1 Et erat vir de Benjamin nomine Cis, filius Abiel, filii Seror, filii Bechorath, filii Aphia, filii viri Jemini, fortis robore.
Jerome · AD 420 The name Benjamin is a combination, then, of two words, son and right hand: ben means "son" and jamin means "right hand."Let us remember once for all that the tribe of Benjamin was called Jemini.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 When the person of the king to be appointed is set forth, why are the names of his fathers described, unless so that his kingdom might be perceived as not enduring?
Bede · AD 735 And there was a man from Benjamin named Kish, son of Abiel, etc. In this Saul the king, who was chosen by the people instead of Samuel, who persecuted David, committed other crimes, rejected David, and dying received a successor to the kingdom: he signifies the wickedness of the Jews, who, despising and persecuting both the prophets and the Lord, preferred to reign by themselve…
2 Et erat ei filius vocabulo Saul, electus et bonus: et non erat vir de filiis Israël melior illo: ab humero et sursum eminebat super omnem populum.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But it must be asked why the same Saul is said to be chosen and good, who is declared to be the son of a harsh man. But he is called chosen not according to grace, but according to judgment. He is also called good so that the disposition of divine equity may be commended.
Bede · AD 735 And he had a son named Saul, etc. For he who is of the earth is from the earth, and speaks of the earth: he who comes from heaven is above all; who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth (John III; 1 Peter II).
3 Perierant autem asinæ Cis patris Saul: et dixit Cis ad Saul filium suum: Tolle tecum unum de pueris, et consurgens vade, et quære asinas. Qui cum transissent per montem Ephraim
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Kish, who is called harsh, signifies not only his elect, but also the Redeemer himself. For no one was harsher toward himself than he. For the prophet, indicating the severity of this harshness, says: "Truly he himself bore our infirmities, and he himself carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:4).
Bede · AD 735 But the asses of Cis, father of Saul, had wandered off, etc. The souls that belonged also to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had wandered off; because although they lived justly, before the Son of God descended to the earth, they could not receive the first robe.
4 et per terram Salisa, et non invenissent, transierunt etiam per terram Salim, et non erant: sed et per terram Jemini, et minime repererunt.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 And because through the five senses of the body they fall into those same darknesses of sins, they are sought in five regions where they cannot be found, namely Mount Ephraim, the land of Shalisha, and Shaalim, and the land of the Benjaminites, and Zuph.
5 Cum autem venissent in terram Suph, dixit Saul ad puerum qui erat cum eo: Veni et revertamur, ne forte dimiserit pater meus asinas, et sollicitus sit pro nobis.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But while holy men cannot convert others through their preaching, they begin to fear intensely for themselves—lest they displease Almighty God in the very thing by which they thought they were greatly pleasing Him.
Bede · AD 735 But when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, etc. From the fifth place of failed inquiry, Saul intends, as it were, to return.
6 Qui ait ei: Ecce vir Dei est in civitate hac, vir nobilis: omne quod loquitur, sine ambiguitate venit. Nunc ergo eamus illuc, si forte indicet nobis de via nostra, propter quam venimus.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 He calls Samuel a man of God, in whom we have already said that the preachers of Holy Church are designated. He is indeed called a man out of reverence for his holy manner of life, and everything he speaks is declared to come without ambiguity: because whatever he threatens concerning eternal punishments, whatever he promises to the just concerning eternal joy, comes to pass ju…
Bede · AD 735 He said to him: Behold, there is a man of God in this city, etc. For this is the patience and faith of the saints, this is continuous love, this long expectation seeing from afar and greeting the joy of the Lord's incarnation and the restoration of humanity; this, I say, is the frequent plea in the Scriptures of saving grace: Stir up your strength, and come to make us safe.
7 Dixitque Saul ad puerum suum: Ecce ibimus: quid feremus ad virum Dei? panis defecit in sitarciis nostris, et sportulam non habemus ut demus homini Dei, nec quidquam aliud.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 To this end, therefore, Saul is led by the boy, that he may be instructed: because those who are to be placed on the height of prelacy are admonished to submit themselves to the spiritual understanding of perfect preachers through their teaching. He who says this admonishes us to be led by this boy: "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law" (Gal. 5:18).
8 Rursum puer respondit Sauli, et ait: Ecce inventa est in manu mea quarta pars stateris argenti: demus homini Dei, ut indicet nobis viam nostram.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Let the servant therefore say: "Let us go there, if perhaps he may show us about our way." But let Saul look upon himself as empty—because the Holy Spirit, while he instructs the senses of those living uprightly, makes them now bold, now timid. Bold indeed, so that they may venture forth; timid, lest they become proud.
