What Does 1 Samuel 10:2 Mean in the King James?
When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
At Rachel (רָחֵל, rāḥēl, “ewe”)’s tomb, the sign turns a search for lost animals into a father’s concern for his son.
THE MEANING
This verse meets you at the point where the errand is no longer the whole story: what was missing is found, and the father’s care is fixed on his son. Recovery and worry occupy the same moment; finding the lost thing does not make the person disappear from view.
THE ROOT
נִמְצְאוּ
nimtse’u
GROWS FROM
מצא
Find, encounter, come upon.
“found” in this verse is nimtse’u. The Hebrew holds finding as the point where a search meets what is there. The same root appears in the phrase for finding favor, extending the word from locating what is lost to encountering another’s favor.
ALSO GROWS
matsa’: Find, come upon.
מָצָא
The root verb names the recovery announced to Saul.
nimtsa’: Be found, be present.
נִמְצָא
This form shows the found thing as something brought into view.
matsa’ chen: Find favor.
מָצָא חֵן
The same verb also describes encountering favor, not only locating an object.
לְבַקֵּשׁ
levakkesh
GROWS FROM
בקש
Seek, ask, request.
“seek” in this verse is levakkesh. The search for the asses uses a root that also carries asking or requesting. Seeking is desire directed toward what is missing; it remains distinct from the following root for finding.
ALSO GROWS
biqqesh: Seek, search for.
בִּקֵּשׁ
It names the search Saul undertakes.
baqqashah: Request, petition.
בַּקָּשָׁה
This branch shows the root’s reach from looking for something to asking for something.
וְדָאַג
weda’ag
GROWS FROM
דאג
Worry, be anxious.
“sorroweth for you” in this verse is weda’ag. The verb is directed toward “you”: the father’s anxiety is care focused on his son. His attention leaves the found animals and settles on the person he misses.
ALSO GROWS
da’ag: Worry, be anxious.
דָּאַג
This is the verb describing the father’s concern.
de’agah: Anxiety, worry.
דְּאָגָה
The related noun makes visible the state carried by the father’s words.
THE PATTERN
The recovery of what is lost can shift attention from the possession to the person whose absence matters.
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.THE THREAD
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house?Both verses use מָצָא (matsa, “find”) for what has been found. In 1 Samuel 9:20, that recovery becomes the hinge that turns attention from the asses toward Saul.
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