1 Samuel 12:15 kjv
But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
1 Samuel 12:15 nkjv
However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
1 Samuel 12:15 niv
But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
1 Samuel 12:15 esv
But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.
1 Samuel 12:15 nlt
But if you rebel against the LORD's commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
1 Samuel 12 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 11:26-28 | See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commands... and the curse, if you do not obey... | Explains the fundamental covenant principle of blessing for obedience and curse for disobedience. |
| Lev 26:14-17 | "But if you will not listen to me and will not carry out all these commands... I will bring a terror on you..." | Details specific negative consequences of neglecting God's laws. |
| Deut 28:15-16 | "However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands... all these curses will come on you..." | The most extensive chapter outlining the curses for covenant unfaithfulness. |
| Josh 24:20 | If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you. | Joshua's warning against apostasy leading to divine wrath. |
| Ps 81:11-12 | "But my people would not listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts..." | Illustrates Israel's historical stubbornness leading to God allowing consequences. |
| Prov 1:24-26 | "Because I have called and you refused to listen... I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you..." | Wisdom personified warning those who disregard counsel face self-inflicted disaster. |
| Isa 1:19-20 | If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword... | Presents the dual path of prosperity for obedience and destruction for rebellion. |
| Jer 7:23 | But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God...’ | Reiterates the core requirement for a flourishing covenant relationship. |
| Num 14:43 | For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there... Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you. | Immediate consequence of rebellion against God's direct command leading to failure. |
| Judg 2:11-15 | Then the Israelites did evil... the LORD sold them into the hands of their enemies... and delivered them over... | Describes the cyclical pattern of rebellion, punishment, and deliverance during the Judges period. |
| Isa 59:1-2 | Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save... But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you... | Sin (iniquity) creating separation from God, preventing His help. |
| Ezr 8:31 | The hand of our God was over us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. | Positive example of "hand of the LORD" signifying divine favor and protection. |
| Job 19:21 | Have pity on me, my friends, have pity... For the hand of God has struck me. | Acknowledges God's disciplinary or afflicting hand in human suffering. |
| Ps 32:4 | For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my moisture was dried up as by the summer heat. Selah. | Describes the internal burden and conviction brought by God's oppressive hand due to unconfessed sin. |
| Isa 25:11 | He will spread out his hands in it as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; And He will humble his pride together with the trickery of his hands. | God's powerful action bringing about the downfall of the arrogant. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | But they refused to pay attention... and stopped their ears so they would not hear. They made their hearts as hard as flint... | Describes willful disobedience and refusal to hear God's instruction, leading to divine rejection. |
| Heb 3:17-19 | And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ... Because of their unbelief. | Connects the wilderness generation's fate directly to their unbelief and disobedience. |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men... | God's active righteous indignation revealed against human sinfulness. |
| Eph 5:6 | Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. | Explicitly states that disobedience incurs God's wrath. |
| 1 Cor 10:5-11 | Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased... These things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did. | Uses Israel's Old Testament failures as warning examples for New Testament believers. |
| 2 Chr 15:2 | The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. | Direct consequence of choosing to abandon God. |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests. | Consequences of willful rejection of God's revealed knowledge/word. |
1 Samuel 12 verses
1 Samuel 12 15 Meaning
This verse serves as a solemn and direct warning from the prophet Samuel to the people of Israel. It declares that if they willfully refuse to listen to and obey the specific directives or commands of the LORD, and instead choose a path of active rebellion against His stated will, then God's active power and opposition, symbolized as "the hand of the LORD," will turn directly against them. The warning is reinforced by a historical precedent: the same divine judgment and consequences will be meted out as they were against their ancestors who likewise chose to disobey and rebel against God. This underscores the consistent and unchanging nature of God's covenant relationship, where blessings follow obedience and judgment follows rebellion, irrespective of the new monarchical system.
1 Samuel 12 15 Context
First Samuel chapter 12 marks a significant turning point in Israel's history, representing the formal establishment of the monarchy. Samuel, having served as Israel's final judge and a pivotal prophet, has just affirmed Saul as the first king. His address in this chapter is essentially a valedictory speech, but more importantly, a reaffirmation of the enduring covenant between God and Israel. Samuel meticulously recounts God's faithfulness throughout their history, from the deliverance from Egypt to their present desire for a king. Amidst this recounting and his defense of his own integrity, Samuel delivers a stern warning about the future. Verse 15 is at the heart of this warning. It underscores that despite their new king, their ultimate welfare and continued existence as a favored nation still depend entirely on their obedience to YHWH. The historical context reminds Israel that electing a king did not nullify their unique covenant relationship with God or free them from the consequences of disobedience, as previous generations had bitterly learned.
