The Meaning of 1 Samuel 12:2 Explained

1 Samuel 12:2

KJV: And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

YLT: and now, lo, the king is walking habitually before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, lo, they are with you, and I have walked habitually before you from my youth till this day.

Darby: And now behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and grey-headed; and behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth up to this day.

ASV: And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And now, behold, the king  walketh  before  you: and I am old  and grayheaded;  and, behold, my sons  [are] with you: and I have walked  before  you from my childhood  unto this day. 

What does 1 Samuel 12:2 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 12:2 mean?

Now here is the king walking before you and I am old and grayheaded and my sons [are] look with you have walked from my childhood to day this
וְעַתָּ֞ה הִנֵּ֥ה הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ׀ מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ לִפְנֵיכֶ֗ם וַאֲנִי֙ זָקַ֣נְתִּי וָשַׂ֔בְתִּי וּבָנַ֖י הִנָּ֣ם אִתְּכֶ֑ם הִתְהַלַּ֣כְתִּי מִנְּעֻרַ֖י עַד־ הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה

וְעַתָּ֞ה  Now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
הִנֵּ֥ה  here  is 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ׀  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ  walking 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לִפְנֵיכֶ֗ם  before  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וַאֲנִי֙  and  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
זָקַ֣נְתִּי  am  old 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: to be old, become old.
וָשַׂ֔בְתִּי  and  grayheaded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שִׂיב  
Sense: (Qal) to be hoary, be gray.
וּבָנַ֖י  and  my  sons  [are] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הִנָּ֣ם  look 
Parse: Interjection, third person masculine plural
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
אִתְּכֶ֑ם  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
הִתְהַלַּ֣כְתִּי  have  walked 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
מִנְּעֻרַ֖י  from  my  childhood 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: נְעוּרִים 
Sense: youth, early life.
הַיּ֥וֹם  day 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הַזֶּֽה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.