1 Samuel 9 · Verse 12

1 Samuel 9:12

And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:
1 Samuel 9:12, King James Version

1 Samuel 9:12 in other translations

BSB“Yes, he is ahead of you,” they answered. “Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because the people have a sacrifice on the high place.
WEBThey answered them and said, “He is. Behold, he is before you. Hurry now, for he has come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place.
ASVAnd they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
YLTAnd they answer them and say, ‘He is; lo, before thee! haste, now, for to-day he hath come in to the city, for the people hath a stated sacrifice in a high place.
DARBYAnd they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
BBEAnd they said, He is; in fact he is before you: go quickly now, for he has come into the town today, for the people are making an offering in the high place today:
WebsterAnd they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place:

What does 1 Samuel 9:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 9:11-13

11-13. as they went up the hill--The modern village, Er-Rameh, lies on an eminence; and on their way they met a band of young maidens going out to the well, which, like all similar places in Palestine, was beyond the precincts of the town. From these damsels they learned that the day was devoted to a festival occasion, in honor of which Samuel had arrived in the city; that a sacrifice had been offered, which was…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 9:11-13 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 He came to - day to the city - Though Samuel lived chiefly in Ramah, yet he had a dwelling in the country, at a place called Naioth, where it is probable there was a school of the prophets. See 1Sam 19:18-24. A sacrifice of the people - A great feast. The animals used were first sacrificed to the Lord; that is, their blood was poured out before him; and then all the people fed on the flesh. By high place probably Samuel's altar is alone meant; which no doubt was raised on an eminence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 9:11-17

The very maid-servants of the city could direct to the prophet. They had heard of the sacrifice, and could tell of the necessity for Samuel's presence. It is no small benefit to live in religious and holy places. And we should always be ready to help those who are seeking after God's prophets. Though God had, in displeasure, granted Israel's request for a king, yet he sends them a man to be captain over them, to…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 9:11-17 →

1 Samuel 9:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתַּעֲנֶ֧ינָהva.ta.'a.Nei.nahand they answeredH6030
אוֹתָ֛ם'o.Tam<obj.> themH853
וַתֹּאמַ֥רְנָהva.to.Mar.nahand they saidH559
יֵּ֖שׁyeshthere isH3426
הִנֵּ֣הhi.Nehthere!H2009
לְפָנֶ֑יךָle.fa.Nei.kha<to> before youH6440
מַהֵ֣ר\׀ma.HerhurryH4116
עַתָּ֗ה'a.TahnowH6258
כִּ֤יkiforH3588
הַיּוֹם֙hai.yOmthis dayH3117
בָּ֣אba'he has comeH935
לָעִ֔ירla.'Irto the cityH5892
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
זֶ֧בַחZe.vacha sacrificeH2077
הַיּ֛וֹםhai.Yomthis dayH3117
לָעָ֖םla.'Am[belongs] to the peopleH5971
בַּבָּמָֽה\׃ba.ba.Mahat the high placeH1116

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 9:12

  • Genesis 31:54

    Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.

  • 1 Samuel 16:2

    And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.

  • 1 Samuel 10:5

    After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

  • 1 Kings 3:2-4

    Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

  • 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

    Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

  • Deuteronomy 12:6-7

    And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

  • Numbers 28:11-15

    And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot; And three tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock; and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one ram; And a several tenth deal of flour mingled with oil for a meat offering unto one lamb; for a burnt offering of a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. And their drink offerings shall be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third part of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth part of an hin unto a lamb: this is the burnt offering of every month throughout the months of the year. …

  • 1 Chronicles 16:39

    And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon,

  • 1 Samuel 7:17

    And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
sacrifice. or, feast.
16:2; Ge 31:54; De 12:6,7; 1Co 5:7,8
the high place.
1Ki 3:2-4; 1Ch 16:39

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 9:11

    And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?

  • 1 Samuel 9:12

    And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:

  • 1 Samuel 9:13

    As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him.

Read all of 1 Samuel 9

1 Samuel 9:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y ellas respondiéndoles, dijeron: Sí; helo aquí delante de ti: date pues priesa, porque hoy ha venido á la ciudad en atención á que el pueblo tiene hoy sacrificio en el alto.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et elles leur répondirent et dirent: Il y est; le voilà devant toi: hâte-toi maintenant, car aujourd’hui il est venu à la ville, parce que le peuple a aujourd’hui un sacrifice sur le haut lieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und sie antworteten ihnen und sprachen: Ja, siehe, er ist vor dir; eile jetzt, denn er ist heute in die Stadt gekommen, weil das Volk heute ein Schlachtopfer auf der Höhe hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Quæ respondentes, dixerunt illis: Hic est: ecce ante te, festina nunc: hodie enim venit in civitatem, quia sacrificium est hodie populi in excelso.