1 Samuel 10:8
New International Version
“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

New Living Translation
Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

English Standard Version
Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

Berean Standard Bible
And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”

King James Bible
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

New King James Version
You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

New American Standard Bible
And you shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and inform you of what you should do.”

NASB 1995
“And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

NASB 1977
“And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and make you know what you should do.”

Amplified Bible
You shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you must do.”

Christian Standard Bible
Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.”

American Standard Version
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

Contemporary English Version
Then go to Gilgal. I'll come a little later, so wait for me. It may even take a week for me to get there, but when I come, I'll offer sacrifices to please the LORD and to ask for his blessings. I'll also tell you what to do next.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Go ahead of me to Gilgal. Then I will come to sacrifice burnt offerings and make fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to tell you what to do."

Good News Translation
You will go ahead of me to Gilgal, where I will meet you and offer burnt sacrifices and fellowship sacrifices. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what to do."

International Standard Version
You are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal, and then I'll come down to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You are to wait seven days until I come to you to let you know what you are to do."

Majority Standard Bible
And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.?

NET Bible
You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days, until I arrive and tell you what to do."

New Heart English Bible
You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and look, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: you shall wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you shall do."

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

World English Bible
“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you have gone down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I am going down to you, to cause burnt-offerings to ascend, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; you wait [for] seven days until my coming to you, and I have made known to you that which you do.”

Young's Literal Translation
'And thou hast gone down before me to Gilgal, and lo, I am going down unto thee, to cause to ascend burnt-offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; seven days thou dost wait till my coming in unto thee, and I have made known to thee that which thou dost do.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I come down to thee to bring up burnt offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace: seven days shalt thou wait till my coming to thee, and I made known to thee what thou shalt do.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt go down before me to Galgal, (for I will come down to thee,) that thou mayest offer an oblation, and sacrifice victims of peace: seven days shalt thou wait, till I come to thee, and I will shew thee what thou art to do.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And you shall descend before me into Gilgal, (for I will descend to you), so that you may offer an oblation, and may immolate victims of peace. For seven days, you shall wait, until I come to you, and reveal to you what you should do.”

New American Bible
Now go down ahead of me to Gilgal, for I shall come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice communion offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you; I shall then tell you what you must do.”

New Revised Standard Version
And you shall go down to Gilgal ahead of me; then I will come down to you to present burnt offerings and offer sacrifices of well-being. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to make sacrifices of peace offerings; seven days you shall wait, till I come to you, and show you what you shall do.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And come down before me to Galgala, and behold, I am going down to you to offer offerings, to sacrifice peace sacrifices. You shall stay seven days until I come to you, and I shall inform you what you will do”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt-offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come unto thee, and tell thee what thou shalt do.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt go down in front of Galgal, and behold, I come down to thee to offer a whole-burnt-offering and peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou wait until I shall come to thee, and I will make known to thee what thou shalt do.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Samuel Anoints Saul
7When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you. 8And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”

Cross References
1 Samuel 13:8-14
And Saul waited seven days for the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to desert Saul. / So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt offering. / Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. ...

1 Samuel 15:22-23
But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. / For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

1 Samuel 9:16
“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

1 Samuel 16:1-3
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.” / “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ / Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”

1 Samuel 12:14-15
If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. / But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.

1 Samuel 15:10-11
Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, / “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.

1 Samuel 28:18
Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

2 Samuel 7:8-16
Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. / I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land. / And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning ...

1 Kings 13:1-3
Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD. / And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’” / That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”

2 Kings 23:3
So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

Psalm 51:16-17
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Isaiah 1:11-17
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ...

Jeremiah 7:21-23
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! / For when I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not merely command them about burnt offerings and sacrifices, / but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you.

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. / Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. / Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shall you tarry, till I come to you, and show you what you shall do.

to Gilgal

1 Samuel 11:14,15
Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there…

1 Samuel 13:4,8-15
And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal…

1 Samuel 15:33
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

Jump to Previous
Burnt Offer Offerings Peace Sacrifice Sacrifices Seven Show Tarry Wait
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Burnt Offer Offerings Peace Sacrifice Sacrifices Seven Show Tarry Wait
1 Samuel 10
1. Samuel anoints Saul
2. He confirms him by prediction of three signs
9. Saul's heart is changed, and he prophesies
14. He conceals the matter of the kingdom from his uncle
17. Saul is chosen at Mizpeh by lot
26. The different affections of his subjects














