1 Samuel 10:18 kjv
And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
1 Samuel 10:18 nkjv
and said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.'
1 Samuel 10:18 niv
and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'
1 Samuel 10:18 esv
And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'
1 Samuel 10:18 nlt
And he said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you.
1 Samuel 10 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 3:7-8 | The Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people... I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them..." | God's intent and promise to deliver Israel from Egypt. |
| Ex 6:6-7 | Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...'" | God's covenant name declared in the context of deliverance from Egypt. |
| Deut 6:21-23 | "Then you shall say to your son, 'We were slaves... and the Lord brought us out... with a mighty hand...'" | A command to remember and teach future generations about God's powerful Exodus. |
| Deut 26:8 | "And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders." | Recounting God's power and miraculous acts in the Exodus. |
| Josh 24:5-7 | "Then I sent Moses and Aaron... I brought your fathers out of Egypt..." | Joshua's farewell address reiterating God's historical deliverance. |
| Jdg 2:16 | Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. | God's recurring pattern of raising deliverers during the period of the Judges. |
| Jdg 3:9 | When the people cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel... who saved them. | Example of God delivering through a judge. |
| Jdg 10:11-12 | "Did not I save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?" | God recounting His past deliverances from multiple oppressors to rebellious Israel. |
| Neh 9:27 | "You gave them into the hand of their foes... but in the time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard..." | Acknowledging God's justice in discipline and His mercy in deliverance. |
| Ps 105:26-30 | He sent Moses... They performed His signs... He struck down all the firstborn... then brought out Israel with silver and gold... | Highlighting God's wonders and His bringing Israel out of Egypt richly. |
| Ps 106:10-11 | So He saved them from the hand of him who hated them and redeemed them from the hand of the foe. The waters covered their adversaries... | Praise for God's saving power, specifically referencing the Red Sea. |
| Isa 43:3 | For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. | God's identity as Savior of Israel. |
| Hos 11:1 | When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. | God's parental love and the original calling of Israel out of Egypt. |
| Amos 2:10 | "Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness..." | Reminder of the Exodus and wilderness journey as a testimony to God's care. |
| Mic 6:4 | "For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery..." | Reinforcing God as the redeemer who led them out of slavery. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say... for they have rejected Me from being king over them." | Immediate context: God identifying their desire for a king as a rejection of Him as King. |
| 1 Sam 10:19 | But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses... | Samuel's subsequent rebuke directly linking God's saving acts to their rejection. |
| Ps 146:3 | Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. | A warning against trusting human leaders over God. |
| Jer 17:5-6 | Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man... for he is like a shrub in the desert..." | Divine judgment for misplaced trust in human power. |
| Col 1:13 | He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son... | New Testament parallel: Spiritual deliverance from bondage to the Kingdom of Christ. |
| Heb 2:14-15 | ...that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death... and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. | Christ's ultimate deliverance from spiritual oppression (sin and death). |
1 Samuel 10 verses
1 Samuel 10 18 Meaning
This verse presents a foundational theological truth delivered by Samuel to the children of Israel, articulating God's enduring redemptive work on their behalf. It explicitly states that the Lord, the God of Israel, personally initiated their liberation from bondage in Egypt, an act that formed them into a nation. Furthermore, it recalls God's continuous deliverance of Israel from all subsequent foreign powers and kingdoms that sought to oppress or enslave them, reminding them that their history is one defined by divine rescue rather than human strength. This declaration serves as a potent reminder of God's covenant faithfulness and their consistent reliance on His saving power.
1 Samuel 10 18 Context
This verse is part of Samuel’s address to the assembly of Israel at Mizpah, where they have gathered for the public selection of their first king. The immediate context sees Samuel gathering the tribes by lot to identify Saul, but before doing so, he uses this moment to powerfully remind Israel of their unique relationship with God. The previous chapter (1 Samuel 8) details Israel’s explicit demand for a human king "like all the nations," a request God interprets as a rejection of His own kingship. Therefore, Samuel’s recitation of God’s past saving acts in 1 Samuel 10:18 serves as a poignant, gentle, yet firm prelude to the forthcoming announcement, highlighting the magnitude of their decision and their ingratitude for God's historical faithfulness as their divine deliverer and sovereign. This historical reminder implicitly functions as a polemic against the notion that a human king is their ultimate solution or guarantor of security, subtly asserting that true deliverance comes from Yahweh alone.
1 Samuel 10 18 Word analysis
- And said (וַיֹּאמֶר - vayyomer): A common Hebrew verb, typically signifying the initiation of speech. Here, it precedes a divine oracle delivered through the prophet Samuel, underscoring the authority and direct origin of the message from God.
- to the children of Israel (אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - el-b'ney Yisrael): Refers to the collective nation of Israel, descendants of Jacob, God's covenant people. It highlights that this message is for the entire community, addressing their collective identity and shared history with God.
