1 Samuel 10:5 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Samuel 10:5
After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
hill
גִּבְעָהgibʻâh
H1389
a hillock
God
הָאֱלֹהִ֔יםha.'E.lo.Him
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
garrison
נְצִבֵ֣יne.tzi.Vei
H5333
something stationary · noun, common masculine plural construct
Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּ֑יםfe.lish.Tim
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
thither
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
2 Kings 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
1 Samuel 13:3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout a…
1 Samuel 19:20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over the…
1 Samuel 10:10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among…
2 Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy mas…
2 Kings 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master fr…
2 Kings 2:15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came…
1 Chronicles 25:1-6 Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophes…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 10:1-8
Samuel is here executing the office of a prophet, giving Saul full assurance from God that he should be king, as he was afterwards, according to these prophecies which went before of him.
I. He anointed him and kissed him, Sa1 10:1. This was not done in a solemn assembly, but it was done by divine appointment, which made up the want of all external solemnities, nor was it ever the less valid for its being done in private, under a hedge, or, as the Jews say, by a fountain. God's institutions are great and honourable, though the circumstances of their administration be ever so mean and despicable. 1. Samuel, by anointing Saul, assured him that it was God's act to make him king: Is it not becau…
the hill of God--probably Geba (Sa1 13:3), so called from a school of the prophets being established there. The company of prophets were, doubtless, the pupils at this seminary, which had probably been instituted by Samuel, and in which the chief branches of education taught were a knowledge of the law, and of psalmody with instrumental music, which is called "prophesying" (here and in Ch1 25:1, Ch1 25:7).
Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 10:5
The hill of God - The Targum says, "The hill on which the ark of the Lord was. Calmet supposes it to be a height near Gibeah.
The garrison of the Philistines - Probably they kept a watch on the top of this hill, with a company of soldiers to keep the country in check.
A company of prophets - A company of scribes, says the Targum. Probably the scholars of the prophets; for the prophets seem to have been the only accredited teachers, at particular times, in Israel; and at this time there does not appear to have been any other prophet besides Samuel in this quarter. Probably the teacher of this school was not an inspired man, but one acting under the direction of Samuel. Mr. Harmer thinks that…
After these things, you will come to the hill of God, where the station of the Philistines is, etc. Understand the hill of God to be Gabatha, the city which is interpreted as a hill. Therefore, the Lord, coming to the height of His divine majesty to be explained to mortals, which impure spirits brazenly claimed for themselves, took a flock of prophets as companions, helpers, and witnesses of His preaching; just as He Himself taught by reading one of them from Isaiah (Luke IV); those prophets, indeed, were accustomed to return from the hidden summit of the highest glory to the common weaknesses of humanity by both doing and speaking, with their life and their word being like an instrument they played and a song they sang. And beautifully, the flock of prophets descending from the height and prophesying is described not as having musicians behind them, but in front of them. For the teacher is truly shown to have been in the height of divine contemplation, who, condescending to speak to the humble and weak, preaches everything he is going to say, demonstrating by his actions what he will teach by his words, similar to how it is written of the Lord: "Jesus began to do and to teach" (Acts I). Therefore, when the prophets met him, Saul accepted the Spirit of the Lord and prophesied with them, and he was immediately changed into another man. So also our Lord, after revealing the prophecies about Himself from the prophets, openly filled with the spirit of grace and prophecy, that is, preaching the joys to come, took up His ministry. And without delay, as the minds of believers advanced, He was changed from a prophet into the Christ, not by beginning to be what He was not, but by appearing as what He was.
12. A hill is the height of a mountain. What is more rightly understood by this hill than the holy intent of the Scriptures? It is indeed the height of a mountain, because it does not lie on the plain of the letter, but is exceedingly elevated in the sublimity of spiritual meanings. The untrained preacher therefore sets out on the right path of virtues if, after he has seen the public preachers and the secluded anchorites, he sees and recognizes the height of Scripture. In this matter it should be noted that we said Saul, in that he stood out above all the people from his shoulders and upward, signified a learned man of great conduct. Why then does he ascend to the hill of the Lord, so that he may come to the height of the Scriptures, which he already knows? But in a similar way it could have been asked about him why he went to see the men leaping over great ditches, when he was said to be a man of great conduct. To which it must be said: because he was shown to represent great men in conduct, but untrained in the ministry of preaching. He who can advance through the examples of better men both in the purity of contemplation and in the office of preaching ought to return to the height of the Scriptures, because the higher the life by which he advances, the more keenly he attends to the sublimity of sacred speech. Let the prophet therefore say: "After these things you will come to the hill of the Lord." As if to say: When you grasp the perfection of holy men through perfect imitation, you will advance into so great an understanding of Sacred Scripture that what you once thought you perceived in it sublimely will now seem plain. 13. There is the garrison of the Philistines: because those who fell from heaven through the drink of pride mock the Jews and heretics through the Scriptures. They stand therefore on the hill: because the hearts they possess they deceive in the Scriptures by the falseness of understanding. Therefore, as often as the Jews presume to ascend to the hill of the Lord, they are captured by the Philistines standing there. For while they think they understand the meaning of Scripture in a lofty way, demons meet them in their ascent and, deceiving them, slay them. Rightly, therefore, Saul is commanded to go to the hill of the Lord not immediately, but first, after seeing those leaping over pits and carrying bread and wine: because faithful men…
Dictionary and topics
Garrison — (1.) Heb. matstsab, a station; a place where one stands (1 Sam. 14:12); a military or fortified post (1 Sam. 13:23; 14:1, 4, 6, etc.). (2.) Heb. netsib, a prefect, superintendent; hence a military…
Gibeah — A hill or hill-town, “of Benjamin” (1 Sam. 13:15), better known as “Gibeah of Saul” (11:4; Isa. 10:29). It was here that the terrible outrage was committed on the Levite’s concubine which led to the…
Music — Jubal was the inventor of musical instruments (Gen. 4:21). The Hebrews were much given to the cultivation of music. Their whole history and literature afford abundant evidence of this. After the…
Music, Instrumental — Among instruments of music used by the Hebrews a principal place is given to stringed instruments. These were, (1.) The kinnor, the “harp.” (2.) The nebel, “a skin bottle,” rendered “psaltery.” (3.)…
Pipe — (1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Kings 1:40; Isa. 5:12; 30:29). The Hebrew word halil, so rendered, means “bored through,” and is the name given to various kinds of wind instruments, as the fife, flute, Pan-pipes,…
Plains — This one term does duty in the Authorized Version for no less than seven distinct Hebrew words.