Then you are to go down before me to Gilgal
The phrase "go down before me to Gilgal" indicates a specific directive given by the prophet Samuel to Saul. The Hebrew root for "go down" is "yarad," which often implies a movement from a higher place to a lower one, both physically and spiritually. Gilgal holds significant historical and spiritual importance as it was the first campsite of the Israelites after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4:19-20). It symbolizes a place of new beginnings and covenant renewal. In this context, Saul's journey to Gilgal represents a step of obedience and preparation for his role as king.

and behold, I will come down to you
The word "behold" is translated from the Hebrew "hinneh," which serves as an attention-grabbing term, emphasizing the importance of what follows. Samuel's promise "I will come down to you" reassures Saul of divine guidance and prophetic support. The act of coming down signifies Samuel's role as God's representative, bringing divine instruction and blessing. This highlights the importance of prophetic leadership in guiding the newly anointed king.

to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings
The "burnt offerings" and "peace offerings" are integral parts of Israelite worship, with deep spiritual significance. The Hebrew term for "burnt offering" is "olah," which means "that which goes up," symbolizing the offering's ascent to God as a pleasing aroma. "Peace offerings," or "shelamim," are sacrifices that signify fellowship and thanksgiving, emphasizing reconciliation and communion with God. These offerings underscore the necessity of worship and obedience in Saul's kingship, reminding him that his rule must be grounded in faithfulness to God.

You are to wait seven days
The instruction to "wait seven days" is a test of Saul's patience and obedience. The number seven in Hebrew culture often represents completeness and divine perfection, as seen in the creation narrative (Genesis 1). This waiting period is a divine mandate, emphasizing the importance of God's timing and the need for Saul to rely on divine guidance rather than his own understanding. It serves as a reminder that true leadership requires submission to God's will.

until I come to you and show you what you are to do
The phrase "until I come to you and show you what you are to do" highlights the necessity of prophetic instruction and divine revelation in decision-making. The Hebrew root for "show" is "yada," which means to know or to make known, indicating that Saul's actions must be informed by God's wisdom through Samuel. This underscores the theme of dependence on God for guidance and the importance of waiting for His direction before taking action. It is a call for humility and recognition of God's sovereignty in the affairs of His people.

(8) And shew thee what thou shalt do.--Considerable doubt exists among expositors as to the exact meaning and reference of these words of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 13., 1Samuel 10:8 and following, a well-known and most important event in Saul's life and reign is related, in which the circumstances strangely fit in with the words of the warning of Samuel. Only between this first meeting of the seer and the future king and the Gilgal meeting, described in 1 Samuel 13., two years--perhaps even a much longer period--elapsed (the dates of this age are most uncertain); besides which, that famous meeting at Gilgal was not by any means the first meeting of Samuel and Saul at that place. Yet, in spite of these difficulties, it seems best to refer to this meeting between the prophet and king at Gilgal, related in 1 Samuel 13, as the trial of faith especially looked on to by Samuel here. The solemn warning here given was, doubtless, repeated in a much more detailed form by the prophet some time before the appointed Gilgal meeting. So much for the reference; the signification of the warning is best explained in the following way:--Samuel had bidden the future king to advance along the paths of glory and difficulty which lay before him in all confidence and trust, acting in each emergency according to the dictates of his own heart--only in one thing he must be ever on his guard. In his future great work for the regeneration and advancement of Israel, he must, for the sake of the faith of Israel, be on his guard against infringing the sacred privileges of the religion of the Eternal. In the plenitude of his kingly power, the day would come when the temptation would assault him to disregard the ancient sanctity of the sacrifice, and to assume as king, functions which belonged alone to men like Samuel set apart for the sacred office, and thus publicly to dishonour the commandments of God, and by his reckless example of unbelief in revelation to weaken the faith of the people.

Such a temptation presented itself to Saul, we believe, some two or more years from this time, when, as related in 1 Samuel 13, a solemn assembly of the people was summoned to Gilgal, before the commencement of the war of independence. This great enterprise for the people of the Lord must necessarily be begun with solemn religious rites and sacrifices. These the king was forbidden to officiate at without the presence of the Divinely appointed seer. We shall see how King Saul acted under the temptation to set himself and his royal power above the prophet of the Lord and the direct command of God. Whether or no King Saul with his own hand offered the Gilgal sacrifice is uncertain; at all events, the great sin he seemed to have been guilty of having committed, is to have declined to wait for the presence of the prophet of the Lord, although publicly required by the word of the Lord to do so. (See Notes on 1 Samuel 13)

The "heart" is mentioned as changed by God, because, according to the conception of the Divine writings, the heart is represented as the centre of the whole mental and physical life--of will, desire, thought, perception, and feeling. It was one thing for Samuel the seer to put before the young Benjamite the brilliant destiny which lay before him, but it was another and different thing to transform one like Saul, brought up to merely agricultural pursuits, into a fit and worthy recipient of such honours and powers. We know how utterly incapable are all such things as wealth and rank and power in themselves of inspiring the heart with any noble patriotic aspirations, or with any high religious longings, or lofty patriotic aims; a higher influence is needed to awaken the heart, or to rouse it from merely earthly and sordid contemplations.

