1 Samuel 8:16 kjv
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
1 Samuel 8:16 nkjv
And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
1 Samuel 8:16 niv
Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.
1 Samuel 8:16 esv
He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
1 Samuel 8:16 nlt
He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use.
1 Samuel 8 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 8:7 | "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them." | Israel rejected God as king |
| 1 Sam 8:11 | "He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots..." | King taking sons for military |
| 1 Sam 8:14 | "He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards..." | King taking agricultural land |
| 1 Sam 8:17 | "He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his servants." | King taking livestock and demanding servitude |
| Deut 17:14-20 | Laws concerning kingship, warning against a king gathering too much wealth, horses, or wives for himself. | Ideal king contrast, limited power |
| Hos 13:10-11 | "I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath." | God's disapproval of king request |
| Acts 13:21 | "Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul..." | Israel's demand for a king fulfilled |
| Exod 1:13-14 | "The Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter..." | Forced labor under oppressive rule |
| Josh 9:21 | "Let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation..." | Gibeonites subjected to forced servitude |
| 1 Kgs 5:13-14 | "King Solomon raised a forced labor levy... thirty thousand men. He sent them to Lebanon..." | Solomon's use of forced labor |
| 1 Kgs 12:4 | "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore lighten the hard service... and we will serve you." | Rehoboam's oppression and heavy demands |
| 1 Kgs 12:14 | "My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." | Rehoboam threatens heavier burdens |
| Isa 3:12-15 | "O My people! Your oppressors are childish... The Lord enters into judgment with the elders..." | Prophetic warning against corrupt leaders |
| Mic 3:1-3 | "Hear, you heads of Jacob... who hate good and love evil; who pluck off their skin from them..." | Prophets condemn rulers who exploit people |
| Ezek 34:2-4 | "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! ...You have ruled them with force and harshness." | Bad shepherds (rulers) who oppress the flock |
| Ps 24:1 | "The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it." | God's ultimate ownership |
| Matt 20:25-28 | "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... But among you it is not to be so..." | Jesus contrasts gentile rule with servant leadership |
| Mark 10:42-45 | Parallel to Matt 20, Jesus teaching on humble leadership vs. earthly dominance. | Contrast between power and humble service |
| 1 Pet 5:2-3 | "shepherd the flock of God... not by compulsion... nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your care." | NT warning against oppressive leadership |
| Prov 28:16 | "A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, but he who hates dishonest gain will prolong his days." | Qualities of oppressive vs. just rulers |
| Deut 28:47-48 | Consequences for disobedience, including servitude to enemies, wearing "an iron yoke." | Divine judgment via harsh service |
| Dan 5:19 | Nebuchadnezzar's power to slay, keep alive, exalt, or humble as he pleased. | Example of absolute monarchical power |
1 Samuel 8 verses
1 Samuel 8 16 Meaning
The verse warns the Israelites of the king's oppressive practices, specifically his appropriation of their vital human and animal resources for his own gain. It illustrates that the king will seize their most able male and female servants, their strongest young men, and their donkeys, not through purchase, but as a form of royal conscription or confiscation. These confiscated assets would then be put to the king's own projects, effectively transforming free citizens and their property into tools for royal enterprise, diminishing their independence and prosperity. This highlights a fundamental consequence of a human king mimicking the pagan monarchs' absolute rule rather than God's covenant leadership.
1 Samuel 8 16 Context
First Samuel chapter 8 describes Israel's demand for a king "like all the nations" despite God already being their direct ruler through His appointed prophet, Samuel. Samuel views this request as a rejection of God. He relays God's instruction to warn the people about the manner of king they would receive – an oppressive, self-serving monarch contrasting with the ideal covenant king described in Deuteronomy 17. Verses 11-17 detail Samuel's prophetic warning of the king's despotic behavior: he will take their sons for military and labor, their daughters for domestic service, their fields, vineyards, and livestock, and ultimately their very freedom. Verse 16 specifically highlights the confiscation of their valuable labor force (servants, young men) and vital assets (donkeys) for royal endeavors, demonstrating the king's pervasive claim over private property and individual liberty.
