He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

1 SAMUEL 8:17KJV
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1 Samuel 8:17 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 8:17 mean?

1 Samuel 8:17 warns that a king will claim a tenth of the people's sheep, and the people themselves will become his servants. This verse shows that having a king will bring new demands and burdens on the people, including taxes and forced service.

The prophet Samuel is speaking to the Israelites, explaining what life under a human king will be like. The Israelites have asked for a king to rule over them like other nations, and Samuel is listing the costs and losses they should expect. The verse highlights that the king’s authority will reach into their property and even their personal freedom.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 8:17

  • "tenth" (עֲשִׂירִי, ʿăśîrî): This word means a tenth part, or a tithe. Here, it shows that the king will take a set portion of their livestock, similar to a tax, but for his own use rather than for religious purposes.
  • "sheep" (צֹאן, ṣōʾn): This word refers to small livestock, especially sheep and goats. The king’s claim over their sheep shows that even basic, everyday resources will be taxed.
  • "servants" (עֶבֶד, ʿeved): This word means servant or slave. Samuel uses it to stress that the people will lose some of their independence and will be subject to the king’s authority, not just in taxes but in their personal lives.

Why 1 Samuel 8:17 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the king’s demands will not be limited to money or crops but will extend to livestock and personal service, showing the wide reach of royal authority.
  • It connects to the larger warning in 1 Samuel 8, where Samuel lists the costs of monarchy to discourage the people from rejecting God as their direct king.
  • The verse helps readers see that the desire for a king comes with real, practical sacrifices, not just symbolic changes in leadership.

Where else these words appear

“tenth” Hebrew H6237 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
  • Deuteronomy 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
  • Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.