1-Samuel 8 [1-Samuel 8:1] AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN SAMUEL WAS OLD, THAT HE MADE HIS SONS JUDGES OVER ISRAEL. [1-Samuel 8:2] NOW THE NAME OF HIS FIRSTBORN WAS JOEL; AND THE NAME OF HIS SECOND,  ABIAH: THEY WERE JUDGES IN BEERSHEBA. Beer Sheba is in the south of Israel in the territory of Simeon. In the First World War Beer Sheba was conquered from the Turks by Australian cavalrymen in what was probably  the last great cavalry victory in history.  Books have been written about this event and a film made. We hope to write about it (or include an article on it by someone else) in a coming issue of our magazine. [1-Samuel 8:3] AND HIS SONS WALKED NOT IN HIS WAYS, BUT TURNED ASIDE AFTER LUCRE, AND  TOOK BRIBES, AND PERVERTED JUDGMENT. Just as the sons of Eli the Priest at Shiloh had not gone in the right path so too did the sons of Samuel turn aside. [1-Samuel 8:4] THEN ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER, AND CAME TO  SAMUEL UNTO RAMAH, [1-Samuel 8:5] AND SAID UNTO HIM, BEHOLD, THOU ART OLD, AND THY SONS WALK NOT IN THY  WAYS: NOW MAKE US A KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS. [1-Samuel 8:6] BUT THE THING DISPLEASED SAMUEL, WHEN THEY SAID, GIVE US A KING TO JUDGE  US. AND SAMUEL PRAYED UNTO THE LORD. This request for a king and way God was angry with them about it has been the subject of numerous articles (even whole books) and commentaries. The general consensus seems to be that it was not the request for a king in itself that was bad but rather the manner in which it was expressed and the intentions they had concerning the would-be monarch that angered the Almighty. [1-Samuel 8:7] AND THE LORD SAID UNTO SAMUEL, HEARKEN UNTO THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE IN ALL THAT THEY SAY UNTO THEE: FOR THEY HAVE NOT REJECTED THEE, BUT THEY HAVE REJECTED  ME, THAT I SHOULD NOT REIGN OVER THEM. [1-Samuel 8:8] ACCORDING TO ALL THE WORKS WHICH THEY HAVE DONE SINCE THE DAY THAT I  BROUGHT THEM UP OUT OF EGYPT EVEN UNTO THIS DAY, WHEREWITH THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME,  AND SERVED OTHER GODS, SO DO THEY ALSO UNTO THEE. [1-Samuel 8:9] NOW THEREFORE HEARKEN UNTO THEIR VOICE: HOWBEIT YET PROTEST SOLEMNLY UNTO THEM, AND SHEW THEM THE MANNER OF THE KING THAT SHALL REIGN OVER THEM. [1-Samuel 8:10] AND SAMUEL TOLD ALL THE WORDS OF THE LORD UNTO THE PEOPLE THAT ASKED  OF HIM A KING. [1-Samuel 8:11] AND HE SAID, THIS WILL BE THE MANNER OF THE KING THAT SHALL REIGN OVER YOU: HE WILL TAKE YOUR SONS, AND APPOINT THEM FOR HIMSELF, FOR HIS CHARIOTS, AND TO BE  HIS HORSEMEN; AND SOME SHALL RUN BEFORE HIS CHARIOTS. [1-Samuel 8:12] AND HE WILL APPOINT HIM CAPTAINS OVER THOUSANDS, AND CAPTAINS OVER FIFTIES; AND WILL SET THEM TO EAR HIS GROUND, AND TO REAP HIS HARVEST, AND TO MAKE HIS  INSTRUMENTS OF WAR, AND INSTRUMENTS OF HIS CHARIOTS. 'THEM TO EAR HIS GROUND', i.e. to do his ploughing. [1-Samuel 8:13] AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR DAUGHTERS TO BE CONFECTIONARIES, AND TO BE COOKS,  AND TO BE BAKERS. According to the simple meaning it would appear that the king has the right to conscript the young women to do service for the needs of the Kingdom. Ultra Orthodox  Jews do not hold by the principle about conscripting women for anything.  On the whole it would seem that they are correct in this matter but who knows? In World War 2 women appear to have been important in helping the Allied Forces. My mother was a nutritionist in a RAF hospital. The sister of my father was a nurse on an army ship that was captured by the Japanese at Singapore. She never returned from captivity. [1-Samuel 8:14] AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR FIELDS, AND YOUR VINEYARDS, AND YOUR OLIVEYARDS, EVEN THE BEST OF THEM, AND GIVE THEM TO HIS SERVANTS. [1-Samuel 8:15] AND HE WILL TAKE THE TENTH OF YOUR SEED, AND OF YOUR VINEYARDS, AND GIVE  TO HIS OFFICERS, AND TO HIS SERVANTS. [1-Samuel 8:16] AND HE WILL TAKE YOUR MENSERVANTS, AND YOUR MAIDSERVANTS, AND YOUR  GOODLIEST YOUNG MEN, AND YOUR ASSES, AND PUT THEM TO HIS WORK. [1-Samuel 8:17] HE WILL TAKE THE TENTH OF YOUR  SHEEP: AND YE SHALL BE HIS SERVANTS. In the Talmud there is a debate as to the significance of the above list. One opinion says that the list is a warning whereas another says it is also an announcement of the legal rights of what will be due to the monarch. Maimonides (Rambam) holds by the last opinion and therefore the king will be in his rights to demand the above services and dues. [1-Samuel 8:18] AND 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. [1-Samuel 8:19] NEVERTHELESS THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF SAMUEL; AND THEY SAID, NAY; BUT WE WILL HAVE A KING OVER US; [1-Samuel 8:20] THAT WE ALSO MAY BE LIKE ALL THE NATIONS; AND THAT OUR KING MAY JUDGE US, AND GO OUT BEFORE US, AND FIGHT OUR BATTLES. [1-Samuel 8:21] AND SAMUEL HEARD ALL THE WORDS OF THE PEOPLE, AND HE REHEARSED THEM  IN THE EARS OF THE LORD. [1-Samuel 8:22] AND THE LORD SAID TO SAMUEL, HEARKEN UNTO THEIR VOICE, AND MAKE THEM A KING. AND SAMUEL SAID UNTO THE MEN OF ISRAEL, GO YE EVERY MAN UNTO HIS CITY. BACK TO SAMUEL INDEX HOME