I Samuel 8:13-18 · Bible study
1 Samuel 8:13-18 Commentary: The Cost of a King
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Samuel's warning about the oppressive nature of kingship: the conscription of daughters, land, and labor.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samuel warns Israel that a human king will conscript daughters, confiscate land, impose extra tithes, and ultimately enslave the people; God will not answer their cries because they chose this king for themselves.
- Key Words: “take” (laqach, repeated five times); “tithe” (asar, vv.15,17); “eunuchs/officers” (saris, v.15); “servants/slaves” (ebed, vv.13,14,15,17,18). The verb forms are imperfect, describing ongoing actions of the king.
- Main Debate: Whether Samuel's warning is a literal description of what would happen or a hyperbolic polemic against monarchy; most commentators treat it as realistic expectation based on known practices.
- Theological Theme: Human kingship brings oppression; trusting in political power rather than God leads to bondage and divine silence.
- Best Use: To teach about the cost of replacing God's rule with human systems; suitable for sermons on political theology, trusting God, or the uniqueness of Christ's kingship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants.
15He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants.
16And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use.
17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
18When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
13He will take your daughters to be perfumers, to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants.
15He will take one tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work.
17He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants.
18You will cry out in that day because of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
KJV King James Version 1769
13And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants.
18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
13`And your daughters he doth take for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers;
14and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards--the best--he doth take, and hath given to his servants.
15And your seed and your vineyards he doth tithe, and hath given to his eunuchs, and to his servants.
16And your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your young men--the best, and your asses, he doth take, and hath prepared for his own work;
17your flock he doth tithe, and ye are to him for servants.
18And ye have cried out in that day because of the king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah doth not answer you in that day.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
13And he will take your daughters for perfumers, and cooks, and bakers.
14And your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best, will he take and give to his servants.
15And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his chamberlains and to his servants.
16And he will take your bondmen, and your bondwomen, and your comeliest young men, and your asses, and use them for his work.
17He will take the tenth of your sheep. And ye shall be his servants.
18And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye have chosen; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
13Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, and to be his cooks, and bakers.
14And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.
15Moreover he will take the tenth of your corn, and of the revenues of your vineyards, to give to his eunuchs and servants.
16Your servants also, and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, he will take away, and put them to his work.
17Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.
18And you shall cry out in that day from the face of the king, whom you have chosen to yourselves: and the Lord will not hear you in that day, because you desired unto yourselves a king.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 8:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Samuel's speech is a stark, realistic warning about the rights a king will claim, not a hypothetical possibility. Gill notes that the word translated "take" (laqach) implies seizure without compensation, as seen in Ahab's taking of Naboth's vineyard. Wesley observes that the inclusion of daughters is "more grievous to their parents, and more dangerous to themselves" because of their vulnerability in a royal court.
Keil and Delitzsch summarize the passage as describing how the king would reduce all the people to his servants or slaves. Cambridge Bible and Keil also note a likely textual variant: in verse 16, "your goodliest young men" should probably be read as "your oxen" based on the Septuagint, making the list of possessions more coherent: servants, maids, oxen, and donkeys. The regular repetition of "he will take" (verse 13,14,16) stresses the comprehensive, relentless nature of royal appropriation. In the end, the people would cry out, but Yahweh would not answer (verse 18).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal warning: The specific details match known practices of ancient monarchies (1 Kings 5, 1 Kings 21); the verb tenses indicate repeated future actions.
- Hyperbolic polemic: Some commentators suggest Samuel exaggerates to scare the people away from monarchy, since not every king would necessarily do all these things.
- Prophetic foreshadowing: The warning anticipates the actual abuses of later kings like Solomon and Ahab (see cross-references to 1 Kings 21; Ezekiel 46).