1 Samuel 8 16 Word analysis
- He will take (וְלָקַח - wə-lāqaḥ): The Hebrew verb "lāqaḥ" implies a forceful or assertive taking, not a consensual exchange or purchase. It suggests an act of appropriation or seizure, underscoring the king's power and lack of accountability to the people in this particular instance. This verb often carries the connotation of seizing without right or justly earned recompense.
- Your male servants (עַבְדֵיכֶם - ʿavdêkhem) and female servants (וְשִׁפְחוֹתֵיכֶם - wə-šifḥōtêkhem): These refer to individuals who are part of the household, potentially laborers or domestic helpers. In ancient Israelite society, having servants indicated a degree of prosperity and provided essential labor. The king taking them means stripping families of their household support and economic capacity.
- And the best of your young men (וְאֶת־בַּחוּרֵיכֶם - wə-ʾet-baḥûrêkhem): The term "baḥûrêkhem" refers to the prime, strongest, and most capable young men. This denotes the appropriation of Israel's vigorous male population, indicating they would be used for the king's most demanding physical tasks, military service, or construction projects. The term "best" underscores the valuable human resources being diverted from their own families and farms. Some ancient versions, like the Septuagint, interpret a variant that could mean "oxen," highlighting another valuable resource, but the Masoretic Text (the standard Hebrew Bible) reads "young men."
- And your donkeys (וְאֶת־חֲמוֹרֵיכֶם - wə-ḥamōrêkhem): Donkeys were crucial working animals in ancient Israel, indispensable for agriculture, transport, and trade. Taking donkeys would severely impact the economic viability and daily life of ordinary families and communities. It implies the seizure of critical livelihood assets for the king's personal or state use.
- And put them to his own work (וְהֵקִימוֹ עָשִׂים לִמְלַאכְתּוֹ - wəhēqîmô ʿāśîm limlaʾaktō): This phrase emphasizes the compulsory nature of the service. "To his own work" signifies that these resources are no longer for the benefit of the original owners but solely for the king's purposes—whether building projects, military support, or other royal enterprises. It reveals the loss of self-determination and the forced labor characteristic of absolute monarchs.
- "He will take... and put them to his own work": This entire clause conveys the transfer of ownership and control from the individual Israelite to the king. It highlights the transformation of free citizens and their productive assets into the king's private property and labor force. This effectively describes royal conscription of both human and animal resources for state service, diminishing personal wealth and freedom. It's a system of extraction for the benefit of the royal household, reflecting the typical practices of foreign monarchies that Israel sought to emulate.
1 Samuel 8 16 Bonus section
This verse forms part of Samuel's mishpat hammelek ("manner of the king") (1 Sam 8:9), a description of how the king will operate rather than a divine prescription of what he should do. It reflects the pragmatic realities and likely abuses of power common among Near Eastern monarchs. This portrayal of royal greed and conscription functions as a theological critique of Israel's desire for a king "like all the nations," demonstrating the incompatibility of such an ambition with their identity as God's special possession. The ultimate tragedy is not just the loss of property, but the loss of true liberty and direct dependence on God as their sovereign Lord, leading to a system where they would "cry out" (1 Sam 8:18) under the very authority they sought.
1 Samuel 8 16 Commentary
1 Samuel 8:16 delivers a stark warning concerning the inherent exploitative nature of unchecked human kingship, distinguishing it from God's benevolent rule. Samuel's message illustrates that unlike God, who provides and upholds His people, an earthly king will "take" resources, personnel, and property through seizure rather than stewardship. This includes both personal servants, signifying the appropriation of domestic and skilled labor, and the "best" young men, representing the vital productive force and potential military recruits of the nation. The inclusion of "donkeys" further underscores the economic burden, as these animals were critical for agriculture and transport, essential for common life and livelihood. The phrase "put them to his own work" reveals that these seized assets serve the king's agenda, potentially grand building projects or military campaigns, at the cost of the people's freedom, prosperity, and self-sufficiency. This prophetic word contrasts the oppressive models of pagan kings with God's design for a king who rules according to covenant principles, serving the people and fearing the Lord.