I Chronicles 10:14 · Bible study
1 Chronicles 10:14 Commentary: The Heart of Inquiry
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why the Chronicler says Saul did not seek the Lord, though 1 Samuel records he did. The difference between genuine inquiry and empty religious form.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Saul’s failure to genuinely seek the Lord brought divine judgment and the transfer of the kingdom to David, showing that hollow religious acts are counted as disobedience.
- Key words: Darash (דָּרַשׁ), to seek, consult, inquire; underscores the difference between outward form and heartfelt dependence.
- Main debate: Whether 1 Chronicles 10:14 contradicts 1 Samuel 28:6, or whether the Chronicler judges the quality of Saul’s inquiry (the consensus among supplied commentaries is the latter).
- Theological theme: God desires wholehearted seeking, not perfunctory ritual; the Davidic covenant stands on God’s faithfulness, not human merit.
- Best use: A caution against religious formalism and an invitation to examine the sincerity of our own prayer and worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
WEB World English Bible 2000
and didn’t inquire of Yahweh. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
KJV King James Version 1769
And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and inquired not of Jehovah: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and he inquired not at Jehovah, and He putteth him to death, and turneth round the kingdom to David son of Jesse.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and he asked not counsel of Jehovah; therefore he slew him, and transferred the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And trusted not in the Lord: therefore he slew him, and transferred his kingdom to David the son of Isai.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y no consultó á Jehová: por esta causa lo mató, y traspasó el reino á David, hijo de Isaí.
E não ter buscado ao SENHOR. Por isso ele o matou, e passou o reino a Davi, filho de Jessé.
Il ne consulta point l’ Éternel; alors l’ Éternel le fit mourir, et transféra la royauté à David, fils d’ Isaï.
und fragte den HERRN nicht, darum tötete er ihn und wandte das Reich zu David, dem Sohn Isais.
En den HEERE niet gezocht had; daarom doodde Hij hem, en keerde het koninkrijk tot David, den zoon van Isai.
mentre non avea consultato l’Eterno. E l’Eterno lo fece morire, e trasferì il regno a Davide, figliuolo d’Isai.
A iż się nie radził Pana, zabił go, a przeniósł królestwo na Dawida, syna Isajego.
а не взыскал Господа. За то Он и умертвил его, и передал царство Давиду, сыну Иессееву.
沒有 求問 耶和華，所以耶和華使他被殺，把 國 歸於 耶西 的兒子 大衛。
And not to the Lord: for this reason, he put him to death and gave the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Chronicles 10:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the Chronicler’s statement that Saul “didn’t inquire of Yahweh” does not contradict 1 Samuel 28:6, where Saul does inquire but receives no answer. Gill points out that the inquiry was “not done seriously, sincerely, and heartily; it was accounted as if he inquired not at all.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown call it “a mere mockery.” Wesley adds that Saul did not inquire “in a right manner, not humbly and penitently, not diligently and importunately.” Keil and Delitzsch note that when God fell silent, Saul turned to the sorceress at Endor rather than pursuing God with earnestness. The consensus is that the Chronicler judges the quality of the inquiry, not its mere occurrence. Where the heart is absent, the act itself is counted as nothing before God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Harmonization: Insincere inquiry: Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Wesley, Keil & Delitzsch all argue that Saul’s inquiry in 1 Samuel 28:6 was superficial, hypocritical, or too late, and the Chronicler’s language reflects that judgment.
- Apparent contradiction: A surface reading sees 1 Samuel 28:6 saying Saul inquired and 1 Chronicles 10:14 saying he did not, suggesting a conflict that requires resolution.