What is clear: Samuel opposes the people's demand for a king and warns that a human king will take from them in ways that violate freedom and reflect the ways of the nations, rather than God's direct rule.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of Samuel's warning | All traditions agree Samuel is warning against the oppressive nature of kingship, describing real consequences of the people's demand. | Some see the passage as a literal prophecy of what any king will do; others view it as Samuel's pointed critique, perhaps exaggerated for effect, to dissuade the people. |
| The conscription of daughters | Commentators agree that daughters being taken as perfumers, cooks, and bakers would be a grievous loss to families. | Wesley emphasizes the danger and vulnerability of daughters in a royal court; others note that such roles were normal palace employment in the ancient Near East, so the warning focuses more on the king's total claim over all people. |
| Textual variant in verse 16 | The Masoretic Text reads 'your best young men' (bachur); the Septuagint reads 'your oxen' (baqar). Both Cambridge and Keil & Delitzsch note this variant. | Some commentators prefer the Septuagint reading because it pairs naturally with 'donkeys'; others keep the MT reading arguing that the young men are already covered by 'sons' in verse 11. |
| The people's choice and God's response | All agree that the people insisted on a king over God's warning, and that verse 18 states God will not answer their future cry. | Interpretations vary on why God refuses: some emphasize covenant judgment; others see it as God honoring the human decision and allowing consequences as a form of discipline. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Samuel's warning must be understood against the backdrop of Ancient Near Eastern kingship. In surrounding cultures, monarchs routinely conscripted citizens for state projects and military service (see 1 Kings 5:13-18 for Solomon's forced labor). The verb laqach ("take") carries the force of seizure, as in 1 Kings 21:7-19 where Ahab takes Naboth's vineyard by fraud. Samuel's audience would recognize this pattern.
The roles mentioned for daughters, perfumers, cooks, bakers, were common palace staff in ancient courts. But the danger lay in their removal from family protection into a king's household, where they could face exploitation (Wesley notes the "liableness to many injuries"). The same vulnerability appears in the mention of sarisim ("eunuchs/officers") in verse 15; Isaiah 39:7 and Daniel 1:3-7 show how young men were taken and made eunuchs in royal service.
Samuel also uses the language of tithing (the verb asar), but this is an additional tax on top of the religious tithes owed to the Lord. The people would lose not only their produce but their land itself, echoing the socioeconomic injustice that later prophets condemned (Ezekiel 46:18). By the end of the warning, the emphasis shifts from property to personhood: "You will be his servants" (verse 17). The king would take everything, and when the people cry out, Yahweh will not answer (verse 18), because they chose this king for themselves, rejecting God's direct rule.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one significant variant in verse 16. The Masoretic Text reads "your goodliest young men" (bachureikhem), but the Septuagint translates “your oxen” (ta boukolia), suggesting the original Hebrew may have been baqareikhem (your oxen). Cambridge Bible and Keil & Delitzsch both accept this reading, arguing that servants, maids, oxen, and donkeys form a natural list comparable to Exodus 20:17. No other significant textual variants are reported for this passage. The medieval Hebrew manuscripts consistently support the Masoretic reading.
Reception History
This passage has been read across Christian history as a warning against the dangers of human government when it replaces trust in God. Early church fathers such as Augustine drew on it to contrast earthly kingdoms with the City of God. During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin used Samuel's speech to critique both absolute monarchy and the people's tendency to reject God's rule. In the modern period, the passage is often preached in contexts of social justice, highlighting how political power can exploit the vulnerable, especially daughters and the poor. The repeated verb “take” has been a focal point for sermons about the cost of abandoning God as king. Across traditions, the passage serves as a cautionary tale about the human desire for strong leaders and the need to remain faithful to God's sovereign care.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Conscription of Daughters (vv. 13, 16). Samuel includes daughters to show that the king's reach extends to the most vulnerable. The conscription into domestic roles was not a benign career change but a removal from family safety. This part of the warning proves that kingship would invade every home.
- Confiscation of Land and Labor (vv. 14-17). The king takes fields, vineyards, olive groves, and the best young men (or oxen). He imposes an additional tithe on top of the religious tithe. This is not taxation for public good but extraction for the king's court and his servants. The economic burden becomes total.
- Silence from Heaven (v. 18). When the people cry out under the king's oppression, God will not answer. The tragedy is that they brought it on themselves by insisting on a king like the nations. The covenant relationship is disrupted, not because God ceases to care, but because he honors the choice they demanded.
Five-Point Outline
- Daughters taken from home (v. 13)
- Fields and vineyards redistributed to royal servants (v. 14)
- Tithe imposed on crops and flocks (vv. 15, 17)
- Slaves and animals assigned to the king's work (v. 16)
- The final result: the people become servants, and God does not answer (vv. 17-18)
Illustration Hooks
- A family who has their teenage daughter hired away into a job that isolates her from support networks, the warning captures the loss of protective community.
