The Meaning of 1 Samuel 8:4 Explained

1 Samuel 8:4

KJV: Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

YLT: And all the elders of Israel gather themselves together, and come in unto Samuel to Ramath,

Darby: Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah,

ASV: Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then all the elders  of Israel  gathered themselves together,  and came  to Samuel  unto Ramah, 

What does 1 Samuel 8:4 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 8:1-9 - Seeking A King Like Other Nations
The sin that Samuel, as a lad, rebuked in Eli, reappeared in his own family and undermined his influence. The names of Samuel's sons are suggestive of his own piety-"Jehovah is God" and "Jehovah is my Father"-but, alas, they failed to walk in His steps! It was a mistake to delegate authority to men whose character was corrupt, and this precipitated the desire of Israel for a king. They failed to value the glory and strength of their position as a theocracy-a nation directly ruled by God-and craved to be as other nations. This finally led to their undoing. Be not conformed to the world; or you will share in its condemnation as well as in its penalty, Hosea 13:9-11.
Samuel felt the rebuff keenly, but ultimately he took the one wise step of laying the whole matter before the Lord. It is a good example! When the heart is overwhelmed; when we are hemmed in by difficulty; when men rise up and breathe out cruelty against us, let us roll back our trouble on our Lord and Savior, who has identified Himself with our life. Tell Him all, though your heart is almost too broken for utterance. "He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry," Isaiah 30:19. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 8

1  By occasion of the ill government of Samuel's sons, the Israelites ask a king
6  Samuel praying in grief is comforted by God
10  He tells the manner of a king
19  God wills Samuel to yield unto the importunity of the people

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 8:4 mean?

And gathered together all the elders of Israel and came to Samuel at Ramah
וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֔וּ כֹּ֖ל זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־ שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל הָרָמָֽתָה

וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֔וּ  And  gathered  together 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָבַץ  
Sense: to gather, assemble.
זִקְנֵ֣י  the  elders 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ  and  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
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.
הָרָמָֽתָה  at  Ramah 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: רָמָה 
Sense: a town in Benjamin on the border of Ephraim about 5 miles (8 km) from Jerusalem and near to Gibeah.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Samuel 8:4?

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