1 Samuel 12:19 kjv
And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
1 Samuel 12:19 nkjv
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves."
1 Samuel 12:19 niv
The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king."
1 Samuel 12:19 esv
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king."
1 Samuel 12:19 nlt
"Pray to the LORD your God for us, or we will die!" they all said to Samuel. "For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king."
1 Samuel 12 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 8:5 | "Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." | Israel's initial demand for a king. |
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.'" | God views asking for a king as rejecting Him. |
| 1 Sam 8:19 | "But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, 'No! But there shall be a king over us...'" | People's obstinacy despite Samuel's warning. |
| 1 Sam 10:19 | "But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, 'Set a king over us.'..." | God confronts their rejection earlier. |
| Ex 20:19 | "When the people saw it, they trembled and stood far off and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.'" | Fear of divine presence and judgment. |
| Ex 32:31 | "Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.'" | Moses intercedes for sinful Israel. |
| Num 21:7 | "And the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he take away the serpents from us.'..." | People's confession and request for intercession in the wilderness. |
| Josh 24:19 | "But Joshua said to the people, 'You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God...'" | Emphasizes God's holiness and man's sin. |
| Judg 2:19 | "But whenever the judge died, they turned back and behaved worse than their fathers..." | Israel's cyclical pattern of sin. |
| Ps 78:17 | "Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert." | Persistent rebellion of Israel. |
| Ps 106:6 | "Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness." | Confession of inherited and personal sin. |
| Isa 1:28 | "But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the Lord shall perish." | Consequences of forsaking God. |
| Isa 59:12 | "For our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us..." | Accumulation of sin. |
| Jer 2:13 | "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." | Seeking human alternatives over God. |
| Hos 13:10 | "Where now is your king, that he may save you in all your cities? Where are all your rulers of whom you said, 'Give me a king and princes'?" | God's response to their desire for a king. |
| Joel 2:17 | "Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, 'Spare your people, O Lord...'" | Plea for God to spare His people. |
| Lam 3:42 | "We have transgressed and rebelled; you have not forgiven." | Acknowledgment of transgression. |
| Matt 3:2 | "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." | Call to repentance in New Testament. |
| Acts 3:19 | "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out..." | New Testament call for repentance. |
| 1 Jn 1:9 | "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." | God's forgiveness upon confession. |
| Jas 5:16 | "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." | The power of prayer and confession. |
| Heb 4:16 | "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." | Access to God's mercy. |
1 Samuel 12 verses
1 Samuel 12 19 Meaning
1 Samuel 12:19 records the people of Israel's confession of sin to the prophet Samuel, acknowledging that their request for a king was a grievous evil added to all their previous transgressions. They recognize the divine judgment impending and desperately appeal for Samuel's intercession with the Lord their God to spare their lives.
1 Samuel 12 19 Context
This verse is part of Samuel's final public address to Israel as he formally steps down as judge and passes leadership to King Saul. He challenges the people to acknowledge God's faithfulness and their own sin. To powerfully demonstrate God's judgment on their request for a king, Samuel prays for rain during the dry wheat harvest—an extraordinary event that serves as undeniable proof of God's displeasure and power. The people are overcome with fear and conviction, prompted by this miracle and Samuel's warnings. Their confession in 1 Sam 12:19 is a direct response to this divine display and Samuel's powerful reminder of God's kingly rule that they rejected. Historically, this marks a pivotal transition in Israel from a theocracy ruled by judges directly accountable to God, to a monarchy, desired by the people who wished to be "like all the nations," rather than unique under God's direct sovereignty.
1 Samuel 12 19 Word analysis
- All the people: Signifies a universal, collective realization and confession across the nation. It highlights the profound impact of Samuel's address and God's miraculous sign. This wasn't just a few individuals but the consensus of the congregation.
- said: Expresses an immediate, vocal declaration of their guilt. It's a public acknowledgment stemming from deep conviction.
- to Samuel: Their address is directed to the prophet, indicating their recognition of his spiritual authority and his role as a mediator between God and Israel. They approach him with fear and respect.
- Pray: A plea for intercession. The Hebrew word hitpallel (הִתְפַּלֵּל) suggests an act of seeking a verdict or mediation, underlining Samuel's unique position before God. They desire his intervention on their behalf.