1 Samuel 12 15 Word analysis
- But if you will not obey: This introduces a stark conditional statement, presenting a choice with severe repercussions. It implies a conscious and deliberate refusal rather than mere ignorance.
- will not obey (lo’ tishmə‘û - לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ): Literally "will not hear" or "will not listen." In Hebrew thought, shama' (to hear) inherently carries the meaning of understanding and responding obediently. Thus, "not obey" means a failure to heed with intent to follow, implying rebellion.
- the voice of the LORD: Refers to the revealed will, direct commands, and covenant stipulations given by God Himself.
- voice (qôl - קוֹל): Means a sound or voice. Here, it denotes God's expressed, authoritative instructions or principles.
- the LORD (YHWH - יְהוָה): The proper, covenant name of God, emphasizing His unique relationship with Israel and His supreme authority as their sovereign ruler and redeemer.
- but rebel against the commandment of the LORD: This intensifies the previous phrase, moving beyond simple non-compliance to active, defiant opposition. It implies stubborn and deliberate transgression.
- rebel (ûməmarîtem - וּמְמַרִּיתֶם): From marah (מָרָה), meaning to be contentious, defiant, disobedient, or rebellious. It signifies active and bitter opposition to authority.
- the commandment (pî - פִּי / often associated with 'word/mouth'): Although commonly rendered 'commandment' in English, the Hebrew pi literally means 'mouth of'. This implies that it is God's direct utterance or word that they would rebel against, highlighting the source of authority. It refers to God's authoritative spoken or revealed word/instruction.
- then the hand of the LORD will be against you: This signifies the inevitable divine judgment. "Hand of the LORD" is an idiom for God's direct, manifested power, in this context, bringing punitive consequences.
- the hand of the LORD (yad YHWH - יַד יְהוָה): A metonym for God's active intervention and power. While it can imply protection (Ezr 8:31), when coupled with "against you," it denotes divine hostility, affliction, or judgment.
- will be against you (bâkem - בָּכֶם): Implies opposition, hostility, or direct confrontational action by God himself, bringing forth negative consequences.
- as it was against your fathers: This provides historical validation and emphasizes the consistent character and actions of God. The warning is not arbitrary but rooted in generations of precedent.
- fathers (ʾabôtêḵem - אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם): Refers to past generations of Israelites, especially those who experienced divine judgment in the wilderness (Num 14), during the period of judges (Judg 2), or even earlier in their history, due to their disobedience and rebellion. This serves as a cautionary tale.
1 Samuel 12 15 Bonus section
- Continuity of Covenant Law: The verse is a profound assertion that the Mosaic Covenant's stipulations regarding blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience were not abrogated by the establishment of the monarchy. The king was a servant of YHWH's ultimate sovereignty, not a replacement for it. This was a critical lesson Israel consistently struggled to grasp.
- The King's Accountability: Implicitly, this verse places the king himself under the same divine expectation. Saul, and all future kings, would be held to the standard of obeying the LORD's voice and not rebelling against His commandment. This foreshadows the failures of many kings, including Saul himself, due to their disobedience (e.g., 1 Sam 15:23).
- Echoes of Ancient Near Eastern Vassal Treaties: The structure of conditional blessing/curse clauses found in this warning resonates with the suzerainty treaties of the ancient Near East, where a powerful king (suzerain) outlined the obligations of his vassal states, with dire consequences for rebellion. This would have been a culturally intelligible form for the Israelites, highlighting God's absolute sovereignty over them.
- A Call to Discernment: Amidst their excitement for a human king "like all the nations," Samuel's words called them to discernment. Their desire for a king did not nullify their unique identity as a people set apart by YHWH's direct rule, reminding them that true security and prosperity come from faithfulness to Him alone.
1 Samuel 12 15 Commentary
Samuel's stark warning in 1 Samuel 12:15 reverberates with the unchanging truth that God's covenant with Israel remained supreme, even under a human king. The verse clarifies that monarchy does not insulate Israel from divine judgment. Obedience to God's "voice" and "commandment" remains non-negotiable for the nation's well-being. To "rebel" is not mere oversight but a deliberate, hostile defiance of God's expressed will. The idiom "the hand of the LORD will be against you" promises active, sovereign intervention for disciplinary purposes, demonstrating God's justice in punishing sin. By recalling the fate of "your fathers," Samuel anchors the warning in Israel's own historical experience, stressing the continuity of God's character and the principles of His kingdom throughout generations. This principle extends to all believers; divine consequences follow persistent disobedience. For example, individuals who repeatedly choose selfish ambition over biblical principles often find themselves isolated and lacking divine favor. Communities that abandon God's word may face spiritual decline and internal strife.