- Thus says (כֹּה אָמַר - koh amar): A prophetic formula introducing a direct message from God. It imbues the following words with divine authority and underscores that Samuel is speaking on behalf of the Lord Himself, not his own opinion.
- the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH): The personal, covenant name of God (Tetragrammaton). Its use emphasizes God's faithfulness to His covenant promises and His active presence in the history of His people, particularly as their rescuer and king.
- the God of Israel (אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל - Elohei Yisrael): A title affirming God's specific and exclusive relationship with Israel. It denotes His unique ownership and sovereignty over this nation chosen by Him.
- I brought up (הֶעֱלֵיתִי - hee'eleti): The Hiphil (causative) stem of the verb 'alah' (to go up/ascend). This intensely active verb highlights God's personal and powerful agency in orchestrating the Exodus from Egypt. It wasn't a natural process but a supernatural act of divine intervention.
- Israel (אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל - et-Yisrael): Again, referring to the nation. Here, as the direct object of God's action, underscoring God's deliberate choice to act on their behalf.
- out of Egypt (מִמִּצְרָיִם - mimmitzsrayim): Egypt represents the land of severe bondage and oppression, the seminal starting point of Israel's national history and liberation, establishing the paradigm of God as their deliverer.
- and delivered you (וָאַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם - va'atzil etkhem): The Hiphil (causative) of 'natsal' (to snatch away, rescue, deliver). This term emphasizes the act of plucking someone out of danger, stressing the urgency and power of God's rescue from peril.
- from the hand (מִיַּד - miyad): An idiom meaning 'from the power of,' 'from the control of.' It indicates a complete liberation from the dominion and oppressive power of their captors.
- of the Egyptians (מִצְרַיִם - Mitzrayim): The direct oppressors during the Exodus, whose military and societal power was nullified by God's intervention.
- and from the hand of all kingdoms that oppressed you (וּמִיַּד כָּל-הַמַּמְלָכוֹת הַלֹּחֲצוֹת אֶתְכֶם - u'miyad kol-hamamlachot hallochatzot etkhem): This phrase broadens the scope of God's deliverance beyond Egypt to encompass all subsequent hostile nations during the periods of conquest and Judges (e.g., Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, Midianites). "Oppressed" (lochatzot, present participle of lachats) conveys crushing, pressing down, or vexing, describing the constant, heavy burden imposed by these hostile powers. This serves to remind Israel of a continuous pattern of divine rescue from recurring cycles of foreign domination.
- "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel": This powerful divine self-identification establishes God's absolute authority and unique relationship with Israel. It reminds them of the covenant relationship that binds them, contrasting their current desire for a human king with the God who has always been their ultimate ruler and deliverer.
- "I brought up Israel out of Egypt": This phrase refers to the Exodus, the foundational redemptive event that marked Israel's birth as a nation. It is the defining moment of their identity, illustrating God's powerful, sovereign act of liberation. It underscores that their very existence as a free people is solely due to God's initiative, not their own strength or planning.
- "and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms that oppressed you": This twin statement highlights God's consistent and comprehensive deliverance. It progresses from the specific (Egypt) to the general (all oppressive kingdoms), showing a continuous divine pattern of rescuing Israel from external threats throughout their history. It reveals that God's redemptive work was not a one-time event but an ongoing demonstration of His covenant faithfulness. This implicitly contrasts God's unfailing power with the human fallibility that would inevitably characterize their new king.
1 Samuel 10 18 Bonus section
This verse subtly introduces the core theological tension running through 1 Samuel: the tension between human leadership (monarchy) and divine leadership (theocracy). By reminding Israel of God's continuous deliverance from "all kingdoms that oppressed you," it implies that God had always been their effective King and deliverer, even without a human monarch. Their plea for a king "like the nations" therefore constitutes a deep spiritual failing – a rejection of their unique covenant relationship and reliance on God. The subsequent narratives of Saul's reign, marked by disobedience and eventual rejection by God, serve to prove Samuel's implied warning in this verse: human kingship, separated from divine reliance, inevitably falls short. The true King of Israel was and remains God Himself, with human rulers meant to serve as His faithful regents.
1 Samuel 10 18 Commentary
In 1 Samuel 10:18, Samuel articulates a concise yet profound summary of Israel's redemptive history. This prophetic declaration by Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, is not merely a historical recap; it is a vital reminder of God's enduring kingship and unwavering commitment to His people, intended to expose the spiritual implication of their demand for a human king. By recalling the pivotal Exodus from Egyptian bondage and every subsequent rescue from foreign oppressors, God underscores His role as their sole and sufficient deliverer. This serves as a pointed critique of their desire to be "like all the nations," demonstrating their failure to trust in the one who has always been their ultimate King and Protector. The verse essentially states: "I, Yahweh, have always delivered you; why are you now looking to a human ruler for what only I can provide?"