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The NET Bible®

1 Samuel 12:17

Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena;   Miracles;   Rain;   Repentance;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Thunder;   Thompson Chain Reference - Agriculture;   Agriculture-Horticulture;   Harvest;   Meteorology;   Samuel;   Weather;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Harvest, the;   Kings;   Rain;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Clouds;   Thunder;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - King, Kingship;   Mediator, Mediation;   Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Thunder;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Rain;   Thunder;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cloud;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Famine;   Israel;   Kingdom of God;   Samuel, Books of;   Thunder;   Wheat;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Agriculture;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Harvest;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Thunder;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Knit;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Harvest;   Omnipotence;   Palestine;   Thunder;   Wheat;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cloud;   Sanhedrin;   Wheat;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Isn’t the wheat harvest today? I will call on the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain so that you will recognize what an immense evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves.”
Hebrew Names Version
Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
King James Version
Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord , and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord , in asking you a king.
Lexham English Bible
Is the wheat harvest not today? I will call out to Yahweh so that he still sends thunder and rain, so that you will know and will see that your wickedness is great that you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for a king for yourselves."
English Standard Version
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord , that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord , in asking for yourselves a king."
New Century Version
It is now the time of the wheat harvest. I will pray for the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will know what an evil thing you did against the Lord when you asked for a king."
Amplified Bible
"Is it not [the beginning of the] wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD and He will send thunder and rain; then you will know [without any doubt], and see that your evil which you have done is great in the sight of the LORD by asking for yourselves a king."
New American Standard Bible
"Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, that He will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the LORD, by asking for yourselves a king."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Is it not nowe wheat haruest? I wil call vnto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and raine, that yee may perceiue and see, howe that your wickednesse is great, which ye haue done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a King.
Legacy Standard Bible
Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that He may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for yourselves a king."
Contemporary English Version
Isn't this the dry season? I'm going to ask the Lord to send a thunderstorm. When you see it, you will realize how wrong you were to ask for a king.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now is wheat harvest time, isn't it? I am going to call on Adonai to send thunder and rain. Then you will understand and see how wicked from Adonai 's viewpoint is the thing you have done in asking for a king."
Darby Translation
Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, and he will send thunder and rain; and ye shall perceive and see that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah in asking for yourselves a king.
Easy-to-Read Version
Now is the time of the wheat harvest. I will pray to the Lord and ask him to send thunder and rain. Then you will know you did a very bad thing against the Lord when you asked for a king."
George Lamsa Translation
Behold, it is wheat harvest today; I will call to the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, in that you have asked for yourselves a king.
Good News Translation
It's the dry season, isn't it? But I will pray, and the Lord will send thunder and rain. When this happens, you will realize that you committed a great sin against the Lord when you asked him for a king."
Literal Translation
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Jehovah and He will give sounds and rain. And know and see that your evil is great, that which you have done in the eyes of Jehovah, to ask a king for yourselves.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Is not now the wheate haruest? Yet wyll I call vpo the LORDE, so that he shal cause it thonder and rayne, that ye shall knowe and se the greate euell, which ye haue done in the sight of the LORDE, in that ye haue desyred to haue a kynge.
American Standard Version
Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king.
Bible in Basic English
Is it not now the time of the grain cutting? My cry will go up to the Lord and he will send thunder and rain: so that you may see and be conscious of your great sin which you have done in the eyes of the Lord in desiring a king for yourselves.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Is it not nowe wheate hearuest? I will call vnto the Lorde, & he shal sende thunder & rayne, that ye may perceaue and see howe that your wickednes is great which ye haue done in the sight of the Lord in asking you a king.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto the LORD, that He may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.'
King James Version (1611)
Is it not wheat haruest to day? I will call vnto the Lord, and hee shall send thunder and raine, that ye may perceiue and see that your wickednesse is great, which ye haue done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a King.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call upon the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; and know ye and see, that your wickedness is great which ye have wrought before the Lord, having asked for yourselves a king.
English Revised Version
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call unto the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
Berean Standard Bible
Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whether heruest of whete is not `to dai? I schal inwardli clepe the Lord, and he schal yyue voices, `that is, thundris, and reynes; and ye schulen wite, and schulen se, for ye axynge a kyng on you han do greuouse yuel to you in the siyt of the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I call unto Jehovah, and He doth give voices and rain; and know ye and see that your evil is great which ye have done in the eyes of Jehovah, to ask for you a king.'
Update Bible Version
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking for yourselves a king.
Webster's Bible Translation
[Is it] not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call to the LORD, and he will send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness [is] great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
World English Bible
Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking you a king.
New King James Version
Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves."
New Living Translation
You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!"
New Life Bible
Is it not the time to gather grain today? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that you have done a bad sin in the eyes of the Lord by asking for a king."
New Revised Standard
Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord , that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that the wickedness that you have done in the sight of the Lord is great in demanding a king for yourselves."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Is it not wheat harvest, to-day? I will cry unto Yahweh, that he may give forth thunderings and rain, - know ye then and see, that, your wrong, is great which ye have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking for yourselves, a king.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call upon the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain: and you shall know, and see that you yourselves have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, in desiring a king over you.
Revised Standard Version
Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking for yourselves a king."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, that He may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the LORD by asking for yourselves a king."

