Interpreting 1 Samuel 8:21-22 Kingship Request
In 1 Samuel 8:21-22, following the Israelites' demand for a king, Samuel relays their request to the Lord, who then instructs Samuel to grant it. The passage reads: "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.' And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, 'Go ye every man unto his city'" (1 Samuel 8:22, KJV). This exchange concludes the initial phase of Israel's transition from a theocracy led by judges to a monarchy.
The immediate context of these verses is the Israelites' dissatisfaction with Samuel's sons, who "turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment" [4, 5, 11]. This led the elders of Israel to approach Samuel, requesting a king "like all the nations" to "judge us and go out before us and fight our battles" [1, 2, 10]. Samuel was displeased by this request, viewing it as a rejection of God's direct rule over them [11].
The Lord's response to Samuel in verse 22, "hearken unto their voice, and make them a king," indicates a divine concession rather than an unqualified endorsement [3, 7]. The people's desire to be "like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:20) is seen by some as a form of idolatry, replacing trust in God with trust in a human institution [7]. The Babylonian Talmud notes a distinction between the elders' initial, appropriate request for a steady leader and the "ignoramuses among them" who insisted on being "like all the nations" [8].
Samuel's instruction for the men of Israel to "go ye every man unto his city" signifies that their request would be granted and that a king would be appointed in due course [3, 6, 9]. This dismissal allowed the elders to return home and report that their demand for a king would be met [3]. The narrative highlights the tension between God's ideal for Israel and the people's persistent desire for a human king, despite Samuel's warnings about the burdens such a king would impose [10, 11].
Sources
- 1 Samuel “1 Samuel 8:20 (NASB) — that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."”
- I Samuel “I Samuel 8:20 (LEB) — so that we ⌞also⌟ may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.””
- 1 Samuel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Samuel 8:22: And the Lord said to Samuel,.... an audible voice, or by an impulse upon his mind: hearken unto their voice, and make them a king; since they will have a king, let them have one, and let them know that they shall have one: and Samuel said unto the men of Israel: the elders of the people that addressed him on this occasion, Sa1 8:4. go ye every man unto his city; signifying they might return in peace, and be assured their request would be granted, and a king would be appointed in a short time, and which they might report to their fellow citizens; and they might”
- 1 Samuel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 8 (introduction): Things went so very well with Israel, in the chapter before, under Samuel's administration, that, methinks, it is a pity to find him so quickly, as we do in this chapter, old, and going off, and things working towards a revolution. But so it is; Israel's good days seldom continue long. We have here, I. Samuel decaying (Sa1 8:1). II. His sons degenerating (Sa1 8:2, Sa1 8:3). III. Israel discontented with the present government and anxious to see a change. For 1. They petition Samuel to set a king over them (Sa1 8:4, Sa1 8:5). 2. Samuel brings the matt”
- 1 Samuel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Samuel 8 (introduction): OCCASIONED BY THE ILL-GOVERNMENT OF SAMUEL'S SONS, THE ISRAELITES ASK A KING. (1Sa. 8:1-18) when Samuel was old--He was now about fifty-four years of age, having discharged the office of sole judge for twelve years. Unable, from growing infirmities, to prosecute his circuit journeys through the country, he at length confined his magisterial duties to Ramah and its neighborhood (Sa1 7:15), delegating to his sons as his deputies the administration of justice in the southern districts of Palestine, their provincial court being held at Beer-”
- Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on I Samuel 8:22: And the LORD said to Samuel, “Accept the speech of the people and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go, every man to his city.””
- 1 Samuel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Samuel 8:8: 8:8 followed other gods: The people’s request for a king was tantamount to idolatry. Israel’s monarchy was a divine concession rather than a divine gift. Kingship or any other human institution becomes idolatrous when it replaces trust in God.”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 20b.10: It is taught in a baraita : Rabbi Eliezer says: The elders of Samuel’s generation asked appropriately, as it is stated: “Give us a king to judge us” (I Samuel 8:6), since they wanted a steady leader in place of Samuel. But the ignoramuses among them ruined it, as it is stated: “But the people refused to heed the voice of Samuel; and they said: No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and emerge before us, and fight our battles” (I Samuel 8:19–20).”
- 1 Samuel (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 8:21: These words of the people were laid by Samuel before the Lord, and the Lord commanded him to give the people a king. With this answer Samuel sent the men of Israel, i.e., the elders, away. This is implied in the words, "Go ye every man unto his city," since we may easily supply from the context, "till I shall call you again, to appoint you the king you desire."”
- 1 Samuel (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 8:19: With such a description of the "right of the king" as this, Samuel had pointed out to the elders the dangers connected with a monarchy in so alarming a manner, that they ought to have been brought to reflection, and to have desisted from their demand. "But the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel." They repeated their demand, "We will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and conduct our battles."”
- 1 Samuel (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 8 (introduction): Samuel, grown old, makes his sons judges in Beer-sheba, Sa1 8:1, Sa1 8:2. They pervert judgment; and the people complain, and desire a king, Sa1 8:3-5. Samuel is displeased, and inquires of the Lord, Sa1 8:6. The Lord is also displeased; but directs Samuel to appoint them a king, and to show them solemnly the consequences of their choice, Sa1 8:7-9. Samuel does so; and shows them what they may expect from an absolute monarch, and how afflicted they should be under his administration, Sa1 8:10-18. The people refuse to recede from their demand; and Samue”