What is clear: The Chronicler intends to teach that Saul’s heart was not genuinely turned toward God in his inquiry, and that this failure led to his death and the transfer of the kingdom to David.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of Saul’s inquiry in 1 Chronicles 10:14 vs. 1 Samuel 28:6 | Saul did ask God for guidance in some sense (1 Samuel 28:6), but God did not answer. The Chronicler's statement that he 'did not inquire' refers to the quality or acceptability of the inquiry. | Some readers see a historical contradiction between the two accounts. Others affirm that the Chronicler is making a theological judgment, Saul's inquiry was so hollow that it did not count as genuine seeking. |
| Why God did not answer Saul | God had departed from Saul because of his repeated disobedience and unrepentant heart. | Some traditions emphasize that God's silence was a form of discipline or judgment; others stress that Saul’s failure to persevere in seeking (turning to the medium instead) was the decisive factor. |
| The transfer of the kingdom to David | The Chronicler presents this as a divine act, not a human coup. God 'turned' the kingdom to David, fulfilling earlier prophecies. | Christians agree that David was God's chosen king, but views differ on whether this signifies an unconditional promise to David’s line (as emphasized in covenant theology) or a typological foreshadowing of Christ’s eternal kingship. |
| The Chronicler's purpose in recounting Saul’s death | The account serves as a transition from the failed reign of Saul to the founding of the Davidic dynasty, and it offers a theological explanation for Saul's downfall. | Some see the Chronicler as primarily moralistic, warning against disobedience. Others view the passage as more strongly therapeutic, showing that even judgment serves God’s redemptive plan for His people. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Battle of Gilboa, recorded in 1 Chronicles 10, marks a watershed moment in Israel’s history. The Philistines had employed superior strategy: rather than marching directly into the hill country of Judah and Benjamin, they moved north along the coast and then turned east into the Plain of Jezreel, where their chariots could operate with decisive effect. Saul and his army, cut off from their base, were forced to fight on Mount Gilboa, a position that left them vulnerable to archers and cavalry.
The Chronicler writes for a post-exilic audience that already knows the tragic arc of Saul’s life. This account is not a full biography but a carefully shaped theological summary. Verse 13 lists Saul’s three great sins: trespassing against Yahweh’s word, consulting a medium, and failing to inquire of the Lord. The verb darash (דָּרַשׁ) can mean “to resort to, seek with care, enquire, require.” For Israel’s king, this meant seeking divine guidance through the Urim and Thummim or a prophet. Saul had killed the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22), cutting himself off from the legitimate means of inquiry. By turning to the necromancer at Endor, he demonstrated where his trust actually lay.
The verse closes by highlighting the outcome: the kingdom was “turned over to David the son of Jesse.” The verb savav (סָבַב) means to turn or bring around. This was not a mere political shift but a divine transfer. The Chronicler uses this transition to show that the Davidic monarchy was not a human coup but God’s sovereign plan, first announced in 1 Samuel 13:14 and 15:28. For readers who had seen the monarchy’s collapse in the exile, this underscored that God remains faithful to His promises even when human leaders fail.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note that verses 13, 14 are unique to the Chronicler’s account; they do not appear in the parallel narrative in 1 Samuel 31. Beyond this editorial addition, the supplied sources indicate no significant textual variants for verse 14 itself. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts for this verse.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been read as a sobering warning against empty religion. Early interpreters such as the Antiochene fathers drew on the contrast between Saul's superficial inquiry and David's wholehearted seeking of God. The medieval Jewish commentator Rashi (not supplied, but generally known) connected Saul's failure to seek through the Urim with his earlier slaughter of the priests. In the Reformation era, Calvin and the Geneva Bible highlighted the sovereignty of God in “turning the kingdom,” balancing human responsibility with divine providence. Wesleyan and Methodist traditions have used the passage to emphasize the necessity of praying in faith, not as a mere formality. Modern scholarship, building on the Chronicler’s literary purpose, reads the verse as a theological reinterpretation of history, reminding readers that what God counts is not the outward act but the heart that offers it.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Form without heart is counted as nothing. Saul did inquire outwardly (1 Samuel 28:6), but the Chronicler, and the biblical narrator, treats that inquiry as void because it lacked genuine repentance, humility, and persistence. It is possible to go through religious motions while never truly seeking God’s face.
- When God falls silent, the honest heart presses closer. Receiving no answer, Saul did not wait, confess, or repent. He ran to a medium. The same silence that should have driven him to his knees drove him into deeper sin.
- God’s purposes are not derailed by human failure. The kingdom was turned to David. The Chronicler places Saul’s death as the doorway to David’s reign, reminding the post-exilic community that God works through judgment to bring about redemption.
Five-point outline
- The tragedy of a king who started well and ended poorly.
