Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 9:26
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
26. about the spring of the day ] “spring,” i.e. “rising” of the day = dawn. Cp. “dayspring,” Luk 1:78.
called Saul ] Rather, “called to Saul.” Samuel had slept in the house, Saul on the roof.
abroad ] In the language of the E. V. ‘abroad’ means simply ‘out of the house.’
27 a while ] Now. The E. V. follows the Vulg. paulisper.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
To the top of the house – On the top. The bed on which Saul slept was on the top of the house. It is very common in the East to provide extra sleeping accommodation by placing a tent or awning on the house-top.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
1Sa 9:26
It came to pass about the spring of the day.
The spring of the day
The time was to the day what spring is to the year. The diurnal revolution of the earth round its own axis corresponds with the annual revolution of the earth round the sun, and the different periods of the day–morning, noon and night–therefore resemble the different seasons of the year–spring, summer, autumn, and winter. According to this beautiful analogy, the spring of the day embraces the early hours after sunrise. Nowhere is the spring of the day so delightful as in Palestine, for later on it becomes oppressively hot. The people do all their travelling and most of their work in the early morning. Saul commenced that, fateful journey homeward from the hill village of the prophet which led to the throne of Israel in the spring of the day. Ah! what difference that first setting out in life, from the hill of Juph in the spring of the day from the dark closing of his life on Mount Gilboa in the dreary winter of the day. (Hugh Macmillan, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 26. Called Saul to the top of the house] Saul had no doubt slept there all night; and now, it being the break of day, “Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away.” There was no calling him to the house-top a second time he was sleeping there, and Samuel called him up.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Samuel called Saul to the top of the house a second time, to impart something more to him.
That I may send thee away; prepare thyself for thy departure and journey.
He and Samuel, abroad; Samuel accompanying Saul part of his way.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And they arose early,…. Neither of them being able to sleep, as Abarbinel supposes; not Samuel for thinking what he was to do the next morning, anoint Saul king over Israel; nor Saul for what Samuel had hinted to him about the desire of all Israel being upon him, and for the honour done him at the feast, and because of the conversation they had together afterwards:
and it came to pass about the spring of the day; or the “ascents of the morning” x, when day was about to break, before the sun was up:
that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house; where they had conversed together the evening before:
saying, up, that I may send thee away; meaning not rise from his bed, for he was risen; but that he would prepare to set out on his journey, that Samuel might take his leave of him for the present, when he had accompanied him some part of his way, as he intended; and he was the more urgent upon him, because there was something to be done before people were stirring:
and Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad; out of Samuel’s house, without doors, into the street.
x “circa ascendere auroram”, Montanus; “quum ascenderet aurora”, Junius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(26) And they arose early.The English translation of this verse is misleading. It should run thus And they arose early, namely, when the morning dawned. Samuel called for Saul upon the roof, Get up, that I may send thee, &c. The English rendering seems to suppose that they rose first, and afterwards, about the spring of the day (the morning dawn), Samuel called Saulthe fact being that, as is frequent in Hebrew narration, the second clause simply related the same event as the first clause had already done, only with greater detail. The sense then is obvious. Saul, evidently weary after the exciting scene and revelations of the day before, slept soundly, probably heavily, on his couch spread on the roof of the prophets house. From this roof-top Samuel calls Saul in the early morning, wishing to conduct him himself out of the city, as he had a yet more important communication to make to his amazed and awe-struck visitor.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Called Saul to the top of the house Rather, called unto Saul on the roof, for Saul had probably slept on the roof, and Samuel below.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 9:26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
Ver. 26. To the top of the house. ] Which was made flat in manner of a terrace: as now also they are in Italy, and some great men’s houses amongst us.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Samuel: Saul had no doubt slept there all night, as is usual in the East; and now, being the break of day, “Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house:” there was no calling him to the top of the house a second time; he was sleeping there, and Samuel called him up.
Up: Gen 19:14, Gen 44:4, Jos 7:13, Jdg 19:28
Reciprocal: Jdg 4:14 – Up 1Sa 1:19 – they rose 1Ki 11:21 – Let me depart
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
9:26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the {p} top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
(p) To speak with him secretly: for the houses were flat above.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Saul’s private anointing by Samuel 9:26-10:8
Anointing with oil was a symbolic act in Israel that pictured consecration to service. The only things anointed with oil before this anointing were the priests and the tabernacle. The oil symbolized God’s Spirit, and anointing with oil represented endowment with that Spirit for enablement (cf. 1Jn 2:27). In the ancient Near East, a representative of a nation’s god customarily anointed the king, whom the people viewed from then on as the representative of that god on earth. [Note: Roland de Vaux, The Bible and the Ancient Near East, pp. 152-66.] Thus Saul would have understood that Samuel was setting him apart as God’s vice-regent and endowing him with God’s power to serve effectively. Beginning with Saul, kings were similar to priests in Israel as far as representing God and experiencing divine enablement. Samuel’s kiss was a sign of affection and respect since now Saul was God’s special representative on the earth. Samuel reminded Saul that the Israelites were the Lord’s inheritance, another comment that Saul unfortunately did not take to heart (cf. 1Sa 9:13).
Samuel then gave Saul three signs that would verify to the king elect that Samuel had anointed him in harmony with God’s will. The first of these would have strengthened Saul’s confidence in God’s ability to control the people under his authority (1Sa 9:2). [Note: On the subject of the location of Rachel’s tomb, see Matitiahu Tsevat, "Studies in the Book of Samuel," Hebrew Union College Annual 33 (1962):107-18.] The second would have helped Saul realize that the people would accept him and make sacrifices for him (1Sa 9:3-4). The third would have assured him that he did indeed possess supernatural enablement from God (1Sa 9:5-6). The "hill of God" (lit. Gibeath-haelohim, 1Sa 9:5) was probably Gibeon. [Note: See Aaron Demsky, "Geba, Gibeah, and Gibeon-An Historico-Geographic Riddle," Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research 212 (December 1973):27.]
Since God chose and equipped Saul to rule His people, it seems most likely that he was a genuine believer in Yahweh, though Saul gave evidence of not having a strong commitment to Him. Samuel gave Saul his first orders as God’s vice-regent (1Sa 9:8). Unfortunately he disobeyed them (1Sa 13:8-14). Perhaps the tabernacle now stood at Gilgal since Samuel planned to offer burnt and peace offerings there. However, Samuel may have sacrificed at places other than the tabernacle (1Sa 7:17; cf. 1Sa 14:35). Again we can see that the tabernacle was not one of the writer’s main concerns.