1 Samuel 8:17
New International Version
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

New Living Translation
He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.

English Standard Version
He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.

Berean Standard Bible
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

King James Bible
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

New King James Version
He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.

New American Standard Bible
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

NASB 1995
“He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

NASB 1977
“He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

Legacy Standard Bible
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

Amplified Bible
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his servants.

Christian Standard Bible
He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants.

American Standard Version
He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants.

Contemporary English Version
He will also take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You will become the king's slaves,

English Revised Version
He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He will take a tenth of your flocks. In addition, you will be his servants.

Good News Translation
He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves.

International Standard Version
He will take a tenth of your flock, and you will become his servants.

Majority Standard Bible
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.

NET Bible
He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants.

New Heart English Bible
He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.

Webster's Bible Translation
He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye will be his servants.

World English Bible
He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
he tithes your flock, and you are for servants to him.

Young's Literal Translation
your flock he doth tithe, and ye are to him for servants.

Smith's Literal Translation
And of your sheep he will take the tenth: and ye shall be to him for servants.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Also, he will take a tenth of your flocks. And you will be his servants.

New American Bible
He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves.

New Revised Standard Version
He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He will take the tenth of your sheep; and you shall be his servants.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And of your sheep he will take a tenth, and you will be Servants for him
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He will take the tenth of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he will tithe your flocks; and ye shall be his servants.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel's Warning
16And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” / you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers. / But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ ...

1 Kings 12:4
“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

1 Kings 21:7-15
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 45:8-9
This land will be his possession in Israel. And My princes will no longer oppress My people, but will give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes. / For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people, declares the Lord GOD.’

Hosea 13:10-11
Where is your king now to save you in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? / So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away.

Jeremiah 22:13-17
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages, / who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion. / Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him. ...

Micah 3:1-3
Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice? / You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones. / You eat the flesh of my people after stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”

Proverbs 29:2
When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

2 Kings 4:1
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

Nehemiah 5:1-5
About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. / Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” / Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” ...

Matthew 20:25-28
But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. / It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, / and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— ...

Mark 10:42-45
So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. / But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, / and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. ...

Luke 22:25-27
So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors. / But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. / For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.

Romans 13:1-7
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. / Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. / For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. ...

1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed, but out of eagerness; / not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.


Treasury of Scripture

He will take the tenth of your sheep: and you shall be his servants.

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Servants Sheep Slaves Tenth Tithe Yourselves
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Servants Sheep Slaves Tenth Tithe Yourselves
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 a tenth of your flocks
This phrase highlights the concept of a tithe, which is deeply rooted in the Hebrew tradition. The Hebrew word for "tenth" is "ma'aser," which is often associated with offerings to God. However, in this context, it is a compulsory levy imposed by a king, not a voluntary offering to God. This reflects a shift from theocratic governance, where God was the direct ruler, to a monarchy where human kings demand resources for their own purposes. Historically, this was a common practice among ancient Near Eastern monarchies, where kings would claim a portion of the produce and livestock to support their reign and military endeavors. This imposition serves as a warning to the Israelites about the cost of having a human king, contrasting the benevolent rule of God with the potentially exploitative rule of man.

and you yourselves will become his slaves
The Hebrew word for "slaves" here is "avadim," which can also mean servants or laborers. This phrase starkly warns the Israelites of the loss of freedom and autonomy that comes with human kingship. In the ancient world, subjects of a king often had to perform labor or serve in the king's projects, which could range from building projects to military service. This servitude is a direct consequence of the people's demand for a king "like all the other nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). Theologically, this serves as a cautionary tale about the desire to conform to worldly standards rather than adhering to God's unique plan for His people. It underscores the theme of divine sovereignty versus human authority, reminding believers of the ultimate freedom found in serving God rather than man. This verse challenges readers to consider the cost of their allegiances and the true nature of freedom under God's rule.

(17) And ye shall be his servants.--This statement generally includes all that has gone before. In other words, "Ye elders and chiefs of the people must make up your minds, in the event of electing a king, to the loss of all political and social freedom." How bitterly the nation, even in the successful and glorious reign of King Solomon, felt the pressure of the royal yoke, so truly foretold by their last judge, is shown in the history of the times which followed the death of Solomon, when the public discontent at the brilliant but despotic rule of the great king led to the revolution which split up the people into two nations. (See 1Kings 12:4.) "This whole passage bears internal evidence of having been written before the establishment of the monarchy."--Speaker's Commentary.

Verse 17. - His servants. Literally, "his slaves." Under an absolute monarchy no one is flee.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He will take a tenth
יַעְשֹׂ֑ר (ya‘·śōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6237: To tithe, to take, give a, tenth

of your flocks,
צֹאנְכֶ֖ם (ṣō·nə·ḵem)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6629: Small cattle, sheep and goats, flock

and you yourselves
וְאַתֶּ֖ם (wə·’at·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

will become
תִּֽהְיוּ־ (tih·yū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

his
ל֥וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

slaves.
לַעֲבָדִֽים׃ (la·‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant


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OT History: 1 Samuel 8:17 He will take the tenth of your (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 8:16
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