Samuel — Heard of God. The peculiar circumstances connected with his birth are recorded in 1 Sam. 1:20. Hannah, one of the two wives of Elkanah, who came up to Shiloh to worship before the Lord, earnestly…
Tabret — (Heb. toph), a timbrel (q.v.) or tambourine, generally played by women (Gen. 31:27; 1 Sam. 10:5; 18:6). In Job 17:6 the word (Heb. topheth) “tabret” should be, as in the Revised Version, “an open…
Tongues, Gift of — Granted on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), in fulfilment of a promise Christ had made to his disciples (Mark 16:17). What this gift actually was has been a subject of much discussion. Some have…
Harp · Used in worship — Used in worship
כְבֹאֲךָ֨khe.vo.'a.Kha
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
city
הָעִ֗ירha.'Ir
H5892
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
meet
וּפָגַעְתָּ֞u.fa.ga'.Ta
H6293
to impinge · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
company
חֶ֤בֶלChe.vel
H2256
a rope (as twisted) · noun, common both genders singular construct
prophets
נְבִיאִים֙ne.vi.'Im
H5030
a prophet or (generally) inspired man · noun, common masculine plural absolute
down
יֹרְדִ֣יםyo.re.Dim
H3381
to descend (literally · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
place
מֵֽהַבָּמָ֔הme.ha.ba.Mah
H1116
an elevation · preposition + definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
psaltery
נֵ֤בֶלNe.vel
H5035
a skin-bag for liquids (from collapsing when empty) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
tabret
וְתֹף֙ve.Tof
H8596
a tambourine · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
pipe
וְחָלִ֣ילve.cha.Lil
H2485
a flute (as perforated) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
harp
וְכִנּ֔וֹרve.khi.Nor
H3658
a harp · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
before
וְלִפְנֵיהֶ֞םve.lif.nei.Hem
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
prophesy
מִֽתְנַבְּאִֽיםMit.na.be.'Im
H5012
to prophesy · verb, hithpael active participle, masculine plural absolute
After that thou shall come to the hill of God,.... The Targum is, the hill in which was the ark of the Lord, and that was in the house of Abinadab, on a hill in the city of Kirjathjearim, 1 Samuel 7:1 and so the Jewish commentators generally interpret this hill of God of Kirjathjearim; but rather it was Geba, a city of Benjamin, partly because by this time he must have got out of the tribe of Judah into the tribe of Benjamin, and even almost to the end of his journey, and among those that were his relations, 1 Samuel 10:11 and partly because it is certain there was a garrison of the Philistines at Geba, 1 Samuel 13:3 as there was at this place, as follows:
where is the garrison of the Phili…
To confirm the consecration of Saul as king over Israel, which had been effected through the anointing, Samuel gave him three more signs which would occur on his journey home, and would be a pledge to him that Jehovah would accompany his undertakings with His divine help, and practically accredit him as His anointed. These signs, therefore, stand in the closest relation to the calling conveyed to Saul through his anointing.
Sa1 10:2
The first sign: "When thou goest away from me to-day (i.e., now), thou wilst meet two men at Rachel's sepulchre, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses of thy father, which thou wentest to seek, are found. Behold, they father…
Gibeah of God, Saul’s hometown (10:26), had been a lawless city (Judg 19–21). Nowhere else is it described as being “of God.” This description might point to God’s ownership of the town despite the occupation of the Philistines. • band: Prophets often lived in groups (e.g., 2 Kgs 2:3). • harp . . . lyre: Ancient prophets sometimes used musical instruments to stimulate and accompany prophesying (e.g., 2 Kgs 3:15).
Rashi on 1 Samuel 10:5
The hill of God. The hill of Kiryas Ye'arim, where the Ark of God was now resting.
Philistine officers. Officers whom they had appointed over Yisroel, for they [the Philistines] were ruling over them and stationing officers in the cities of Yisroel.3The Philistines had been conquering parts of Eretz Yisroel and had appointed officers to govern the areas that they dominated.—Mahri Kra
A band of prophets. Targum Yonoson renders, 'a band of scribes.' 'חֶבֶל' is a band, similar to, 'the חֶבְלֵי of the wicked surrounded me'4II Shmuel 22:6. [rendered by Targum as], 'the bands of the wicked surrounded me.'
From the high place. Targum Yonoson renders, 'from the banquet hall.'
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Mountain
· Used for idolatrous worship
— Used for idolatrous worship
Music · Effects produced on the prophets of old by — Effects produced on the prophets of old by
Pipe · Used in religious services — Used in religious services
Prophets · Often accompanied by music while predicting — Often accompanied by music while predicting
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
