1 Samuel 8:12
New International Version
Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

New Living Translation
Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment.

English Standard Version
And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.

Berean Standard Bible
He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.

King James Bible
And he will appoint 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.

New King James Version
He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

New American Standard Bible
He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

NASB 1995
“He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

NASB 1977
“And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

Amplified Bible
He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots.

Christian Standard Bible
He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots.

American Standard Version
and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he will make for himself Chiefs of thousands and Chiefs of hundreds and Chiefs of fifties and Chiefs of tens, and they will plow his field and they will harvest his harvest and they will make the weapons of his war and the implements of his chariots

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and his manner shall be to make them to himself captains of hundreds and captains of thousands; and to reap his harvest, and gather his vintage, and prepare his instruments of war, and the implements of his chariots.

Contemporary English Version
Some of them will be officers in charge of 1,000 soldiers, and others will be in charge of 50. Still others will have to farm the king's land and harvest his crops, or make weapons and parts for his chariots.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and centurions, and to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make him arms and chariots.

English Revised Version
and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He will appoint them to be his officers over 1,000 or over 50 soldiers, to plow his ground and harvest his crops, and to make weapons and equipment for his chariots.

Good News Translation
He will make some of them officers in charge of a thousand men, and others in charge of fifty men. Your sons will have to plow his fields, harvest his crops, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

International Standard Version
He will appoint his officers over thousands and officers over fifties—some will plow his fields, reap his harvest, and craft his war implements and equipment for his chariots.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

Literal Standard Version
also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer.

Majority Standard Bible
He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.

New American Bible
He will appoint from among them his commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He will make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war and chariotry.

NET Bible
He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment.

New Revised Standard Version
and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.

New Heart English Bible
And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands, and commanders of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and gather his vintage, and to make his implements of war, and the equipment of his chariots.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to till his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

World English Bible
He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest; and to make his instruments of war and the instruments of his chariots.

Young's Literal Translation
also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel's Warning
11He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots. 12He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots. 13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.…

Cross References
Numbers 31:14
But Moses was angry with the officers of the army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who were returning from the battle.

1 Samuel 8:13
And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

1 Samuel 22:7
Then Saul said to his servants, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?


Treasury of Scripture

And he will appoint 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.

appoint

1 Chronicles 27:1-22
Now the children of Israel after their number, to wit, the chief fathers and captains of thousands and hundreds, and their officers that served the king in any matter of the courses, which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year, of every course were twenty and four thousand…

and will set

1 Kings 4:7,22,23,27,28
And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision…

2 Chronicles 32:28,29
Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks…

Jump to Previous
Appoint Assign Building Captains Chariots Commanders Cutting Ear Equipment Harvest Heads Implements Instruments Making Others Plough Ploughing Plow Plowing Reap Thousands War War-Carriages Weapons Work
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Appoint Assign Building Captains Chariots Commanders Cutting Ear Equipment Harvest Heads Implements Instruments Making Others Plough Ploughing Plow Plowing Reap Thousands War War-Carriages Weapons Work
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














(12) To ear his ground.--To ear, that is, to plough. The word is an old word (Anglo-Saxon earian), and connected with the Latin arare.

Verse 12. - Captains over thousands, and captains over fifties. The largest and smallest divisions respectively of an Israelite, army. However objectionable the king's personal state might be, this would fall in with the people's wishes, for it would give them the promise of a well organised army. Not so the next clause, to ear i.e. to plough - his ground. Forced labour was one of the most unjust, oppressive, and wasteful exactions of absolute governments, and was the chief cause of the revolt of the ten tribes from Rehoboam (comp. 1 Kings 5:13-16; 1 Kings 12:4). And yet it was the universal rule in ancient times, and in some countries it has continued even to the present day to be the law that the peasants must at certain seasons give their labour unpaid either to the proprietors or to the state. Naturally, for a nation of agriculturists to have to leave their own fields just when their presence at home was most needed to plough the king's ground and reap his harvest would be a bitter annoyance, because to the loss would be added a sense of wrong. How determinately a high-spirited nation like the Jews did resist this injustice we gather not merely from the indignation felt against Solomon's levies, but also from the reproach cast in Jehoiakim's teeth by Jeremiah, that "he used his neighbour's service without wages, and gave him not for his work" (Jeremiah 22:13). To make his instruments of war. Such work must be done; but in well organised states it is paid for by means of taxes, i.e. by a money compensation in place of personal service. In semi-barbarous states forced labour is used, and the national arsenals furnished at the greatest possible expense and vexation to those compelled to labour, and loss to the national resources.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He will appoint
וְלָשׂ֣וּם (wə·lā·śūm)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

some for himself
ל֔וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

as commanders
שָׂרֵ֥י (śā·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince

of thousands
אֲלָפִ֖ים (’ă·lā·p̄îm)
Number - masculine plural
Strong's 505: A thousand

and of fifties,
חֲמִשִּׁ֑ים (ḥă·miš·šîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 2572: Fifty

and others to plow
וְלַחֲרֹ֤שׁ (wə·la·ḥă·rōš)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2790: To cut in, engrave, plow, devise

his ground,
חֲרִישׁוֹ֙ (ḥă·rî·šōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2758: A plowing, plowing time

to reap
וְלִקְצֹ֣ר (wə·liq·ṣōr)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7114: To dock off, curtail, to harvest

his harvest,
קְצִיר֔וֹ (qə·ṣî·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7105: Severed, harvest, the crop, the time, the reaper, a limb

and to make
וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת (wə·la·‘ă·śō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 6213: To do, make

his weapons
כְּלֵֽי־ (kə·lê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3627: Something prepared, any apparatus

of war
מִלְחַמְתּ֖וֹ (mil·ḥam·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

and equip
וּכְלֵ֥י (ū·ḵə·lê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3627: Something prepared, any apparatus

his chariots.
רִכְבּֽוֹ׃ (riḵ·bōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7393: A vehicle, a team, cavalry, a rider, the upper millstone


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OT History: 1 Samuel 8:12 And he will appoint them to him (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 8:11
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