1 Samuel 8:21
New International Version
When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD.

New Living Translation
So Samuel repeated to the LORD what the people had said,

English Standard Version
And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.

King James Bible
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

New King James Version
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing.

NASB 1995
Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing.

NASB 1977
Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’s hearing.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
Samuel had heard all the words of the people and repeated them to the LORD.

Christian Standard Bible
Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the LORD.

American Standard Version
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
Samuel listened to them and then told the LORD exactly what they had said.

English Revised Version
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When Samuel heard everything the people had to say, he reported it privately to the LORD.

Good News Translation
Samuel listened to everything they said and then went and told it to the LORD.

International Standard Version
So Samuel listened to all the words of the people, and he repeated them directly to the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.

NET Bible
So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the LORD.

New Heart English Bible
Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

World English Bible
Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Samuel hears all the words of the people, and speaks them in the ears of YHWH;

Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel heareth all the words of the people, and speaketh them in the ears of Jehovah;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Samuel will hear all the words of the people, and he will speak them in the ears of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them to the ears of the Lord.

New American Bible
Samuel listened to all the concerns of the people and then repeated them to the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them before the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Shemueil listened to all the words of the people, and he spoke them before LORD JEHOVAH
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the ears of the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and spoke them in the ears of the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Grants the Request
20Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.” 21Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22“Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” / you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers. / But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ ...

Hosea 13:10-11
Where is your king now to save you in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? / So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away.

Judges 8:23
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”

1 Samuel 10:19
But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”

1 Samuel 12:12-17
But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king. / Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you. / 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. ...

1 Samuel 15:11
“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 16:1
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.”

2 Kings 17:7-8
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods / and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

Isaiah 1:2-4
Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. / The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.” / Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Jeremiah 2:13
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Ezekiel 20:32
When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never come to pass.

Acts 13:21
Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

Romans 13:1-2
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. / Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

John 19:15
At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

Matthew 21:42-43
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? / Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.


Treasury of Scripture

And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

he rehearsed

Judges 11:11
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.

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Account Ears Heard Heareth Hearing LORD'S Rehearsed Repeated Samuel Speaketh Words
1 Samuel 8
1. By occasion of the ill government of Samuel's sons, the Israelites ask a king
6. Samuel praying in grief is comforted by God
10. He tells the manner of a king
19. God wills Samuel to yield unto the importunity of the people














When Samuel heard
The phrase begins with the prophet Samuel, a pivotal figure in Israel's history. The Hebrew root for "heard" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which implies not just the act of hearing but also understanding and internalizing. Samuel's role as a prophet was to listen attentively to both God and the people, serving as an intermediary. This highlights the importance of spiritual leaders being attuned to the needs and voices of their community, while also being receptive to divine guidance.

all that the people said
The phrase "all that the people said" underscores the collective voice of Israel demanding a king. Historically, this marks a significant transition from theocratic judges to a monarchy. The people's request reflects their desire to be like other nations, which can be seen as a lack of faith in God's unique plan for them. This moment is pivotal, as it shows the tension between divine intention and human desire, a recurring theme throughout Scripture.

he repeated it
The act of repeating signifies Samuel's role as a faithful messenger. The Hebrew word "שָׁנָה" (shanah) can mean to repeat or to do again, emphasizing the importance of conveying messages accurately. Samuel's repetition of the people's words to God demonstrates his integrity and commitment to transparency. It serves as a reminder of the importance of honest communication in our relationship with God.

in the hearing of the LORD
This phrase indicates that Samuel brought the people's request directly before God. The Hebrew term "לִפְנֵי יְהוָה" (lifnei Yahweh) means "before the LORD," suggesting a direct and personal communication with God. It reflects the intimate relationship Samuel had with God, where he could present the concerns and desires of the people openly. This act of bringing matters before God is a model for prayer and intercession, emphasizing that all concerns, even those that may not align with divine will, should be laid before the Lord for guidance and resolution.

(21) In the ears of the Lord.--Again the seer returns from the council chamber, where he had met the elders of the people, to some quiet spot, probably the sanctuary he had set up in his own "Ramah of the Watchers," where he poured out his heart before his God-Friend.

Verse 21. - All the words. The elders had of course reported to Samuel all the arguments used in the assembly, and just as previously he had carried his own distress at the national discontent with his government to Jehovah's footstool in prayer (ver. 6), so now, in his mediatorial office as prophet, he carries thither the nation's petition.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Samuel
שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל (šə·mū·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8050: Samuel -- 'name of God', a prophet of Israel

listened
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע (way·yiš·ma‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the words
דִּבְרֵ֣י (diḇ·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the people
הָעָ֑ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

and repeated them
וַֽיְדַבְּרֵ֖ם (way·ḏab·bə·rêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

in the hearing
בְּאָזְנֵ֥י (bə·’ā·zə·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - fdc
Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear

of the LORD.
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT History: 1 Samuel 8:21 Samuel heard all the words (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 8:20
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