World English Bible
- Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.
- He had a son whose name was Saul, an impressive young man; and there was not among the children of Israel a more handsome person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.
- The donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, “Now take one of the servants with you, and arise, go look for the donkeys.”
- He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they weren’t there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they didn’t find them.
- When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come! Let’s return, lest my father stop caring about the donkeys and be anxious for us.”
- The servant said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says surely happens. Now let’s go there. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
- Then Saul said to his servant, “But behold, if we go, what should we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our sacks, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
- The servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.”
- (In earlier times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come! Let’s go to the seer;” for he who is now called a prophet was before called a seer.)
- Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come! Let’s go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
- As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
- They 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.
- As soon as you have come into the city, you will immediately find him before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards those who are invited eat. Now therefore go up; for at this time you will find him.”
- They went up to the city. As they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them to go up to the high place.
- Now the LORD had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,
- “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.”
- When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! He will have authority over my people.”
- Then Saul approached Samuel in the gateway, and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
- Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you are to eat with me today. In the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart.
- As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don’t set your mind on them, for they have been found. For whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you and all your father’s house?”
- Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me like this?”
- Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest room, and made them sit in the best place among those who were invited, who were about thirty persons.
- Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’”
- The cook took up the thigh, and that which was on it, and set it before Saul. Samuel said, “Behold, that which has been reserved! Set it before yourself and eat; because it has been kept for you for the appointed time, for I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
- When they had come down from the high place into the city, he talked with Saul on the housetop.
- They arose early; and about daybreak, Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” Saul arose, and they both went outside, he and Samuel, together.
- As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” He went ahead, then Samuel said, “But stand still first, that I may cause you to hear God’s message.”
Providence in a Pair of Straying Donkeys
“Now the donkeys belonging to Kish … were lost.”
—1 Samuel 9:3, New International Version
Yesterday we heard Israel’s loud demand for a king (1 Samuel 8). Today God answers with a whisper: two missing animals.
Kish of Benjamin is introduced with a genealogy that stresses status (wealth) and stature (Saul is “handsome” and “a head taller”). In a culture that valued visible signs of success, this description feels promising—yet it already hints at the tension between outward appearance and inward character that will dominate the Saul narrative (cf. 16:7).
A Hebrew detail: the family name בֶּן־אֲבִיעֵל (ben-Aviel, v. 1) literally means “son of a strong father.” The chronicler piles up words for power, almost winking at us: Watch how God will use strength—and expose its limits.
Donkeys were vital property—think delivery truck, tractor, and bank account folded into one. Kish sends Saul to retrieve them, and the chase takes them through the rugged highlands of Benjamin. Repetition (“they passed through… but did not find them”) creates almost comic suspense and stresses human frustration.
A servant suggests consulting “the man of God.” The text preserves an
older term:
רוֹאֶה (ro’eh) = “seer,” literally “one who sees” (v. 9). A later
gloss notes that Israel now says naviʾ (“prophet”). The aside
reminds us that revelation grows, vocabulary shifts, but God’s
guidance abides.
Western readers sometimes glide past the silver coin (v. 8). A quarter-shekel weighed roughly 2.8 grams—about a week’s wages for a laborer. Ancient Near-Eastern texts describe similar honoraria for diviners. Even in gift-giving God is quietly aligning events.
Cross-references
• Proverbs 16:9 – “In their hearts humans plan… but the Lord establishes
their steps.”
• Luke 15:4-6 – Another search, another joyful find.
At the hill-country spring young women are drawing water—a timeless scene (Genesis 24; John 4). Travelers learned news at wells; the women direct Saul upward to the “high place” before the sacrifice begins. Archaeology confirms that such raised altars dotted Israel prior to the temple (cf. Kuntillet ’Ajrud, Tel Dan). Meals there mixed worship and fellowship.
Unbeknownst to Saul, God had spoken to Samuel “the day before” (v. 15). The Hebrew plays with time: מָחָר כָּעֵת (“tomorrow about this time”). While Saul hunts donkeys, God hunts Saul.
Samuel seats the young Benjamite in the place of honor and sets before him “the leg and what was on it” (likely the right thigh). Leviticus 7:32 assigns this portion to priests, so Samuel’s act is prophetic theater: I, the priest-judge, hand a royal share to you. Calvin notes that grace often “outpaces consciousness”; Saul eats the symbol of his calling before he knows he is called.
Hymn suggestion: God Moves in a Mysterious Way (William Cowper, 1773).
After the feast Samuel leads Saul to the roof for the night breeze—flat roofs served as guest rooms. At dawn he pulls the young man aside for a private word. The chapter ends mid-sentence: “so that I may give you a message from God.” Narrative suspense invites us to pause and feel the weight of holy interruption.
Providence Woven Through the Ordinary
Augustine marveled that God “rides on the tiniest events.” A servant’s
suggestion, a coin in a pouch, even lost livestock become instruments of
covenant history.
Appearance vs. Reality
Saul’s height impresses, yet his later insecurity will undo him. The
episode foreshadows the divine critique, “People look at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (16:7).
Divine Accommodation
God grants Israel’s request for a king (ch. 8) but chooses the king in a
way that underlines His sovereignty. As Chrysostom observed, God
sometimes says “yes” to teach us to crave a better “yes” later—in this
case, to prepare for David and finally for Christ, the true
Shepherd-King (John 10).
Seeking and Finding
Saul seeks donkeys; Samuel seeks Saul; God seeks a kingdom purpose.
Jesus’ parables of lost sheep, coins, and sons echo the
pattern.
• Where have “lost donkeys” in your life masked a larger divine
appointment?
• How do you measure leadership—by stature, résumé, or hidden
obedience?
• Will you trust that God can steer your mundane errands into sacred
encounters?
Historical/Archaeological:
• Israel Finkelstein & Amihai Mazar, The Quest for the
Historical Israel – Highland settlements of Iron Age I-II.
• Excavation reports from Tell el-Ful (traditional Gibeah of Saul).
Commentaries:
• Dale Ralph Davis, 1 Samuel – warm pastoral insights on
providence.
• Walter Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel – narrative
theology and social criticism.
Sovereign Shepherd,
You guide galaxies and you guide donkeys.
Turn our routine journeys into meetings with Your purpose.
Save us from judging by height or glamour;
form in us the quiet heart that listens when You call.
May every lost thing we chase become a doorway
into deeper trust in Jesus, our true King.
Amen.