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King James Version
1 Samuel 16:2
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!”
Shemu'el said, How can I go? if Sha'ul hear it, he will kill me. The LORD said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
But Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me." Yahweh said, "You must take a heifer from the herd with you, and you must say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.'
And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord .'
But Samuel said, "If I go, Saul will hear the news and will try to kill me." The Lord said, "Take a young calf with you. Say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord .'
Samuel replied, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!" But the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord .'
But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer from the herd with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'
But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me." But the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
And Samuel sayde, Howe can I goe? for if Saul shall heare it, he will kill me. Then the Lorde answered, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to doe sacrifice to the Lord.
But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear of it and will kill me." Then Yahweh said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.'
Samuel answered, "If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed." "Take a calf with you," the Lord replied. "Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me,
Sh'mu'el said, "How can I go? If Sha'ul hears of it, he will have me killed." Adonai said, "Take a female cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Adonai .'
And Samuel said, How shall I go? if Saul hear [it], he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
But Samuel said, "If I go, Saul will hear the news and try to kill me." The Lord said, "Go to Bethlehem. Take a young calf with you and tell them, ‘I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord .'
And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said to Samuel, Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
"How can I do that?" Samuel asked. "If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!" The Lord answered, "Take a calf with you and say that you are there to offer a sacrifice to the Lord .
And Samuel said, How can I go? When Saul hears, then he will kill me. And Jehovah said, You shall take a heifer from the herd in your hand, and shall say, I have come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
But Samuel sayde: How shal I go? Saul shal perceaue it, and shal slaye me. The LORDE sayde: Take the a calfe from the droue, & saye: I am come to do sacrifice vnto ye LORDE.
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
And Samuel said, How is it possible for me to go? If Saul gets news of it he will put me to death. And the Lord said, Take a young cow with you and say, I have come to make an offering to the Lord.
And Samuel sayd: How can I go? For if Saul heare it, he will kill me. The Lord aunswered: Take an heyfer with thee, and saye: I am come to offer to the Lorde.
And Samuel said: 'How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me.' And the LORD said: 'Take a heifer with thee, and say: I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
And Samuel said, How can I goe? if Saul heare it, he will kill mee. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
And Samuel said, How can I go? whereas Saul will hear of it, and slay me: and the Lord said, Take a heifer in thine hand and thou shall say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
"How can I go?" Samuel asked. "Saul will hear of it and kill me!" The LORD answered, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
And Samuel seide, Hou schal Y go? for Saul schal here, and he schal sle me. And the Lord seide, Thou schalt take a calf of the droue in thi hond, and thou schalt seye, Y cam to make sacrifice to the Lord.
And Samuel saith, `How do I go? when Saul hath heard, then he hath slain me.' And Jehovah saith, `A heifer of the herd thou dost take in thy hand, and hast said, To sacrifice to Jehovah I have come;
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hears it, he will kill me. And Yahweh said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul shall hear [it], he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. Yahweh said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Yahweh.
And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." But the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me." "Take a heifer with you," the Lord replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord .
But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will kill me when he hears about it." The Lord said, "Take a young cow with you, and say, ‘I have come to give a gift to the Lord.'
Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord .'
And Samuel said, How can I go? As soon as Saul heareth, he will slay me. Then said Yahweh, A heifer, take thou with thee, and say, To sacrifice unto Yahweh, am I come.
And Samuel said: How shall I go? for Saul will hear of it, and he will kill me. And the Lord said: Thou shalt take with thee a calf of the herd, and thou shalt say: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
"I can't do that," said Samuel. "Saul will hear about it and kill me." God said, "Take a heifer with you and announce, ‘I've come to lead you in worship of God , with this heifer as a sacrifice.' Make sure Jesse gets invited. I'll let you know what to do next. I'll point out the one you are to anoint."
But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
How can I go: Exodus 3:11, 1 Kings 18:9-14, Matthew 10:16, Luke 1:34
Take an heifer: For the prudent management of the affair, and to avoid suspicion, Samuel was directed to go to Bethlehem to sacrifice, as he probably did from time to time in many different places; and the answer which he was instructed to return was strictly true though he did not tell the principal design of his coming; for though no man in any circumstances should tell a lie, yet, in all circumstances, he is not bound to tell the whole truth, though he must tell nothing but the truth, and so tell that truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it.
with thee: Heb. in thine hand, 1 Samuel 9:12
I am come: 1 Samuel 9:12, 1 Samuel 20:29, Jeremiah 38:26, Jeremiah 38:27
Reciprocal: Genesis 34:30 - and I shall Leviticus 17:8 - that offereth 1 Samuel 7:9 - a sucking 1 Samuel 20:6 - sacrifice 2 Samuel 15:7 - pay 2 Samuel 15:8 - thy servant 2 Kings 9:3 - and flee Matthew 2:22 - he was Acts 9:13 - Lord
Cross-References
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Samuel said, how can I go?.... Which argues weakness of faith in Samuel, and fear of man, and a diffidence in and distrust of divine power; for otherwise he that sent him on such an errand could protect him:
if Saul hear it, he will kill me; should hear that Samuel went and anointed another king, it would so enrage him, that he would either immediately lay hands on him, and put him to death, or order him to be put to death; and indeed were it not that this was done by the command of God, he would deserve to die; it being an overt act of treason to anoint another king:
and the Lord said, take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord; a peace offering, which might be done any where in those unsettled times, the ark being at one place, and the tabernacle at another; and might be offered upon a private altar, and by a private person; and as it seems Samuel used to sacrifice at different places; see 1 Samuel 7:9. Ben Gersom relates it as the sense of one of their Rabbins in his age, that there was a person slain in those parts, not known by whom he was slain; and so Samuel is ordered to take an heifer to fulfil the law in Deuteronomy 21:1 and therefore Saul would make no inquiry into his reason of going thither with an heifer, and this is commended both by him and Abarbinel.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
It was the purpose of God that David should be anointed at this time as Saulâs successor, and as the ancestor and the type of His Christ. It was not the purpose of God that Samuel should stir up a civil war, by setting up David as Saulâs rival. Secrecy, therefore, was a necessary part of the transaction. But secrecy and concealment are not the same as duplicity and falsehood. Concealment of a good purpose, for a good purpose, is clearly justifiable. There is therefore nothing in the least inconsistent with truth in the occurrence here related. Compare Exodus 7:16; Exodus 8:1; Exodus 9:13.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 1 Samuel 16:2. Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice — This was strictly true; Samuel did offer a sacrifice; and it does not appear that he could have done the work which God designed, unless he had offered this sacrifice, and called the elders of the people together, and thus collected Jesse's sons. But he did not tell the principal design of his coming; had he done so, it would have produced evil and no good: and though no man, in any circumstances, should ever tell a lie, yet in all circumstances he is not obliged to tell the whole truth, though in every circumstance he must tell nothing but the truth, and in every case so tell the truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it.
