Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 12:10
And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
10. And they cried unto the Lord ] The resemblance of the language to Jdg 10:10 is so close as to lead us to suppose that the compiler of Samuel had the book of Judges before him, or at any rate that the words are derived from a common source. Cp. also Jdg 2:18; Jdg 3:15; Jdg 4:3; Jdg 6:7.
Baalim and Ashtaroth ] See note on 1Sa 7:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And they cried unto the Lord,…. When in the hands of their enemies, and in bondage to them, and cruelly oppressed by them:
and said, we have sinned; the word for “said” is in the Cetib, or written text, singular, and in the Keri, or marginal reading, plural; and may signify, that everyone of them had a sense of their sin, and made acknowledgment of it; their confession was universal, as their sin was:
because we have forsaken the Lord; the Word of the Lord, as the Targum:
and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth; [See comments on Jud 2:11],
[See comments on Jud 2:13].
but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee; they did not ask for a king to go before them, and fight their battles, as they did now, but applied to the Lord for deliverance, promising to serve him as their King and their God.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(10) And they cried unto the Lord.As soon as they were convinced of their sin and rebellion, and accused themselves, and returned to their old allegiance, their invisible King, ever full of pity and tender compassion, forgave them, and sent them quick deliverance.
And have served Baalim and Ashtaroth.Baal and Ashtaroth were the well-known leading Phnician deities; the worship, with most of its details, was imported probably from Carthage, the great Phnician centre. The temple of Baal-shemesh, the Sun god, at Carthage, was renowned in that luxurious and splendid city. (For a detailed and picturesque account of the worship and ritual of Baal at Carthage, see M. Gustave Flauberts romance of Salmbo.) Baal and Ashtaroth, the Greek Astart, were probably originally worshipped simply as the sun and moon. The plural form refers to the various personifications and different titles of the god and goddess.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.” 1Sa 12:10 .
Commercial piety is the subject of this text. Men who have forsaken the Lord and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth do not seem to have come from the forbidden altar with very exalted ideas of duty. Those who serve false gods must expect to have perverted consciences. Here we find Israel actually endeavouring to bargain with God for the price of worship. If thou wilt deliver, we will serve. To us it seems incredible that the proposition could have taken this form; yet this is the very form which it takes in our own life day by day. It is often in the hope that we may gain something that we do many a religious service. Sometimes it is the hope that we may be able to stave off some calamity: sometimes it is that we may be recovered from a great affliction: sometimes it is that a child may be saved from death, or turned back from ways of rebellion and iniquity: sometimes it is that we may make sure of heaven. It is almost impossible to exclude selfishness from the action of our pious sentiments. Even when we think we have subdued self, it reappears in many an unexpected form. We may even say to ourselves that we will not contemplate any ulterior gain or advantage, and yet there may be a sub-consciousness that after all some real personal good may come of our prayer or gift or sacrifice. No man repents of his sin until he sees the sin itself in its naked and unpardonable deformity, rather than its merely penal consequences which extort a cry of regret or a promise of amendment. When the heart is given to God it must be unconditionally, with all the unreserve of love, pure and absolute. If there should be some taint of selfishness in our best endeavours, yet our desire to extinguish it will be accepted as a conquest on the part of God, who always magnifies our purposes and regards them as accomplished facts. Let that be no bargaining with heaven. Our duty is clear, whatever the result may be. Is our service of so great consequence to God that it is worth his while to deliver us from any danger or fear? Do we not over-estimate ourselves? Is there not an element of intense selfishness in this offer of service and consecration? If the light that is in us be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
1Sa 12:10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
Ver. 10. And they cried unto the Lord. ] Lachrymas angustiae exprimit Crux; lachrymas poenitentiae Peccatum. Misery is the best art of memory; God whippeth his stragglers home by weeping cross.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sinned. Hebrew chata’. App-44.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
And they: 1Sa 7:2, Jdg 3:9, Jdg 3:15, Jdg 4:3, Jdg 6:7, Jdg 10:10, Jdg 10:15, Psa 78:34, Psa 78:35, Psa 106:44, Isa 26:16
Baalim: Jdg 2:13, Jdg 3:7
deliver: Jdg 10:15, Jdg 10:16, Isa 33:22, Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75, 2Co 5:14, 2Co 5:15
Reciprocal: Gen 32:11 – Deliver Jdg 10:7 – he sold 1Ki 11:5 – Ashtoreth 2Ki 23:13 – Ashtoreth Neh 9:27 – saviours Jer 2:13 – forsaken Jer 2:20 – and thou saidst