- The difference between religious habit and seeking the Lord with the whole heart.
- The danger of cutting yourself off from the means of grace (the priests at Nob, the silence of prophecy).
- The deceptive allure of consulting other sources when God seems distant.
- The sovereign hand that transfers power from a rejected king to an appointed one.
Illustration hooks
- A person who always says “I’ll pray about it” but never actually changes direction, the words become a cover for inaction.
- A couple who attend marriage counseling but arrive with minds already made up, unwilling to listen. The counselor’s advice falls flat because the heart is closed.
- A team member who asks for feedback but immediately defends every point. The request was form, not genuine seeking.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know if my prayers are genuine seeking or just going through the motions?
- Does God ever stop listening to His people, and what should I do if I sense silence?
- Is it possible to “inquire of the Lord” in the wrong way, and what does that look like today?
Leading a Discussion
The Chronicler offers a diagnosis of Saul’s spiritual condition more than a timeline of events. This passage invites us to examine the quality of our own seeking. In a culture that often values busy religious activity, the Bible consistently separates hollow ritual from heartfelt dependence on God. Use these questions to explore the difference together.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Samuel 28:6 and 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14 side by side. What difference do you notice between a factual account and a theological evaluation?
- The Hebrew verb darash (to seek, inquire, consult) appears in both verses. Based on the surrounding story, what does a genuine darash look like?
- Why do you think the Chronicler says Saul “didn’t inquire” when the earlier text says he did? How does this shape your understanding of what God values in prayer?
- Saul had cut himself off from the priests (the Urim and the prophets). Are there ways we unintentionally cut ourselves off from the means of seeking God today?
- The verse ends with a transfer of the kingdom to David. How does this sovereign action encourage you when human leaders or circumstances seem chaotic?
- What specific steps could you take this week to move from “empty inquiry” toward a genuine seeking of God’s guidance?
- How does this passage speak to times when you have felt God was silent? What does it not say about those seasons?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 10:11 | Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “Didn’t I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? |
| Judges 10:16 | They put away the foreign gods from among them and served Yahweh; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. |
| I Samuel 13:14 | But now your kingdom will not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.” |
| I Samuel 15:28 | Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. |
| I Samuel 16:1 | Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons.” |
| I Samuel 16:11 | Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your children here?” He said, “There remains yet the youngest. Behold, he is keeping the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.” |
| I Samuel 16:13 | Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. |
| I Samuel 28:6 | When Saul inquired of Yahweh, Yahweh didn’t answer him by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Saul's death resulted from multiple specific failures: his disobedience in the Amalek war, consulting mediums, and slaughtering the priests. The men of Jabesh-gilead later risked their lives to honor Saul's remains, driven by deep gratitude for his earlier rescue of their city from destruction.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that the Philistines won the battle of Gilboa through superior strategy, using chariots to cut off Saul from his home base. The Chronicler adds that Saul's defeat came because he failed to seek the Lord's guidance, counting only timely inquiries as genuine.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes zero in on Saul's fatal failure to seek the Lord's direction. Because he did not ask God for guidance, God struck him down and gave the kingdom to David. The commentary directly links Saul's neglect in consulting the Lord to both his death and the loss of the monarchy.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that Saul's inquiry of the Lord was insincere and careless, done only outwardly and hypocritically. Because it lacked genuine heart and consistency, Scripture treats it as if he never inquired at all. God therefore handed the kingdom to David.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that Saul's inquiry of the Lord was a sham, done in outward form but without a penitent heart or real faith. His rush to consult a medium proves he had no genuine religious conviction left, only a hollow pretense.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that Saul did inquire of the Lord, but received no answer because God had left him. His sin was not a failure to ask, but turning to a sorceress instead of earnestly seeking God's grace for a response. That consultation brought his death sentence from Samuel's mouth.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that the Chronicler added verses 13-14 to attribute Saul's
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws two lessons from the Philistines' treatment of Saul's corpse: high rank invites greater disgrace, and giving glory to idols after a victory condemns those who forget to thank the true God for their successes.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a sharp distinction between superficial inquiry and genuine seeking. He observes that this person did ask questions of God, but not in the right spirit — without humility, persistence, or patience until it was simply too late.