1 Samuel 8:11

Verse

He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.

American Standard Version (1901)

And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots;

Bible in Basic English

And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages;

Free Bible Version

“This is what a king will do when he rules over you,” he told them. “He will take your sons and make them serve as charioteers and horsemen, and to run as a guard in front of his chariot.

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

Translation for Translators

He said, “If a king rules over you, this is what he will do to you: He will force many of your sons to join the army. He will make some of them run in front of his chariots to clear people out of his way.

Unlocked Literal Bible

He said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots.

Noah Webster Bible

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 will run before his chariots.

World English Bible

He said, “This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots.

Young's Literal Translation

and saith, 'This is the custom of the king who doth reign over you: Your sons he doth take, and hath appointed for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen, and they have run before his chariots;

Context

Samuel’s Warning

¹⁰So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.¹¹He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.

Summary

In this verse, Samuel warns the Israelites about the consequences of having a king ruling over them. He describes how a king would take their sons for his army and daughters for his service, as well as their best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards for his own use. This serves as a cautionary tale about the potential abuses of power and loss of freedom that can come with human rulership. It also highlights the importance of seeking God's guidance and leadership in all aspects of life, rather than placing trust in earthly authorities.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

This will be the manner of the king--The following is a very just and graphic picture of the despotic governments which anciently and still are found in the East, and into conformity with which the Hebrew monarchy, notwithstanding the restrictions prescribed by the law, gradually slid. He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself--Oriental sovereigns claim a right to the services of any of their subjects at pleasure. some shall run before his chariots--The royal equipages were, generally throughout the East (as in Persia they still are), preceded and accompanied by a number of attendants who ran on foot.