Contextual Overview

16 "So now, take your positions and watch this great thing that the Lord is about to do in your sight. 17 Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves." 18 So Samuel called to the Lord , and the Lord made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both the Lord and Samuel. 19 All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us—your servants—so we won't die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king." 20 Then Samuel said to the people, "Don't be afraid. You have indeed sinned. However, don't turn aside from the Lord . Serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can't profit and can't deliver, since they are empty. 22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. The Lord was pleased to make you his own people. 23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright. 24 However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you! 25 But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Is it: In northern latitudes, thunder and rain are far from being un-common during harvest. But rain is hardly ever known in Palestine during that season, which commences about the end of June, or beginning of July. This fact is abundantly confirmed by modern travellers, and is demonstrative to every unprejudiced reader of the Holy Scriptures, that the thunder and rain, which at Samuel's invocation, was sent at this season of the year, was a miraculous interposition of the power of God; for we read in 1 Samuel 12:16, it was a "great thing which the Lord will do." Thus were the Israelites warned of their sin in having asked a king, and of the omnipotence of that God, whose gracious promises they virtually neglected by this act. Proverbs 26:1

I will call: 1 Samuel 7:9, 1 Samuel 7:10, Joshua 10:12, Psalms 99:6, Jeremiah 15:1, James 5:16-18

your wickedness: 1 Samuel 8:7

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:23 - the Lord sent Exodus 19:16 - thunders Judges 2:17 - they would 1 Samuel 8:5 - now make 1 Samuel 8:6 - displeased 1 Samuel 10:19 - And ye have 1 Samuel 11:15 - rejoiced greatly 1 Samuel 31:6 - General 2 Samuel 22:14 - thundered Ezra 10:9 - trembling Job 38:28 - Hath the Isaiah 29:6 - General Jeremiah 10:13 - maketh

Cross-References

Genesis 12:14
When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15
When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram's wife was taken into the household of Pharaoh,
Genesis 20:18
For the Lord had caused infertility to strike every woman in the household of Abimelech because he took Sarah, Abraham's wife.
1 Chronicles 16:21
He let no one oppress them, he disciplined kings for their sake,
1 Chronicles 21:22
David said to Ornan, "Sell me the threshing floor so I can build on it an altar for the Lord —I'll pay top price—so that the plague may be removed from the people."
Job 34:19
who shows no partiality to princes, and does not take note of the rich more than the poor, because all of them are the work of his hands?
Hebrews 13:4
Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Is it not wheat harvest today?.... Of the time of wheat harvest, :-. Rain usually fell in Judea only twice a year, called the former and the latter rain; and from the seventeenth of Nisan or March, to the sixteenth of Marchesvan or October, it was not usual for rain to fall, and so not in harvest, at that time especially, see Proverbs 26:1. R. Joseph Kimchi says, in the land of Israel rain never fell all the days of harvest; and this is confirmed by Jerom, who lived long in those parts; who says o, at the end of the month of June, and in the month of July, we never saw rain in those provinces, especially in Judea. And Samuel not only by putting this question would have them observe that it was the time of wheat harvest in general, but on that day in particular the men, were at work in the fields reaping the wheat, c. and so was not cloudy, and inclining to rain, but all serene and clear, or otherwise they would not have been employed in cutting down the corn all which made the following case the more remarkable:

I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; in a miraculous and preternatural way, there being nothing in nature preparatory thereunto, and this purely at the prayer of Samuel:

that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king; was attended with aggravated circumstances, and highly offensive to God, though he had gratified them in it, of which this violent storm would be an indication, and might serve to convince them of their folly, as well as of their wickedness, and that they had no need of a king, since Samuel their judge could do as much or more by his prayers than a king could do by his sword; and of which they had had sufficient proof before this, and that in the same way, 1 Samuel 7:10.

o Comment. in Amos iv. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wheat harvest - Between May 15 and June 15. Jerome’s testimony (that of an eye-witness) “I have never seen rain in the end of June, or in July, in Judaea” is borne out by modern travelers.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 12:17. Is it not wheat harvest to-day? — That is, This is the time of wheat harvest. According to St. Jerome, who spent several years in the promised land, this harvest commenced about the end of June or beginning of July, in which he says he never saw rain in Judea: Nunquam enim in fine mensis Junii, sive in mense Julio, in his provinciis, maximeque in Judea, pluvias vidimus. - HIER. in Amos 4:7; where he refers to this very history. What occurred now hardly ever occurs there but in the winter months.


 
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