Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
1 Samuel 12 Bible study: Whose ox have I taken?
In Hebrew the thunder the LORD sent at wheat harvest is the plural of qol, the word for voice. Samuel began by saying he had listened to the people's voice (12:1), set before them the LORD's voice (12:14-15), and then the thunder came, with rain (12:18).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In chapter 12, Samuel says Israel asked for a king when they saw Nahash the Ammonite king coming against them.”
Is that in 1 Samuel 12, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Witness against me
Chapter 11 ended with the people at Gilgal, where "they made Saul king before the LORD" (11:15). Chapter 12 doesn't name its place; it goes straight to Samuel's words to all Israel: "Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you" (12:1). He sets the king and himself side by side: "Now, behold, the king walks before you. I am old and gray-headed" (12:2). The elders had told him, "Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways" (8:5), with the same Hebrew verb for old, and here he says, "Behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth to this day" (12:2). Then he asks them to bring a charge: "Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a bribe to make me blind my eyes? I will restore it to you" (12:3) (tap anointed and bribe). They answer, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from anyone’s hand" (12:4). Samuel says, "The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand" (12:5) (tap witness), and they say, "He is witness" (12:5).
Where it leads to Jesus
Which of you convicts me?
1 Samuel 12:3leads toJohn 8:46
Samuel said, "Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken?" (12:3), and the people answered, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from anyone’s hand" (12:4). Jesus, speaking to those who did not believe him (John 8:45), asked, "Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" (John 8:46). No New Testament passage cites 1 Samuel 12, so setting the two side by side is a reading. Some hear the same challenge in both: one who invites those in front of him to name a wrong he has done. Others read each in its own setting: Samuel asks about what he took from the people while he led them, an ox, a donkey, a bribe (12:3), and the people clear him (12:4); Jesus asks about sin, in an argument over who his hearers' father is (John 8:42-44), and they answer, "Don’t we say well that you are a Samaritan, and have a demon?" (John 8:48).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 1 Samuel 12
That was a taste
The rest of 1 Samuel 12 is waiting in Favor
- The righteous acts of the LORD
- When the LORD your God was your king
- Don't be afraid, and don't turn away
- Thunder, and a voice
- Samuel's words beside Joshua's
- Samuel doesn't step aside
- 7 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 12 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
קוֹלqolsay KOHL
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "sound, voice". Strong's: "a voice or sound aloud", with "thunder(-ing)" among the English words it lists. The WEB's thunder in 12:17-18 is its plural, qolot. The chapter uses the word five times. Three are voice: "I have listened to your voice" (12:1), "listen to his voice" (12:14), and "if you will not listen to the LORD’s voice" (12:15). Then Samuel calls to the LORD, "that he may send thunder and rain" (12:17), and "the LORD sent thunder and rain that day" (12:18). In Egypt "the LORD sent thunder and hail" (Exodus 9:23), with the same Hebrew verb and noun.
For your group
1 Samuel 12 Bible study questions
- 1Samuel could ask, "Whose ox have I taken?" and add, "I will restore it to you" (12:3). If the people closest to you were asked that about you, what would they say? Is there anything you need to put right?
- 2The people asked for a king when they saw Nahash coming, "when the LORD your God was your king" (12:12). When trouble comes, what do you reach for before you turn to God?
- 3Samuel said, "Don’t be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet don’t turn away from following the LORD" (12:20). What would you say to someone who feels they have already gone too far to come back?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads 1 Samuel 12 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read 1 Samuel 12 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 12 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with 1 Samuel 12
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home