Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

1 SAMUEL 12:17KJV
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1 Samuel 12:17 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 12:17 mean?

1 Samuel 12:17 describes how Samuel tells the people that, even though it is the wheat harvest, he will call on the LORD and God will send thunder and rain as a sign to show them how serious their wrongdoing was in asking for a king. This miracle is meant to make the people realize the weight of their decision and their offense before God.

Samuel is speaking to the Israelites after they have insisted on having a human king, which was seen as a rejection of God’s direct rule. The wheat harvest was usually a dry season, so thunder and rain would be highly unusual and alarming. By calling for this sign, Samuel is showing the people that their request for a king (instead of trusting God) was a significant act of disobedience.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 12:17

  • "Wheat" (חִטָּה, chittah): This word points to the wheat harvest season, which was typically dry. Mentioning wheat harvest highlights how unusual and supernatural it would be for rain and thunder to occur at this time.
  • "Thunder" (קוֹל, qol): This word often means "voice" or "sound," but here it refers to the sound of thunder, which would be a dramatic sign from God.
  • "Rain" (מָטָר, matar): Rain during the wheat harvest would threaten the crops, so it would be both a sign and a warning, showing God’s power and displeasure.
  • "Wickedness" (רָעָה, ra'ah): This word means evil or wrongdoing. Samuel uses it to describe the seriousness of the people’s request for a king, making clear that it was not just a small mistake but a significant offense.

Why 1 Samuel 12:17 matters

  • 1 Samuel 12:17 clears up that asking for a king was not just a political move but a spiritual issue, showing a lack of trust in God’s leadership.
  • The verse emphasizes the seriousness of the people’s choice by connecting it to a visible, supernatural sign that would have been impossible to ignore.
  • This moment ties the people’s present actions to God’s ongoing relationship with them, reminding them that their choices have real consequences and that God is still actively involved in their lives.

Where else these words appear

“wheat” Hebrew H2406 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 30:14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
  • 1 Samuel 6:13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
  • Psalms 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

“rain” Hebrew H4306 · used in 36 verses

  • Exodus 9:33 And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
  • 1 Kings 8:35 When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them:
  • Job 38:28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

“harvest” Hebrew H7105 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
  • 1 Samuel 6:13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
  • Isaiah 16:9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.