Bede · AD 735 Behold, a fourth part of a silver shekel is found in my hand, etc. Understand that the silver shekel represents the perfection of human salvation, which progresses toward praising God; it attains its complete solidity through the increase of four parts: for in the Old Testament, it is raised by the future faith in the Lord's incarnation; in the New Testament, it is imbued with…
9 (Olim in Israël sic loquebatur unusquisque vadens consulere Deum: Venite, et eamus ad videntem. Qui enim propheta dicitur hodie, vocabatur olim videns.)
Hippolytus of Rome · AD 235 For with what reason should the prophet be called a prophet, unless he in spirit foresaw the future? For if the prophet spoke of any chance event, he would not be a prophet then in speaking of things which were under the eye of all. But one who sets forth in detail things yet to be, was rightly judged a prophet.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 I wonder how that opinion could have arisen whereby sight is thought to belong to bodies only. But, from whatever habit of speech that opinion may have come, the holy Scriptures are not accustomed to speak thus; they attribute vision not only to the body but also to the spirit, and more to the spirit than to the body.
Bede · AD 735 Once in Israel, everyone used to speak thus: "Come, let us go to the seer," etc. The same man is rightly called an investigator and narrator of secrets, and a prophet, because he speaks of the future, that is, he foretells. And he is not unreasonably called a Seer, because with the cleansed eyes of the heart he searches the mysteries that less perfect ones cannot.
10 Et dixit Saul ad puerum suum: Optimus sermo tuus. Veni, eamus. Et ierunt in civitatem in qua erat vir Dei.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 And because none but spiritual men do this, there follows: And Saul said to his servant: "Your word is excellent; come, let us go." The best speech is that than which no better can be heard. Therefore, whenever counsels of our salvation are spiritually suggested to us, a speech is made within us than which no better can be found.
Bede · AD 735 And they went to the city where the man of God was. And the Lord came through the incarnation into the world, where at that time the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, was; with him also came those saints, not indeed being born again in the world they had already lived in and desired him to come; but by turning their mind to love him even in the flesh, whom they always…
11 Cumque ascenderent clivum civitatis, invenerunt puellas egredientes ad hauriendam aquam, et dixerunt eis: Num hic est videns?
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Those who seek the man of God come into the city, because it often happens that the life and teaching of a prelate is sought in the conduct of his subjects. So indeed trees too are often examined, whose beauty is found not in their leaves but in their fruit.
Bede · AD 735 And when they ascended the slope of the city, they found the maidens, etc. With his followers of his incarnation, and as the Lord began to teach the sublime precepts of the new life to the first believers, humble and chaste souls appeared, having come forth from the hiding places of their sins by confessing, and to draw waters in joy from the wells of the Savior, taught beforeh…
12 Quæ respondentes, dixerunt illis: Hic est: ecce ante te, festina nunc: hodie enim venit in civitatem, quia sacrificium est hodie populi in excelso.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 As if they were saying: We can point out his place because he comes there where we used to see him. For if he remained in the citadel of his own loftiness, no one could show him to you. For a teacher is in the city when he lingers in the instruction of the people subject to him through the ministry of preaching.
Bede · AD 735 Those answering said to them: Here he is, behold before you, etc. The simple souls answering to Christ, to whom the conscience of each, whatever they think, is open: Here, they say, is John, taught to see heavenly things, made a forerunner for you, and you hasten to follow him, we ask, to save us; for you are our helper and deliverer, O Lord, do not delay (Psalm 39).
13 Ingredientes urbem, statim invenietis eum antequam ascendat excelsum ad vescendum, neque enim comesurus est populus donec ille veniat: quia ipse benedicit hostiæ, et deinceps comedunt qui vocati sunt. Nunc ergo conscendite, quia hodie reperietis eum.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But since we have begun to explain these things spiritually, this can fittingly be understood as spoken concerning the simple. For in the city, one who appears a stranger is thought to be able to address Samuel, but on the high place he is not thought so: because those whom we believe to be simple, we consider to need plain, not lofty instruction.
Bede · AD 735 For the people will not eat until he comes, etc. For the unlearned masses, they say, cannot taste the sweetness of heavenly life, from which they have been exiles for so long, with hope, until he comes who testifies that the kingdom of heaven is near to those who repent.
14 Et ascenderunt in civitatem. Cumque illi ambularent in medio urbis, apparuit Samuel egrediens obviam eis, ut ascenderet in excelsum.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 And because such a great man must be sought with eager devotion, there follows: "And they went up into the city. And as they were walking in the midst of the city, Samuel appeared, coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place." When we hear the praises of holy men, we ascend in the city, because we seek them where they descend, not where they are.
