1 Samuel 8 13

1 Samuel 8:13 kjv

And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

1 Samuel 8:13 nkjv

He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

1 Samuel 8:13 niv

He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

1 Samuel 8:13 esv

He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.

1 Samuel 8:13 nlt

The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.

1 Samuel 8 verses

1 Samuel 8 13 Meaning

1 Samuel 8:13 reveals a specific aspect of the king's oppressive rule, as prophesied by Samuel. It states that the king will seize the daughters of Israel to serve his royal court in specialized, often luxurious, roles such as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. This implies forced labor and the conscription of family members for the king's personal needs and maintenance of his lavish lifestyle, rather than their traditional roles within the family or community, highlighting a significant departure from God's ideal governance.

1 Samuel 8 13 Context

This verse is part of Samuel’s prophetic warning to the Israelites regarding their demand for a human king, a king "like all the nations." In 1 Samuel chapter 8, the elders of Israel approach Samuel, asking him to appoint a king to rule over them because Samuel’s sons, who were judges, had proved corrupt. Samuel views this request as a rejection of God’s direct rule over them. He consults the Lord, who permits them to have a king but instructs Samuel to solemnly warn them about the ways of such a king. Verses 11-18 outline these oppressive ways, detailing how the king will "take" their sons, daughters, fields, servants, and livestock, culminating in them becoming his "slaves." Verse 13 specifically focuses on the requisitioning of daughters for royal service, illustrating the invasive nature of the monarchy on family life and personal freedom, a stark contrast to God's benevolent rule.

1 Samuel 8 13 Word analysis

• He will take: (יִקָּח֙, yiqqach) - From the Hebrew root לָקַח (laqach), meaning "to take, seize, acquire." This verb denotes a forceful acquisition or requisition, not a voluntary agreement. It implies an act of authority and compulsion, where the king claims what belongs to others for his own benefit, often without fair compensation. This "taking" is central to Samuel's warning, emphasizing the king's self-serving nature and his usurping of the people's resources and freedom.
• your daughters: (בְּנוֹתֵיכֶם֙, b'notaychem) - Specifically designates female offspring, highlighting the intrusion into the family unit and the appropriation of women's labor. In ancient Israel, daughters played vital roles in household management, agricultural labor, and family perpetuation. The king "taking" them represents a significant loss of domestic strength and resources for families. It underscores the breadth of the king's power, extending even to the personal sphere of the family.
• to be perfumers: (רֹקְח֥וֹת, roqḥōṯ) - From the root רקח (raqaḥ), "to perfume, compound spices." These women would be skilled in creating royal ointments, incense, cosmetics, and perfumes, which were essential for the king’s personal hygiene, anointing ceremonies, and the lavish courtly life. This role speaks to the luxury and self-indulgence associated with human monarchy, financed and maintained by the people's conscripted labor.
• and cooks: (וְטַבָּח֖וֹת, v'ṭabbāḥōṯ) - From the root טבח (ṭābaḥ), "to slaughter, cook." Refers to female chefs responsible for preparing meals for the king, his household, and his extensive court. Given the size of royal courts, a substantial number of cooks would be required, working tirelessly to provide sustenance and elaborate feasts. This again illustrates the enormous consumption and administrative demands of the royal apparatus.
• and bakers: (וְאוֹפוֹת, v'ōwpōṯ) - From the root אפה (ʾāphāh), "to bake." These women would be tasked with baking bread, cakes, and other baked goods for the royal table. Baking was a fundamental and laborious household task. To be forced into this service for the king signifies that women would be taken from their own families and productive labor to feed the royal court.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "He will take your daughters": This phrase underlines the compulsory nature of the king's demands. The verb "take" (yithkach) is consistently used throughout Samuel's warning (verses 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17) to signify a forceful appropriation. The king claims dominion over not just material possessions but also the very people, specifically women, within their families. This deeply impacts the socio-economic structure of the Israelite household and challenges the integrity of the family unit, which was central to Israelite identity and God's covenant.
• "to be perfumers and cooks and bakers": This tripartite enumeration of roles specifies how the daughters would be employed. These are all domestic but skilled services required for the opulent sustenance and luxury of a large royal court. It shows a diversion of productive labor from supporting the individual Israelite family and contributing to the national religious economy to serving the king's personal comfort and prestige. The emphasis on "perfumers" suggests the luxury aspects of a monarchy, moving beyond mere survival to extravagant display, funded by the populace's unwilling service.

1 Samuel 8 13 Bonus section

• The repetitive use of the verb "will take" (yiqqach) throughout Samuel's prophecy (1 Sam 8:11-17) serves as a literary device to underscore the comprehensive and insatiable nature of the king's demands on his subjects. It emphasizes appropriation and forced submission rather than covenantal relationship or voluntary service.
• While a theocracy with God as king ensures protection and provision without heavy taxation or conscription, human kingship inevitably entails such burdens. The roles mentioned (perfumers, cooks, bakers) were vital, but their performance would no longer be for the family or the common worship of God, but for the king's court, reflecting a shift in ultimate loyalty and resource allocation from God and community to the monarch.
• This specific verse, by detailing the taking of daughters, subtly addresses issues of gender roles and vulnerability in society. While not unique in ancient Near Eastern kingdoms, it stood in contrast to God's laws, which sought to protect the vulnerable within Israelite society.

1 Samuel 8 13 Commentary

1 Samuel 8:13 is a crucial component of Samuel's detailed warning, painting a grim picture of the burdens of human monarchy. The people of Israel, longing for a visible king like other nations, were effectively rejecting their invisible King, YHWH, who had governed them through judges and divine law. Samuel's warning serves as a prophetic mirror, reflecting the future reality of an earthly monarch's self-serving governance. By stating that the king "will take your daughters," the passage reveals the intimate and personal level at which the monarchy would impinge upon the lives of ordinary Israelites. Daughters, traditionally responsible for crucial domestic duties and contributors to the family's well-being, would be forcibly conscripted. The specified roles—perfumers, cooks, and bakers—highlight that these duties are not for the common good of Israel but primarily to sustain the king's opulent lifestyle and large retinue. This practice was contrary to the spirit of God’s covenant, which valued freedom, family integrity, and communal responsibility. This warning foreshadows the historical realities of later kings in Israel, who indeed exercised extensive power, often to the detriment of their people, demonstrating that desiring a king "like all the nations" would lead to being burdened "like all the nations."