📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 8 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Samuel 8:1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he Rmade his sons judges over Israel.
1 Samuel 8:2 Now the name of his firstborn was RJoel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
1 Samuel 8:3 And Rhis sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
1 Samuel 8:4 Then all Rthe elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
1 Samuel 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: Rnow make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1 Samuel 8:6 But the thing RTdispleased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, RHearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
1 Samuel 8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
1 Samuel 8:9 Now therefore Thearken unto their voice: RThowbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
1 Samuel 8:10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
1 Samuel 8:11 And he said, RThis will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:12 And he will Rappoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
1 Samuel 8:14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
1 Samuel 8:15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his RTofficers, and to his servants.
1 Samuel 8:16 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 8:17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
1 Samuel 8:18 And ye shall Rcry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
1 Samuel 8:19 Nevertheless the people Rrefused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
1 Samuel 8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
1 Samuel 8:21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and Rhe rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 8:1–9 — Corrupt sons and a request for a king
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Samuel's sons take bribes and pervert judgment. Israel's elders ask for a king like the nations. The LORD identifies their request as rejection of his rule while directing Samuel to give them a solemn warning.
Key Truth: A real failure of leadership does not make every proposed remedy faithful.
Check What You Remember
1. What were Samuel's sons' names? (1 Samuel 8:2)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:2 (KJV).
2. What payments corrupted their judgment? (1 Samuel 8:3)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:3 (KJV).
3. Whose rule did the LORD say Israel rejected? (1 Samuel 8:7)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 8:10–18 — The cost of the requested kingship
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Samuel describes the king taking children, land, produce, servants, and livestock for his purposes. The warning presents burdens hidden beneath the desire for national prestige. The people are told that their chosen arrangement will bring a future cry of distress.
Key Truth: A desired solution should be weighed against its stated costs.
Check What You Remember
1. What fraction of seed and vineyards would the king take? (1 Samuel 8:15)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:15 (KJV).
2. What fraction of sheep would he take? (1 Samuel 8:17)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:17 (KJV).
3. What would the people become in relation to the king? (1 Samuel 8:17)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:17 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 8:19–22 — The people insist
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Despite the warning, Israel insists on a king to judge and fight like other nations. Samuel reports their words to the LORD and is told to make them a king. Permission to proceed does not erase the earlier diagnosis or warning.
Key Truth: The people choose resemblance to the nations despite the warning they received.
Check What You Remember
1. Whose voice did the people refuse to obey? (1 Samuel 8:19)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:19 (KJV).
2. Whom did they want to be like? (1 Samuel 8:20)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:20 (KJV).
3. What did the LORD tell Samuel to make for them? (1 Samuel 8:22)
Find it in 1 Samuel 8:22 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 17:16 — The law had already placed limits on the conduct of an Israelite king.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Which stated motives drive Israel's request, and which costs does Samuel ask them to consider?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What makes Samuel’s sons unlike their father in their judging?
2. How does the LORD interpret the people’s demand for a king?
3. What repeated action organizes Samuel’s warning about the king?
4. What future reversal is described after their choice of a king?
5. What tasks do the people want their king to perform?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation