Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Samuel
Chapter 11: The LORD Hath Wrought Salvation in Israel
A cruel Ammonite king threatens to gouge out the right eyes of Jabesh-gilead, and Israel weeps helplessly. Then the Spirit of God rushes upon Saul, and the farmer becomes a deliverer: he rallies the nation, routs the enemy, and gives all the glory to God, 'to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.' It is Saul at his best, and the kingdom is joyfully renewed.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Samuel chapter 11. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 11 is Saul's finest hour, a Spirit-empowered rescue that confirms his kingship. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Saul Delivers Jabesh-gilead (1 Samuel 11:1-11)
When Nahash threatens to disgrace Jabesh, the Spirit of God comes upon Saul, who rallies all Israel and routs the Ammonites.
The Spirit of God Came Upon Saul
"Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee. Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept. And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together."
Word Study
"the Spirit of God came upon Saul," Hebrew vattitslach ruach Elohim (וַתִּצְלַח רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים), the Spirit "rushed" upon him. The verb tsalach is the same used of Samson and of the judges, the Spirit surging upon a person to empower them for God's work. This is Saul at his best: not acting from ambition or pride, but moved by the Spirit of God, his anger rightly "kindled" against cruelty and reproach on God's people. The result is decisive leadership and total victory. It is a reminder that the same Spirit who empowered the judges now rests on the king; God's work in every age is done "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). Saul's tragedy is that this Spirit-empowerment was for his office, and he did not keep in step with the Spirit to the end. But here, while yielded, he is mighty. When the Spirit of God rushes upon a willing servant, the weeping helplessness of God's people turns to deliverance.
Explanation
Nahash ("serpent") the Ammonite besieges Jabesh-gilead and offers terms of pure cruelty: he will spare them only if he may gouge out every right eye, to disgrace and cripple them and shame all Israel. The elders beg seven days to seek help, and messengers reach Gibeah, where the people can only weep, no king yet leads them. But Saul, still humbly working "after the herd out of the field," hears the news, and "the Spirit of God came upon" him. His holy anger kindled, he dramatically summons the nation, hewing a yoke of oxen in pieces as a warning, and "the fear of the LORD fell on the people," who muster as one. Saul leads a night march and a dawn attack, and the Ammonites are utterly scattered. Jabesh is saved, and Saul has proved himself a true deliverer.
Gospel Focus
Israel wept, helpless before the enemy, until the Spirit-empowered deliverer arose, a pattern of our own salvation. We too were helpless, facing an enemy bent on our disgrace and ruin, and could only cry out until the true Deliverer came, anointed with the Spirit "without measure." What God's people cannot do in their own strength, the Spirit-empowered Saviour does. And notice how one yielded man, moved by the Spirit, changed everything for a whole nation. God still works through individuals who let His Spirit rush upon them, whose anger is kindled at the reproach heaped on God's people and God's name. The need is not more weeping but a Spirit-filled servant who will rise and act. Be that yielded vessel; the same Spirit is offered to you.
The Kingdom Renewed (1 Samuel 11:12-15)
In the flush of victory Saul shows generous restraint, gives God the glory, and the people gladly confirm his kingship at Gilgal.
To Day the LORD Hath Wrought Salvation
"And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel. Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly."
Word Study
"wrought salvation," Hebrew asah teshuah (עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּעָה), "worked deliverance/salvation." In his best moment Saul refuses to take credit or vengeance and declares, "to day the LORD hath wrought salvation (teshuah) in Israel." Teshuah is deliverance, victory, salvation, and Saul rightly names God as its author: the victory was the LORD's doing, not Saul's. This is the mark of a right heart in the hour of success, to give God the glory. The word is the same used when Israel sang, "the LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2). Saul's confession here shows him at his humble best; the tragedy of his later life is that he would come to seek his own honor rather than God's (as when he built himself a monument, 1 Samuel 15:12). The safeguard of every leader is to keep saying, in every victory, "the LORD hath wrought salvation", and to mean it. All true deliverance is God's work, and His alone deserves the praise.
Explanation
Flushed with victory, the people turn on those who had earlier despised Saul (10:27), demanding their death: "bring the men, that we may put them to death." But Saul responds with striking magnanimity: "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel." He will not stain the day of God's deliverance with vengeance, and he gives God the glory. It is Saul at his noblest, humble, generous, God-honoring. Samuel seizes the moment to "renew the kingdom" at Gilgal, where the people gladly confirm Saul as king "before the LORD," offer peace offerings, and rejoice greatly. What began in the people's sinful demand for a king God has, for now, turned to a season of joy and unity, all under His grace.
Gospel Focus
Saul's finest moment is his mercy in the hour of triumph: "there shall not a man be put to death this day." When God has just shown us mercy and deliverance, the fitting response is to extend mercy, not vengeance, to others. "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8); the one forgiven a great debt must not seize his fellow by the throat (Matthew 18:23-35). The day of God's salvation is no day for settling scores. And Saul's confession, "the LORD hath wrought salvation," is the confession every redeemed heart must keep making, for our salvation is entirely God's work: "Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:9), and "by grace are ye saved... not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Give Him the glory, and let the mercy you have received overflow to those who wronged you.
Chapter 11 in Review
1 Samuel 11 is Saul's finest hour. When Nahash the Ammonite threatens to gouge out the right eyes of Jabesh-gilead and Israel can only weep, "the Spirit of God came upon Saul." His holy anger kindled, he rallies the whole nation, and by a dawn attack utterly routs the Ammonites. In victory he refuses vengeance on those who had despised him, giving God all the glory: "to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel." Samuel leads the people to Gilgal, where they gladly renew the kingdom, offer peace offerings, and rejoice greatly.
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter is a bright picture of Spirit-empowered deliverance and a right heart in success. God's helpless, weeping people were saved when the Spirit rushed upon a yielded man, a pattern of the greater Deliverer anointed with the Spirit. And Saul at his best shows us how to respond to God's mercy: extend mercy, not vengeance, and give God all the glory, for "the LORD hath wrought salvation." Would that Saul had kept the humility of this day to the end.
- The Spirit of God "rushed" upon Saul; God's work is done "not by might... but by my spirit."
- One Spirit-empowered servant turned a nation's weeping into deliverance.
- Saul at his best refused vengeance in the hour of triumph, "there shall not a man be put to death this day."
- "The LORD hath wrought salvation", give God the glory, for salvation is His work alone.
Questions for Reflection
- Are you weeping helplessly over a battle, when God offers His Spirit to empower deliverance?
- In the hour of success, do you extend mercy like Saul here, or seize the chance for vengeance?
- Do you give God the glory for every deliverance, confessing "the LORD hath wrought salvation"?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The Spirit rushes upon Saul; Spirit-empowered deliverance: 1 Samuel 11:1-11; Zechariah 4:6; Exodus 15:2.
- Mercy in triumph; salvation is the LORD's: 1 Samuel 11:12-15; Matthew 10:8; 18:23-35; Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8.