1 SAMUEL 9:13 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“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.”
For the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice — Samuel's presence is indispensable to the sacrificial meal; the blessing ('ārak, to arrange or set in order; here meaning to bless or consecrate) cannot occur without him. The people wait for Samuel to arrive before beginning the meal, indicating his essential role in the sacred act. This detail establishes Samuel's authority and the people's deference to his spiritual status. The sacrificial meal (zebah) was a communal act in which the people shared in the animal offered, making it both a religious and social occasion. Samuel's blessing transforms the meal from mere consumption into an act of covenant communion with the LORD. Then they that are bidden shall eat—the invited guests will partake of the consecrated meal.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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