Seer (of the hidden truth).}

 10: Then said Saul to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.”

So they went to the city where the man of God (Elohim) was.

 11: And as they went by the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”

 12: 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 by the people to day in the high place (in Num.21:19 = Bamoth-Baal. Shiloh was now forsaken. No "place" within the meaning of Deut.12. Cp. 1 Sam.7:10,17):
 13: As soon as you all be come into the city, you all shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he does bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time you all shall find him.”

 14: And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out opposite them (so as to meet them), for to go up to the high place.

W²  A  9:15-17. The anonting. Command.
     B  9:18-27. Reception by Samuel.
    A  10:1. The aointing. Obedience.
     B  10:2-13. Directions by Samuel.

 15: Now the Lord (Yehovah) had opened (or uncovered) the ear of Samuel one day before Saul came, saying,
 16: “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My People Israel, that he may save My People out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon My People (the Aram. and Syr. read "the oppression". In that case the Fig. Ellipsis should be supplied after it, "of My People" being implied), because their cry is come to Me.”
 17: And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord (Yehovah) said to him, “Behold the man whom I spoke to you of! this same shall rule (or control, or restrain) over My People.”

B  u  18. Meeting of Samuel with Saul.
    v  19,20. Samuel's answer to Saul.
    v  21. Saul's answer to Samuel.
   u  22-27. Communication of Samuel.

 18: Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate (Heb. "in the midst of the gate": i.e. the open place near the gate were judgment was given), and said, “Tell me, I pray you, where the seer's house is.”

 19: And Samuel answered Saul, and said, “I am the seer: go up before me to the high place; for you all shall eat with me to day, and tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in my heart.”
 20: And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them (Heb. "heart" = do not regard them); for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father's house?”

 21: And Saul answered and said, “Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? (very true, since the events recorded in Judg.20:35) and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speak you according to this word?” (God uses whomsoever He chooses.)

 22: And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.
 23: And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it by you.’ ”
 24: And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Behold that which is reserved! set it before you, and eat: for unto this time has it been kept for you since I said, ‘I have invited the People.’ ” So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. (This was the rightful portion for the priest. This act was symbolic of passing the rulership to the monarch)
 25: And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. (A place of meditation.)
 26: And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, “Up, that I may send you away.” And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
 27: And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Bid the servant pass on before us” (he wanted to be alone with Saul), {and he passed on,} “but stand you still a while, that I may show you the word of God (Elohim).” (Elohim = Creation relationship. First occurance of this expression. "Word of Yehovah" frequent from Gen.15:1)