This is the work which God worked in the heart. of the young Saul as, in the early morning, he left "Ramah of the Watchers," his ears tingling with the burning words of the great seer all through that day and many succeeding days. In quiet humility, and, no doubt, with many a silent prayer, he watched and waited; when he returned home there was no sign of exultation visible in the man, no mark of impatience. His lips were sealed; he seems to have whispered to no one what the prophet had told him; he made no sign even when events came crowding thick about him--such as the popular assembly for the choice of a king, presided over by the prophet-judge, whose mind Saul alone in Israel knew: the drawing of the lots: the narrowing of the fateful circle: the designation of his tribe, his family, then himself. We see, indeed, God had changed his heart. Was there not in these early days a promise of a noble king--a man after God's own heart?

And all those signs came to pass that day.--Of the first two signs which were to meet him no further details are given; we are simply told that in the order predicted by Samuel Saul came across them. The third alone gives occasion for a special mention, because it had a great effect on the life of the future king.

Verse 8. - Thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal. We find in 1 Samuel 13:8-13 a meeting at Gilgal so exactly parallel to what is arranged here that we cannot help looking upon this, again, as a sort of sign to be fulfilled at a later period. It is no argument against it that Gilgal was the place where in the mean while Saul was solemnly inaugurated king; for he was appointed in order that he might deliver Israel from the Philistines (1 Samuel 9:16), and we may feel sure that this grand purpose would form the subject of conversation between the prophet and the soldier, either on the house-top or the next morning. In this conversation Gilgal would be selected as the place where Saul would assemble Israel for the war of independence (so Rashi and other Jewish interpreters); and so great an enterprise must necessarily be begun with religious rites, and Saul was to wait a full week for the prophet's coming, both to try his faith, which ought to have been confirmed by the fulfilment of the three appointed signs, and in order that the war might be undertaken under the same holy auspices as his own election to the kingdom. The two years' interval, were it really so long, would give time for Saul's character to develop under the forcing influences of royalty, and it would then be proved, when he felt himself every inch a king, whether he was still as amenable to the Divine authority as when he was first summoned from obscurity to mount a kingly throne. But, really, the words in 1 Samuel 13:1 do not justify this conclusion, and most probably the occurrences mentioned in that chapter followed immediately upon Saul's confirmation as king.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And you shall go
וְיָרַדְתָּ֣ (wə·yā·raḏ·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

before
לְפָנַי֮ (lə·p̄ā·nay)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6440: The face

me to Gilgal,
הַגִּלְגָּל֒ (hag·gil·gāl)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1537: Gilgal -- 'circle (of stones)', the name of several places in Palestine

and surely
וְהִנֵּ֤ה (wə·hin·nêh)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

I
אָֽנֹכִי֙ (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

will come
יֹרֵ֣ד (yō·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

to you
אֵלֶ֔יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

to offer
לְהַעֲל֣וֹת (lə·ha·‘ă·lō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

burnt offerings
עֹל֔וֹת (‘ō·lō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5930: Whole burnt offering

and to sacrifice
לִזְבֹּ֖חַ (liz·bō·aḥ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2076: To slaughter for sacrifice

peace offerings.
שְׁלָמִ֑ים (šə·lā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8002: A sacrifice for alliance or friendship, peace offering

Wait
תּוֹחֵל֙ (tō·w·ḥêl)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3176: To wait, to be patient, hope

seven
שִׁבְעַ֨ת (šiḇ·‘aṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

days
יָמִ֤ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

until
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

I come
בּוֹאִ֣י (bō·w·’î)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to you
אֵלֶ֔יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

and show
וְהוֹדַעְתִּ֣י (wə·hō·w·ḏa‘·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3045: To know

you
לְךָ֔ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 0: 0

what
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you are to do.?
תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ (ta·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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OT History: 1 Samuel 10:8 You shall go down before me (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 10:7
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