1 Samuel 8 3

1 Samuel 8:3 kjv

And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

1 Samuel 8:3 nkjv

But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 8:3 niv

But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 8:3 esv

Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 8:3 nlt

But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

1 Samuel 8 verses

1 Samuel 8 3 Meaning

1 Samuel 8:3 describes the failure of Samuel's sons, Joel and Abijah, who were appointed judges in Beersheba. Unlike their father, they did not uphold righteous conduct but succumbed to covetousness. Their unrighteousness manifested in taking illicit gains, specifically bribes, which led them to distort and pervert justice, rather than upholding it fairly and impartially. This corruption of leadership was a significant catalyst for the elders of Israel to demand a king.

1 Samuel 8 3 Context

1 Samuel 8:3 occurs during a pivotal transition period in Israel's history, moving from the period of the Judges to the establishment of a monarchy. Samuel, as the last of the great judges and a prophet, had grown old. He appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as judges in Beersheba to assist him and potentially to carry on his work. This practice of sons taking on the father's public role was common, though the office of judge was not hereditary by divine decree but based on a charismatically given spirit and wisdom from God.

The chapter begins with Samuel's old age, immediately followed by the account of his sons' failings. Their corruption is presented as the direct reason the elders of Israel gathered and confronted Samuel, stating, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king for us to govern us like all the nations" (1 Sam 8:5). This verse thus serves as the crucial trigger for the shift from a God-appointed judicial system to a human-desired kingship, born out of a crisis in leadership integrity and faith.

1 Samuel 8 3 Word analysis

• But his sons: Introduces a stark contrast with Samuel. While Samuel himself was a righteous judge, devoted to the LORD, his sons' character sharply diverged. This highlights a repeated problem in Israel's history, where righteous leaders sometimes failed to instill piety or righteous conduct in their immediate family, leading to dynastic crises (e.g., Eli and his sons).

• walked not in his ways: The Hebrew lo' halăḵū biḏĕrāḵāyw (לֹא הָלְכוּ בִדְרָכָיו) signifies a fundamental failure to adhere to Samuel's moral and judicial principles, particularly his integrity and commitment to divine law. To "walk in ways" is an idiomatic expression for one's manner of life, conduct, or moral behavior, indicating a divergence from the righteous path.

• but turned aside: The Hebrew wayyiṭtû (וַיִּטּוּ) implies a deviation or deflection from the correct course. It is not merely an absence of walking in the right way but an active departure towards an alternative, undesirable path.

• after lucre: The Hebrew term is baṣaʿ (בֶּצַע), which means unjust gain, dishonest profit, or greed. This specifies their core motivation: their actions were driven by a desire for material wealth, acquired unrighteously. It reveals the heart issue that led to their corrupt practices.

• and took bribes: The Hebrew wayyiqqəḥū šōḥaḏ (וַיִּקְחוּ שֹׁחַד) refers to the acceptance of illicit payments given to influence a judgment or action. This was strictly forbidden under the Mosaic Law for anyone in a position of authority, especially judges (Exod 23:8; Deut 16:19), as it corrupted the very foundation of justice.

• and perverted judgment: The Hebrew wayyaṭṭû mišpāṭ (וַיַּטּוּ מִשְׁפָּט) means to bend, twist, or deflect justice from its rightful course. It implies making decisions that are biased, unfair, or contrary to the law and righteousness, directly due to the influence of bribes. This action fundamentally undermined the covenant standard of justice which Israel was called to uphold.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre": This phrase illuminates the root cause of their misconduct. It's a progression: first, a failure to emulate Samuel's upright character ("walked not in his ways"), which led to an active moral turning away ("turned aside"), culminating in their pursuit of unethical financial gain ("after lucre"). It exposes a moral decline driven by avarice.
  • "took bribes, and perverted judgment": This demonstrates the outward manifestation and consequences of their internal corruption. Taking bribes was the instrument through which their greed operated, and perverting judgment was the direct, harmful result. This shows how personal sin (greed) directly leads to social injustice, violating the covenant responsibilities of a leader.

1 Samuel 8 3 Bonus section

• The parallel between Samuel's sons and Eli's sons highlights a recurring problem of succession in judgeship where spiritual heritage does not guarantee righteous progeny. Both sets of sons caused the people to stumble and demand a different form of leadership (in Eli's case, God allowed the Ark to be captured, in Samuel's, a king).
• This verse emphasizes the importance of a leader's character over their inherited position. Joel and Abijah held authority, but their lack of integrity nullified its legitimacy in God's eyes and the people's.
• The desire for a king in Israel was primarily a rejection of God's direct rule through judges, motivated by the desire to "be like all the nations," but the immediate impetus for this rejection was the gross corruption exhibited by Samuel's sons, as described in this verse.
• The sin of the sons was not merely personal but had significant public consequences, impacting the poor, the vulnerable, and the administration of law throughout Israel. It created an environment of mistrust and oppression, which stands in direct contrast to God's design for justice among His people.

1 Samuel 8 3 Commentary

1 Samuel 8:3 concisely delivers the indictment against Samuel's sons, presenting their corruption as a pivotal reason for Israel's demand for a king. This verse stands as a stark testament to the principle that unrighteous leadership undermines societal order and God's standards for His people. Their conduct was in direct violation of the foundational laws concerning justice and impartiality given in the Pentateuch, laws designed to reflect God's own righteous character and ensure equity within the community. The progression from an internal motivation ("after lucre") to concrete corrupt actions ("took bribes") and finally to the devastating outcome ("perverted judgment") serves as a timeless warning. It underscores how the pursuit of dishonest gain inevitably leads to the twisting of justice, fostering injustice rather than rectitude. This failure mirrors the earlier account of Eli's sons, illustrating a recurrent danger when spiritual authority is passed down without accompanying personal righteousness and faithfulness to God's ways. The verse thus sets the stage for the narrative tension in 1 Samuel 8, where a flawed human solution (a king) is sought to resolve a problem stemming from human failure to uphold divine law.