1 Samuel 11 4

1 Samuel 11:4 kjv

Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.

1 Samuel 11:4 nkjv

So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

1 Samuel 11:4 niv

When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud.

1 Samuel 11:4 esv

When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud.

1 Samuel 11:4 nlt

When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears.

1 Samuel 11 verses

1 Samuel 11 4 Meaning

1 Samuel 11:4 describes the immediate aftermath of dire news reaching Gibeah, Saul's hometown. Messengers from Jabesh-Gilead arrived, relaying the brutal ultimatum of Nahash the Ammonite king. The people, upon hearing the devastating news, responded with profound, collective weeping, signifying their deep distress, fear, and apparent helplessness in the face of the imminent threat.

1 Samuel 11 4 Context

This verse is set at a critical juncture in Israel's history, immediately following Saul's private anointing by Samuel (Ch 10) and his public presentation as king at Mizpah (Ch 10:17-27). Despite being designated king, Saul had returned to his farm, and his authority was not yet universally acknowledged. The Ammonite threat to Jabesh-Gilead (1 Sam 11:1-3) provides the catalyst for Saul to assert his leadership. The news reaching Gibeah—Saul's own town—is that Nahash the Ammonite intends to gouge out the right eyes of the men of Jabesh-Gilead as a sign of humiliation. This horrifying ultimatum naturally evokes extreme despair among the people, leading to their collective outburst of weeping. This public display of grief and helplessness serves to highlight the urgent need for a strong leader, thus preparing the ground for Saul's inspired response.

1 Samuel 11 4 Word analysis

• Then (וַיָּבֹאוּ - vayyavohʾu): This Hebrew conjunction often indicates sequence, marking a direct consequence of the events preceding it in the narrative. Here, it signifies the immediate arrival and actions following the Jabesh-Gilead messengers' journey.
• the messengers (הַמַּלְאָכִים - ha-malʾakhim): These are the individuals sent from Jabesh-Gilead, as indicated in 1 Sam 11:3. The Hebrew word mal'akhim means "messengers" or "angels," emphasizing their role as conveyers of crucial, often divinely ordained or highly significant, information. Their arrival marks the climax of the desperate situation in Jabesh-Gilead.
• came to Gibeah of Saul (אֶל־גִּבְעַת שָׁאוּל - ʾel Giv'at Shaʾul): "Gibeah" means "hill," and this was Saul's hometown in the tribal territory of Benjamin. The designation "Gibeah of Saul" underlines its direct association with him. This specific location emphasizes that the news directly reached the future king's sphere of influence, presenting the crisis right at his doorstep.
• and told the news (וַיְדַבְּרוּ הַדְּבָרִים - vaydabberu haddevārīm): "The news" refers to Nahash's ultimatum and the predicament of Jabesh-Gilead. The act of "telling" or "speaking" indicates an authoritative and clear communication, not mere rumor. This public declaration of distress ignites the emotional response of the community.
• in the ears of the people (בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם - bəʾoznê hāʿām): This idiom highlights that the message was heard directly, openly, and unequivocally by everyone present. It wasn't a private briefing but a communal, public proclamation, ensuring the gravity of the situation was fully understood by all.
• and all the people (וַיִּשְׂאוּ כָל־הָעָם - vayyiśʾū khol-hāʿām): This emphasizes a unanimous and universal reaction across the entire populace gathered. There was no division or disbelief; the horror of the news united them in distress. It sets a stage where the collective despair is profound.
• wept aloud (אֶת־קוֹלָם וַיִּבְכּוּ - ʾet-qōlām vayyivkū): The Hebrew literally means "they lifted up their voice and they wept." This is a powerful, expressive description of grief, indicating loud, uncontrolled sobbing, often accompanied by wailing or lament. It conveys intense despair, helplessness, and sorrow. This form of public lament in ancient Israel was often a communal call for divine intervention or a leader to emerge.

Words-group Analysis:

• "Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and told the news": This phrase details the decisive moment of information transfer. The deliberate travel to Saul's base and the public announcement underline the urgent and severe nature of the situation. It marks the bringing of the crisis directly to the threshold of Israel's fledgling monarchy.
• "in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud": This section illustrates the profound collective emotional impact of the news. The directness of the hearing, coupled with the unified and vociferous weeping, depicts a community utterly broken by the threat. It portrays a scene of desperation, signifying their immediate lack of human remedy and their instinctive cry for deliverance, setting the stage for a dramatic divine and human response.

1 Samuel 11 4 Bonus section

The profound, unanimous weeping described here harks back to previous times of national crisis and lament in Israel's history (e.g., Ex 2:23-25; Judg 2:4; 20:23, 26). Such a powerful expression of grief was not merely an outpouring of emotion but often a form of lament prayer, an unarticulated plea for divine intervention or a strong leader. The narrative's emphasis on "all the people" reinforces the deep impact and serves to unify the nation's sense of shared suffering and imminent danger, which is crucial for Saul to rally them later. The connection of Jabesh-Gilead to the tribe of Benjamin (Judg 21:8-14) provides a subtle, yet powerful, call to action for Saul, a fellow Benjaminite, creating an additional layer of personal obligation to deliver them. The spontaneous nature of this weeping, predating any instruction or direct call to arms, illustrates the immediate and overwhelming horror the Ammonite threat represented.

1 Samuel 11 4 Commentary

1 Samuel 11:4 captures the raw emotional shock of the Israelite people upon learning of Nahash's horrific demand for Jabesh-Gilead's eyes. This verse is not merely a statement of fact but a poignant illustration of national distress and vulnerability. The arrival of the messengers and their open declaration in Gibeah ensures that the full horror of the situation is felt by everyone. The spontaneous, collective wailing of "all the people" signifies not just grief, but deep-seated despair, humiliation, and a desperate plea for deliverance. In a time when Israel was transitioning to monarchy, this weeping acts as a communal outcry, highlighting their perceived helplessness without strong, divinely appointed leadership. It implicitly challenges Saul, though he is initially absent, to rise and demonstrate the very purpose of kingship—to save his people from their enemies. This moment of public lament sets the spiritual and emotional foundation for Saul's Spirit-inspired response that follows, emphasizing that God's deliverance often manifests in response to a people's genuine cry.