- for your servants: Demonstrates humility and a newfound recognition of their lowly status and Samuel's esteemed position. They no longer stand defiantly but as supplicants.
- to the LORD: Refers to Yahweh (YHWH), Israel's covenant God. It underscores that their appeal for mercy must be made directly to the one they offended.
- your God: Emphasizes Samuel's unique relationship with the covenant God, whom they had sinned against, implicitly appealing to that relationship for favorable hearing.
- that we may not die: Reveals their profound fear and recognition of the grave consequences of their sin. They acknowledge that their transgression merits death, as judgment for defying God. This fear is a sign of conviction and leads to repentance.
- For: Introduces the reason or justification for their plea. It points to the direct cause of their present fear and request for intercession.
- we have added: The Hebrew yāsap (יָסַף) implies adding to an existing amount. It signifies an accumulation of guilt, an intensifying of their wickedness, not merely committing a new isolated act. Their latest sin compounded all their past offenses.
- to all our sins: Acknowledges a history of transgressions and rebellion against God, confessing their pervasive sinful nature. This new act is the culmination of previous idolatry and disobedience (Judg 2:19).
- this evil: Specifically identifies and confesses the magnitude of their request for a king. The Hebrew rāʿâ (רָעָה) signifies moral badness, calamity, or distress, clearly marking this act as profoundly offensive to God.
- to ask: The act of requesting, demanding a king, rather than humbly seeking God's guidance.
- a king: The object of their specific transgression. Their desire for a human king reflected a rejection of God's direct reign and a craving to conform to pagan nations, rather than being uniquely governed by divine decree.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die: This phrase encapsulates their plea for urgent intercession, demonstrating their desperation. They realize the seriousness of their offense and its fatal implications, turning to Samuel as the conduit to divine mercy.
- For we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask a king: This constitutes a powerful, concise confession. It states the nature of their ongoing sinfulness, highlights their accumulated guilt, and specifically names their most recent and profound transgression: demanding a human king instead of trusting God as their true King.
1 Samuel 12 19 Bonus section
- Polemics: This verse underscores a crucial polemic against the worldview of surrounding nations. While other nations desired strong human leaders and idols, Israel was meant to be uniquely governed by Yahweh Himself. Their demand for a king showed a desire to shed this distinct identity and conform to the surrounding pagan world, which was a fundamental betrayal of their covenant relationship.
- Theology of Sin: The phrase "we have added to all our sins this evil" provides insight into the nature of sin as accumulative. Individual transgressions are not isolated incidents but build upon past ones, deepening guilt and escalating God's displeasure. This particular sin was an aggravation, the pinnacle of their rebellion against God's direct rule.
- Samuel's Intercessory Role: The people's immediate turning to Samuel for prayer highlights the vital role of the prophet and intercessor in Israel. They understood that only through a righteous mediator could they hope to find mercy from God after such grave transgression. Samuel, though stepping down from judgeship, continued his indispensable prophetic and intercessory ministry, becoming even more significant to them in their time of fear.
- God's Sovereignty amidst Rejection: Even though Israel rejected God's direct kingship, God's plan unfolds through the establishment of the monarchy. Their sinful demand inadvertently contributes to the trajectory that eventually leads to the lineage of David and ultimately, the true King of Israel, Jesus Christ, albeit through human failures and a painful learning process for the nation.
1 Samuel 12 19 Commentary
1 Samuel 12:19 marks a turning point where the collective heart of Israel is finally pricked by conviction. After Samuel's unwavering sermon and God's miraculous sign of thunder and rain during the dry harvest, the people recognize the severity of their error. Their confession is profound: they admit their repeated history of sin and identify their request for a human king as a particularly grave transgression that compounds all prior disobedience. This specific "evil" represented a rejection of God's unique kingship over them, preferring instead to emulate the gentile nations around them. Their fear of divine judgment—"that we may not die"—is genuine, prompting an urgent appeal for Samuel's intercession. This verse emphasizes the Israelites' realization that their desire for a king was not merely a pragmatic choice but an act of deep rebellion against God's sovereign rule.