- An employee who is forced to work overtime without compensation, as the boss “takes” their time and energy for his own projects.
- A small business that loses its best property to eminent domain for a developer's project, the land is taken and given to others.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Was it wrong for Israel to want a king? (See 8:7: they rejected God as king.)
- Does this passage forbid all human government? (No, but it warns against trusting in earthly power over God's rule.)
- Why does God refuse to answer when they cry out? (He respects their choice; the consequences follow the decision they demanded.)
Leading a Discussion
This passage is a sobering look at what happens when God's people insist on a system that looks like the world's. Samuel's words are not cynical, they are a truthful warning. The people want a king to fight their battles and judge them like the other nations, but Samuel shows that a king will take far more than he gives. As you discuss, consider what kinds of “kings”, people, systems, or comforts, you might be tempted to demand in place of God's direct care.
Discussion Questions
- Read verses 13-18 aloud. What is your first reaction to Samuel's list of what the king will take?
- Why do you think Samuel includes daughters (v. 13) separately from sons (v. 11-12)? What does this add to the warning?
- The verb “take” (laqach) is used five times in this unit. What does the repetition suggest about the nature of human kingship?
- Verse 18 says the Lord will not answer when the people cry out. How does this fit with God's character shown elsewhere in Scripture? (See Exodus 22:23; Psalm 34:17.)
- In what ways do we sometimes demand a “king” in our own lives, a leader, a system, or a solution, rather than trusting God's rule?
- How does this passage help you understand the New Testament's picture of Jesus as a very different kind of King (Mark 10:42-45)?
- What is one practical thing you can do this week to place your trust in God's provision rather than in human power or systems?
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)
| I Samuel 22:7 | Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? |
| I Kings 21:7 | Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be merry. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” |
| I Kings 21:19 | You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’” |
| Ezekiel 46:18 | Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession. He shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession, that my people not each be scattered from his possession.”’” |
| Genesis 37:36 | The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard. |
| Isaiah 39:7 | ‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’” |
| Daniel 1:3 | The king spoke to Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring in some of the children of Israel, even of the royal offspring and of the nobles: |
| Daniel 1:7 | The prince of the eunuchs gave names to them: to Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. |
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
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes does not offer his own explanation of this verse. Instead he directs the reader to marginal study notes and two earlier passages for the background and illustrations that clarify the verse's meaning.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the word "confectionaries" in this passage refers to a perfumer, not a modern confectioner. It also observes a likely copyist error in "your goodliest young men," adopting the Septuagint reading "cattle" instead. The passage warns that the king will reduce the people to slavery.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note warns that an earthly king will systematically strip the people of everything: their daughters for forced labor, their lands and produce for his court, and their freedom until they become his servants. This is the bitter cost of rejecting God’s direct rule, and when they cry out under oppression, God will not answer because they insisted on this choice.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the king's demands described here were the normal privileges and revenues of eastern monarchs. Since Israel insisted on having a king like other nations, they should have expected these burdens. God would not hear their cry because they rejected His direct rule by choosing a human king.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the taking of daughters for cooking and baking reflects actual Eastern palace life, where such female labor was common. He then notes that the seizure of fields and property described here finds exact parallels in the conduct of many Oriental monarchs in his own day.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch stress that Samuel's warning about the king's practices is drawn from the despotic conduct of surrounding heathen kings, not from later painful experiences under Israel's own monarchy. The description is a standard picture of tyranny, not a prophecy written after the fact.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that a human king was not inherently opposed to God's rule; a king could serve as God's instrument, subordinate to His law. The people's sin lay in their distrustful, self-willed desire to be like other nations, not in the request for a monarchy itself.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that the elders' complaint about Samuel's sons is a cover for their deeper rebellion. Their demand for a king like the nations is a direct rejection of God as their king. God's warning of the coming oppression only shows they would rather endure an earthly tyrant than submit to His rule.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley catalogs specific ways a king will oppress them: taking daughters (more grievous for their vulnerability), seizing fields by fraud like Ahab, forcing some into eunuchs against God's command, and reducing them to slaves. The people will cry out, but God will not listen because they refused his counsel.