The Meaning of 1 Samuel 13:11 Explained

1 Samuel 13:11

KJV: And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

YLT: and Samuel saith, 'What hast thou done?' And Saul saith, 'Because I saw that the people were scattered from off me, and thou hadst not come at the appointment of the days, and the Philistines are gathered to Michmash,

Darby: And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou didst not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were assembled at Michmash,

ASV: And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Samuel  said,  What hast thou done?  And Saul  said,  Because I saw  that the people  were scattered  from me, and [that] thou camest  not within the days  appointed,  and [that] the Philistines  gathered themselves together  at Michmash; 

What does 1 Samuel 13:11 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 13:1-12 - Saul's First Act Of Folly
The story of a great tragedy! Here was the overcasting of a bright sunrise. The king was certainly subjected to a tremendous test. He had been bidden to wait until Samuel came, before offering the sacrifice, because from the first it was understood that Saul was on the throne only as the nominee and vicegerent of Jehovah. And Saul did wait, with growing impatience, for seven weary days; then, when the allotted period had nearly expired, he "forced" himself and offered the sacrifice. Apparently he had done this within half-an-hour of Samuel's arrival, because the offering would hardly have taken longer.
The one lesson for us is that the man after God's own heart will obey God to the uttermost, will wait till the last moment with assured faith, will dare to stand amid a dwindling army and with disaster imminent for the lack of marching-orders. Man thinks God slow, behind the appointed time, and forgetful. Nay, but God is waiting to be gracious-waiting for the precise moment when He can intervene with most effect, Isaiah 30:15; Isaiah 30:18. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 13

1  Saul's select band
3  He calls the Hebrews to Gilgal against the Philistines
5  The Philistines' great army
6  The distress of the Israelites
8  Saul, weary of staying for Samuel, sacrifices
11  Samuel reproves him
17  The three raiding parties of the Philistines
19  The policy of the Philistines, to allow no blacksmith in Israel

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 13:11 mean?

And said Samuel what have you done Saul when I saw that were scattered the people from me and [that] you not did come within appointed the days and [that] the Philistines gathered together at Michmash
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל מֶ֣ה ؟ עָשִׂ֑יתָ שָׁא֡וּל כִּֽי־ רָאִיתִי֩ כִֽי־ נָפַ֨ץ הָעָ֜ם מֵעָלַ֗י וְאַתָּה֙ לֹא־ בָ֙אתָ֙ לְמוֹעֵ֣ד הַיָּמִ֔ים וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים נֶאֱסָפִ֥ים מִכְמָֽשׂ

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל  Samuel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמוּאֵל  
Sense: son of Elkanah by his wife Hannah and judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David.
؟ עָשִׂ֑יתָ  have  you  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
שָׁא֡וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
רָאִיתִי֩  I  saw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כִֽי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
נָפַ֨ץ  were  scattered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָפַץ 
Sense: to shatter, break, dash, beat in pieces.
הָעָ֜ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
מֵעָלַ֗י  from  me 
Parse: Preposition-m, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וְאַתָּה֙  and  [that]  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
בָ֙אתָ֙  did  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְמוֹעֵ֣ד  within  appointed 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֹועֵד  
Sense: appointed place, appointed time, meeting.
הַיָּמִ֔ים  the  days 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים  and  [that]  the  Philistines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
נֶאֱסָפִ֥ים  gathered  together 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָסַף 
Sense: to gather, receive, remove, gather in.
מִכְמָֽשׂ  at  Michmash 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִכְמָס 
Sense: a city in Benjamin lying near Ramah and approximately 0 miles (6 km) north of Jerusalem; probably modern ‘Mukhmas’.