1 Samuel 8:12
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
Original Language Analysis
וְלָשׂ֣וּם
And he will appoint
H7760
וְלָשׂ֣וּם
And he will appoint
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
1 of 15
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
אֲלָפִ֖ים
over thousands
H505
אֲלָפִ֖ים
over thousands
Strong's:
H505
Word #:
4 of 15
hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand
וְלַֽחֲרֹ֤שׁ
and will set them to ear
H2790
וְלַֽחֲרֹ֤שׁ
and will set them to ear
Strong's:
H2790
Word #:
7 of 15
to scratch, i.e., (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad
וְלִקְצֹ֣ר
and to reap
H7114
וְלִקְצֹ֣ר
and to reap
Strong's:
H7114
Word #:
9 of 15
to dock off, i.e., curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain)
קְצִיר֔וֹ
his harvest
H7105
קְצִיר֔וֹ
his harvest
Strong's:
H7105
Word #:
10 of 15
severed, a limb (of a tree, or simply foliage)
וְלַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת
and to make
H6213
וְלַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת
and to make
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
11 of 15
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
וּכְלֵ֥י
and instruments
H3627
וּכְלֵ֥י
and instruments
Strong's:
H3627
Word #:
12 of 15
something prepared, i.e., any apparatus (as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon)
מִלְחַמְתּ֖וֹ
of war
H4421
מִלְחַמְתּ֖וֹ
of war
Strong's:
H4421
Word #:
13 of 15
a battle (i.e., the engagement); generally, war (i.e., war-fare)
Historical Context
The military decimal system (thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens) was common throughout the ancient Near East. Archaeological evidence of royal estates with centralized storage facilities confirms the economic practices Samuel describes. Conscript labor (corvee) was standard in Egypt and Mesopotamian kingdoms.
Questions for Reflection
- How does this warning about centralized power inform Christian thinking about government and institutional authority?
- What safeguards exist in your own life against allowing any human authority to take God's rightful place?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
The military hierarchy described here ("sarei alaphim" and "sarei chamishim"—captains over thousands and fifties) mirrors Moses' organization in Exodus 18:21, but now serves royal rather than covenantal purposes. More striking is the agricultural conscription: sons will "ear" (Hebrew "charash," to plow) the king's ground. Under the theocracy, each family worked their own ancestral inheritance; under monarchy, they become tenant farmers on royal estates. The harvest labor ("qatsar") that should benefit their own households will enrich the crown. Additionally, they will manufacture weapons ("keli milchamah") and chariot equipment. This comprehensive conscription transforms free Israelites into a labor force serving state interests. The passage anticipates Solomon's forced labor policies that eventually split the kingdom (1 Kings 12:4). Human government, though necessary in a fallen world, invariably tends toward self-aggrandizement at citizens' expense.