Bede · AD 735 And while they were walking in the midst of the city, Samuel appeared, etc. And the fame of Christ and his faithful ones began to spread gradually, being preached by John.
15 Dominus autem revelaverat auriculam Samuelis ante unam diem quam veniret Saul, dicens:
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But from where he knows this is added: "But the Lord had revealed to Samuel's ear one day before Saul came, saying: At this very hour which now is, tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over my people Israel, and he shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines." He went out therefore to meet him, in order to lea…
Bede · AD 735 But the Lord had revealed Samuel's ear, etc. And God the Father had revealed the secrets of His mystery to John, while the state of the Mosaic law was still standing, saying: Because after you have manifested to the world the day of the new grace compared in all respects to the legal figures as almost equal in the span of hours, I will send to you a man from the land of the son…
16 Hac ipsa hora quæ nunc est, cras mittam virum ad te de terra Benjamin, et unges eum ducem super populum meum Israël: et salvabit populum meum de manu Philisthinorum, quia respexi populum meum: venit enim clamor eorum ad me.
Gregory of Nyssa · AD 395 However, since the rank of kingship underlies all worth and power and rule, by this title the royal power of Christ is authoritatively and primarily indicated (for the anointing of kingship, as we learn in the historical books, comes first), and all the force of the other titles depends on that of royalty.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 He is also described as a man coming from the land of Benjamin. He is called a man on account of the strength of his works; from the land of Benjamin, on account of his right confession of faith.
17 Cumque aspexisset Samuel Saulem, Dominus dixit ei: Ecce vir quem dixeram tibi: iste dominabitur populo meo.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 In this passage it must be noted that when a pastor is chosen in the holy Church, sometimes he is ordained for himself and for the people; sometimes neither for the people nor for himself; sometimes for himself, not for the people; and sometimes indeed for the people, not for himself.
Bede · AD 735 And when Samuel looked at Saul, the Lord said to him, etc. When John saw Jesus coming to him, instructed by the Holy Spirit, he understood him to be the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sins of the world, the one of whom the prophet Micah speaks: And you Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for me one who will be the rul…
18 Accessit autem Saul ad Samuelem in medio portæ, et ait: Indica, oro, mihi, ubi est domus videntis.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 And because those who are great in merits are small through humility, there follows: Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, saying: "Tell me, I pray, where is the house of the Seer." If a preacher is in the city when he speaks plain and common things that are understood, what is the gate of this city if not humility?
Bede · AD 735 Saul approached Samuel at the city gate, etc. The Lord came to John at the boundary of fulfilling the law and initiating grace. For the law and the prophets were until John; from then on the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it (Matt. XI).
19 Et respondit Samuel Sauli, dicens: Ego sum videns: ascende ante me in excelsum, ut comedatis mecum hodie, et dimittam te mane: et omnia quæ sunt in corde tuo indicabo tibi.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Therefore it is also added: "And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the Seer. But go up before me to the high place today, that you may eat with me, and I will send you away in the morning." What does it mean to say, "I am the Seer," except to show himself humble, as he appeared to their eyes?
Bede · AD 735 And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the seer, etc. John responded, with the Lord bestowing heavenly gifts upon him, saying: I am the friend of the Bridegroom; I am your forerunner; I ought to be baptized by you, who, coming before me, have been made ahead of me.
20 Et de asinis quas nudiustertius perdidisti, ne sollicitus sis, quia inventæ sunt. Et cujus erunt optima quæque Israël? nonne tibi et omni domui patris tui?
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 For there follows: "And all things that are in your heart I will show to you; and as for the donkeys which you lost three days ago, do not be anxious, for they have been found." How preachers strive to conceal themselves is shown above in the word of Samuel, where it is said: "I am the Seer." But now, because he says, "All things that are in your mind, I will declare to you," w…
Bede · AD 735 And as for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not be anxious, etc. And concerning the souls which began to perish in the third period of the world, that is, at the beginning of the nascent world, rejoice, because by my preaching they have already learned to repent and hope for the kingdom of heaven.
21 Respondens autem Saul, ait: Numquid non filius Jemini ego sum de minima tribu Israël, et cognatio mea novissima inter omnes familias de tribu Benjamin? quare ergo locutus es mihi sermonem istum?
John Chrysostom · AD 407 I will give you a proof of what I maintain, from the case of a kingdom, which does not weigh as heavily with God as the priesthood. Saul, that son of Kish, was not himself at all ambitious of becoming a king but was going in quest of his asses and came to ask the prophet about them.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But every elect person, when he hears great things about himself, brings his own weaknesses to mind, so that he may guard himself against pride, lest he lose the good things he has. Hence it is added: Saul answered and said: "Am I not a son of Gemini, of the least tribe of Israel, and is not my kindred the last among all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?
