KJV ORIGINAL
And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
And he will take a tenth of your grain harvest and your grapes, and give them to his officials and servants.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is warning that a king will tax the people's crops to pay his government workers and staff.
📚 Historical Context
Samuel is warning the Israelites about what having a king will cost them, as they had demanded to be like other nations. In ancient times, kings typically took a portion of agricultural produce as taxes to fund their courts and armies. This was part of Samuel's longer speech describing how kings would burden the people with taxes, forced labor, and military service.
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