Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 8:12
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.
12. captains over thousands and captains over fifties ] The Sept. reads “captains of hundreds and captains of thousands,” which are the usual military divisions (ch. 1Sa 22:7; Num 31:14): but the Heb. text is to be preferred as mentioning the highest and the lowest offices. Cp. 2Ki 1:9 ff. For the fact cp. ch. 1Sa 14:52.
to ear his ground ] “ To ear ” = “ to plough,” from Lat. arare through A.-S. erian. The verb occurs again in Deu 21:4 and Isa 30:24; the subst. earing in Gen 45:6; Exo 34:21. Shakespeare uses the word:
“And let them go
To ear the land that hath some hope to grow.”
Richard II. A. iii. Sc. 2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This organization was as old as the time of Moses Num 31:14; Deu 1:15, and prevailed among the Philistines also 1Sa 29:2. The civil and military divisions were identical, and the civil officers were the same as the captains of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, in time of war.
To ear his ground – literally, to plow his plowing. To ear is an old English word, now obsolete, for to plow.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
He will appoint him, Heb. to or for himself emphatically, i.e. for his own fancy, or glory, or conveniency, or evil design, and not only when the necessities of the kingdom or commonwealth require it, as the judges did. And though this might seem to be no encumbrance, as it is here represented, but an honour and advantage to the persons so advanced, yet even in them that honour was accompanied with great dangers, and pernicious snares of many kinds, which those faint shadows of glory could not recompense; and as to the public, their pomp and power proved very burdensome and oppressive to the people, whose lands and fruits were taken from them, and bestowed upon these, for the support of their state, as it follows below, 1Sa 8:14,15.
And to reap his harvest, at his own pleasure, and without their consent, when possibly their own fields required all their time and pains.
To make his instruments of war, and
instruments of his chariots; he will press them for all sorts of his work, and that upon his own terms.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. he will appoint him captainsInthe East, a person must accept any office to which he may benominated by the king, however irksome it may be to his taste orruinous to his interests.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties,…. Which though posts of honour, yet when they are not matter of choice, and especially being precarious, and depending on the arbitrary will of a prince, are not eligible, and less so to persons that choose another sort of life:
and [will set] them to ear his ground; to plough it; not the same persons made captains of thousands and fifties, but others, whom he will employ in tilling and manuring his fields, and oblige them to it:
and to reap his harvest; when it is ripe, and gather it in, and bring it home into his barns and garners:
and to make his instruments of war: as swords, spears, bows and arrows, most commonly used in those times:
and instruments of chariots; which seem to design chariots of war, and the iron spikes and scythes which were joined to them, to cut down the foot soldiers, when driven among them in battle, which are commonly called chariots of iron; see Jos 17:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 8:12 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.
Ver. 12. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, &c. ] Who shall use the common soldiers as the Turkish commanders do their asapi, only to blunt the swords of the enemy, and to fill up ditches with their dead bodies, &c. a
a Turk. Hist., 317.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
ear = plough (Anglo-Saxon, erian).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
appoint: 1Ch 27:1-22
and will set: 1Ki 4:7, 1Ki 4:22, 1Ki 4:23, 1Ki 4:27, 1Ki 4:28, 2Ch 32:28, 2Ch 32:29
Reciprocal: Gen 45:6 – earing Exo 18:21 – rulers of thousands Exo 34:21 – earing Deu 1:15 – captains over thousands 1Sa 18:13 – removed 1Sa 22:7 – captains 2Sa 18:1 – captains of thousands 1Ki 9:22 – but they were men 1Ch 12:18 – captains of the band 1Ch 15:25 – captains 2Ch 8:9 – they were men 2Ch 25:5 – captains over thousands Ecc 5:9 – the king Isa 3:3 – captain Isa 30:24 – ear the ground Mic 5:2 – thousands
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 8:12. He will appoint him Hebrew, To or for himself; for his own fancy, or glory, and not only when the necessities of the kingdom require it. Captains over thousands, and captains over fifties Will dispose of them to military offices, higher or lower as he pleases, (1Sa 14:52,) to be perfectly subject to him, and placed or displaced as he thinks fit. And though this might seem to be no disadvantage, but an honour to the persons so advanced; yet even in them that honour was accompanied with great dangers, and pernicious snares of many kinds, for which those faint shadows of glory could not recompense them; and as to the public, their pomp and power proved very burdensome to the people, whose lands and fruits were taken from them, and bestowed upon these, for the support of their state. And will set them to ear his ground, &c. Will make them his husbandmen, to plough his ground and reap his corn, at his own pleasure, and on his own terms, when, perhaps, their labour is necessary about their own fields. To make his instruments of war, &c. Others he will make artificers: which was not very agreeable to that nation, who were inclined, from their first rise, rather to employ themselves in attending to the breeding of cattle, and in looking after their flocks and herds.