22 Assumens itaque Samuel Saulem et puerum ejus, introduxit eos in triclinium, et dedit eis locum in capite eorum qui fuerant invitati: erant enim quasi triginta viri.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 There follows: So Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the dining hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. For there were about thirty men. Samuel takes up Saul when the preacher of holy Church opens the heights of his preaching to a chosen hearer.
Bede · AD 735 Therefore, taking Samuel, Saul, and his servant, he brought them into the dining hall, etc. The dining hall in Greek is called the coenaculum. It is called the dining hall from the three couches of those reclining thus named. For in Greek, they call a couch or bed klini.
23 Dixitque Samuel coco: Da partem quam dedi tibi, et præcepi ut reponeres seorsum apud te.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 And since great things, and not small ones, are now shown to him to accomplish, it is added: Samuel said to the cook: Give the portion which I gave to you, and which I commanded you to set aside with you. So the cook took up the shoulder and placed it before Saul.
Bede · AD 735 And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you," etc. John spoke in his own language, which was accustomed to provide the audience with the food of life, saying: "Preach the power of the singular virtue, which I commanded you to say was given to no pure man." And she, immediately obeying with a prophetic heart, brought forth words suitable solely to divine pow…
24 Levavit autem cocus armum, et posuit ante Saul. Dixitque Samuel: Ecce quod remansit: pone ante te, et comede, quia de industria servatum est tibi quando populum vocavi. Et comedit Saul cum Samuele in die illa.
Philoxenus of Mabbug · AD 523 Now although this meat is a burden unto the wise and prudent, yet was it given by promise unto Noah, and it was sent unto Elijah in a gift, and Abraham received God and His angels thereby, and Isaac was pleased to pour out blessings upon Jacob thereby, and Samuel offered this gift beforehand to Saul as to a king, and David and all the righteous kings made use of such meat, and…
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But it should be noted that the cook placed the shoulder before Saul, and yet Samuel instructed Saul to place it before himself. What does this mean? A steward usually places a dish on the table before those reclining; and when the one reclining draws it toward himself, he places closer before himself what was a little farther away.
Bede · AD 735 And Saul ate with Samuel that day, etc. And the Lord preached with John in the city shining with grace, until John was sent into prison, saying of the people who would believe in him: "I have food to eat that you do not know about" (John 4).
25 Et descenderunt de excelso in oppidum, et locutus est cum Saule in solario: stravitque Saul in solario, et dormivit.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 There follows: "And they went down from the high place into the town, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop. And Saul made his bed on the rooftop, and slept." Whoever is raised to the height of pastoral care must have in that very sublimity of his office both loftiness in his own life and compassion for the weakness of others.
Bede · AD 735 And he spoke with Saul in the upper room, etc. John spoke with the Lord in the light of His known divinity. For certainly the upper room (which takes its name from the fact that by its height it first receives the rays of the rising sun before the lower buildings) signifies the hearts of those who, suspended from earthly desires by divine fear, the Sun of Righteousness rises mo…
26 Cumque mane surrexissent, et jam elucesceret, vocavit Samuel Saulem in solario, dicens: Surge, et dimittam te. Et surrexit Saul: egressique sunt ambo, ipse videlicet, et Samuel.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Fittingly, therefore, there is added: "And when they had risen in the morning, and it was now growing light, Samuel called to Saul on the rooftop, saying: Arise, and I will send you on your way." Indeed, morning dawns when the splendor of truth opens itself to the quiet mind. For the human mind becomes dark through ignorance and bright through the illumination of truth.
Bede · AD 735 And Saul arose, and they went out together, etc. And Jesus manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. Both of them went out, namely He and John, from the hidden contemplation of the divine will, and proceeded to show forth the great works of deeds outside.
27 Cumque descenderent in extrema parte civitatis, Samuel dixit ad Saul: Dic puero ut antecedat nos et transeat: tu autem subsiste paulisper, ut indicem tibi verbum Domini.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 But what was done next follows: "And as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul: Tell the servant to go ahead of us and pass on; but you stand still for a moment, that I may make known to you the word of the Lord.
Bede · AD 735 And when they descended to the outermost part of the city, Samuel said to Saul, etc. When the Lord was sitting, having assumed humility and poverty for us, revealing Himself as the most despised and last of men, and among the citizens of the world as the lowest, He also taught His followers to be poor in spirit, yet He did not immediately face death at the hands of the often im…