1 Samuel 8:10-18
Summary for 1Sam 8:10-18: 8:10-18 a These verses list the disadvantages of kingship. Each sentence begins with something the king would take. A king would be a confiscator, not just a protector.8:11 b While the people wanted a king to judge them, Samuel warned that the king would reign over them. They wanted a leader but received a ruler.
Summary for 1Sam 8:12-17: 8:12-17 c The king would take people as well as possessions.
8:15 d A tenth of the harvest was already required as a sacred donation to support God’s Temple and servants (Deut 12:6 e, 17-18 f; 14:22-29 g; 26:12-15 h). The king would demand an additional tenth, a burdensome amount given the uncertainties of agriculture.
8:17 i you will be his slaves: By demanding a king, the people whose ancestors had once been slaves in Egypt were risking a new enslavement (cp. 1 Kgs 12:1-20 j).
8:18 k The people would beg for relief as their ancestors had done in Egypt under another punishing and exacting ruler (see Exod 3:7 l).
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