The Meaning of 1 Samuel 12:10 Explained

1 Samuel 12:10

KJV: And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

YLT: and they cry unto Jehovah, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve Thee.

Darby: And they cried to Jehovah and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths; and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

ASV: And they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they cried  unto the LORD,  and said,  We have sinned,  because we have forsaken  the LORD,  and have served  Baalim  and Ashtaroth:  but now deliver  us out of the hand  of our enemies,  and we will serve  thee. 

What does 1 Samuel 12:10 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 12:1-13 - Samuel's Last Message To Israel
An end must come to the longest and most useful service. "Before his long sleep Samuel made protestation of his innocence before God and the people." Yes, the long sleep will come to us all, and happy are they who, before they lay down their heads upon the pillow of death, are able to extend their hands and to bare their hearts before those who have known them best, and say, "These are clean." The people bore double witness to the truth of Samuel's challenge, and the old man was comforted. Yes, God was witness, as well as the people, to his absolute integrity. See Acts 24:16.
Then Samuel pressed home, upon that dense mass of people, the sin of which they had been guilty in demanding a king instead of waiting for a heaven-sent deliverer. But we are liable to the same mistake. We look to the visible and forget the invisible. We forget that the invisible Christ stands waiting to succor, prepared to save unto the uttermost. In this faith the Apostle found his abiding peace and steadfastness. See 2 Corinthians 1:10. Let us, also, "set our hope" on Him who has delivered, and will deliver. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 12

1  Samuel testifies his integrity
6  He reproves the people of ingratitude
16  He terrifies them with thunder in harvest time
20  he comforts them in God's mercy

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 12:10 mean?

And they cried out to Yahweh - and said we have sinned because we have forsaken - Yahweh and served the Baals and Ashtoreths but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve You
וַיִּזְעֲק֤וּ אֶל־ יְהוָה֙ [ויאמר] (וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ‪‬) חָטָ֔אנוּ כִּ֤י עָזַ֙בְנוּ֙ אֶת־ יְהוָ֔ה וַנַּעֲבֹ֥ד הַבְּעָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־ הָעַשְׁתָּר֑וֹת וְעַתָּ֗ה הַצִּילֵ֛נוּ מִיַּ֥ד אֹיְבֵ֖ינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶֽךָּ

וַיִּזְעֲק֤וּ  And  they  cried  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
[ויאמר]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
(וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ‪‬)  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
חָטָ֔אנוּ  we  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
כִּ֤י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
עָזַ֙בְנוּ֙  we  have  forsaken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וַנַּעֲבֹ֥ד  and  served 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.
הַבְּעָלִ֖ים  the  Baals 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
הָעַשְׁתָּר֑וֹת  Ashtoreths 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עַשְׁתָּרֹת  
Sense: false goddesses in the Canaanite religion, usually related to fertility cult.
וְעַתָּ֗ה  but  now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
הַצִּילֵ֛נוּ  deliver  us 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural, first person common plural
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִיַּ֥ד  from  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
אֹיְבֵ֖ינוּ  of  our  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
וְנַעַבְדֶֽךָּ  and  we  will  serve  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common plural, second person masculine singular
Root: עָבַד  
Sense: to work, serve.