1 Samuel 8:14
New International Version
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.

New Living Translation
He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials.

English Standard Version
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.

Berean Standard Bible
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants.

King James Bible
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

New King James Version
And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

New American Standard Bible
He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

NASB 1995
“He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.

NASB 1977
“And he will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

Legacy Standard Bible
He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.

Amplified Bible
He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

Christian Standard Bible
He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants.

American Standard Version
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

Contemporary English Version
The king will take your best fields, as well as your vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his own officials.

English Revised Version
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his officials.

Good News Translation
He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials.

International Standard Version
He will take the best products of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves and give them to his servants.

Majority Standard Bible
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants.

NET Bible
He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants.

New Heart English Bible
He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even their best, and give them to his servants.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

World English Bible
He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards—he takes the best, and has given to his servants.

Young's Literal Translation
and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards -- the best -- he doth take, and hath given to his servants.

Smith's Literal Translation
And your fields and your vineyards, and your olive trees, the good he will take and give to his servants.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Also, he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best olive groves, and he will give them to his servants.

New American Bible
He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants.

New Revised Standard Version
He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And your fields and your vineyards and your fine olive groves he will take and he will give to his Servants
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your good oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel's Warning
13And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants.…

Cross References
1 Kings 21:7-16
But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” / Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. / In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people. ...

Ezekiel 46:18
The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people by evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his property.’”

1 Kings 4:7-28
Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, / and these were their names: Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim; / Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan; ...

1 Kings 9:11-14
King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire. / So Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them. / “What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of Cabul, as they are called to this day. ...

1 Kings 21:1-3
Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. / So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” / But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

1 Kings 21:19
Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’ Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

1 Kings 22:3-4
who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” / So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”

2 Kings 9:25-26
And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against him: / ‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”

2 Kings 23:35
So Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh Neco, but to meet Pharaoh’s demand he taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people, each according to his wealth.

Nehemiah 5:4
Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

Isaiah 5:8
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.

Micah 2:2
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.

Luke 12:13-15
Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” / But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?” / And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Matthew 21:33-41
Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. / But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ...

Mark 12:1-9
Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. / But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

1 Samuel 22:7
Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;

1 Kings 21:7,19
And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite…

Ezekiel 46:18
Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.

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Attendants Best Olive Olive-Gardens Oliveyards Olive-Yards Orchards Servants Vine-Gardens Vineyards
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Attendants Best Olive Olive-Gardens Oliveyards Olive-Yards Orchards Servants Vine-Gardens Vineyards
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














He will take the best of your fields
This phrase highlights the warning given by Samuel to the Israelites about the consequences of demanding a king. In ancient Israel, land was a crucial asset, often passed down through generations as an inheritance. The "best of your fields" signifies the most fertile and productive land, which would have been essential for sustaining families and communities. This warning reflects the potential for abuse of power by a monarch, who could seize property for personal or state use, a practice not uncommon in the ancient Near East. The taking of land by a king contrasts with the earlier system of tribal leadership, where land distribution was more equitable and based on divine allotment (Joshua 13-21).

and vineyards
Vineyards were a symbol of prosperity and blessing in Israelite culture, often associated with abundance and joy (Psalm 104:15, Isaiah 5:1-7). The mention of vineyards underscores the economic impact of a king's rule, as these were valuable assets that provided wine, a staple in the diet and religious practices. The loss of vineyards to royal appropriation would not only affect economic stability but also cultural and religious life. This reflects the broader biblical theme of the dangers of centralized power and the potential for leaders to prioritize their interests over those of the people (1 Kings 21:1-16, the story of Naboth's vineyard).

and olive groves
Olive oil was a vital commodity in ancient Israel, used for cooking, lighting, anointing, and religious offerings (Exodus 30:24-25). Olive groves required years to cultivate, making them a long-term investment for families. The seizure of olive groves by a king would disrupt livelihoods and religious practices, as oil was essential for temple rituals. This phrase emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the king's demands, affecting all aspects of agricultural production and daily life. The taking of olive groves can be seen as a metaphor for the broader loss of autonomy and divine provision that Israel experienced under monarchical rule.

and give them to his servants
This part of the verse illustrates the redistribution of wealth and resources from the common people to the king's officials and courtiers. It reflects the hierarchical structure of a monarchy, where the king's inner circle benefits at the expense of the populace. This practice is a departure from the covenantal ideal of justice and equality before God (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). The favoritism shown to royal servants can be seen as a form of corruption, where loyalty to the king is rewarded over merit or righteousness. This redistribution is a cautionary tale about the potential for human leaders to subvert divine justice for personal gain, contrasting with the selfless leadership exemplified by Jesus Christ, who came to serve rather than be served (Mark 10:45).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Samuel
The last judge of Israel, who is delivering God's warning to the Israelites about the consequences of demanding a king.

2. Israelites
The people of Israel who are requesting a king to lead them, like other nations, rejecting God's direct rule.

3. Fields, Vineyards, and Olive Groves
Symbols of wealth and sustenance in ancient Israel, representing the people's prosperity and God's provision.

4. Servants of the King
Those who would benefit from the king's rule at the expense of the common people, illustrating the shift in power and wealth.

5. Monarchy in Israel
The event of transitioning from a theocracy to a monarchy, which would lead to the centralization of power and resources.
Teaching Points
The Cost of Rejecting God's Rule
When we demand our own way, we may face unintended consequences, such as loss of freedom and resources.

The Danger of Centralized Power
Human leaders, even with the best intentions, can become self-serving, leading to exploitation and injustice.

God's Sovereignty and Human Choice
God allows us to make choices, even when they lead away from His ideal, but He remains sovereign and works through all circumstances.

Stewardship of Resources
We are called to use our resources wisely and justly, recognizing that they are gifts from God meant for the common good.

Servant Leadership
True leadership in God's kingdom is marked by service and humility, contrasting with the self-serving nature of worldly leadership.Verse 14. - Your fields. The history of the seizure of Naboth's vineyard shows that the kings were not able to exercise this arbitrary power. Jezebel had to use great art and falsehood before she could get possession of the coveted plot of ground. But throughout Samuel describes a despot ruling after the fashion of heathen kings such as the people had desired.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He will take
יִקָּ֑ח (yiq·qāḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

the best
הַטּוֹבִ֖ים (haṭ·ṭō·w·ḇîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

of your fields
שְׂ֠דֽוֹתֵיכֶם (ḏō·w·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7704: Field, land

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

vineyards
כַּרְמֵיכֶ֧ם (kar·mê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3754: A garden, vineyard

and olive groves
וְזֵיתֵיכֶ֛ם (wə·zê·ṯê·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2132: An olive, the tree, the branch, the berry

and give
וְנָתַ֖ן (wə·nā·ṯan)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

them to his servants.
לַעֲבָדָֽיו׃ (la·‘ă·ḇā·ḏāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant


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OT History: 1 Samuel 8:14 He will take your fields and your (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 8:13
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