Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 8:22

"And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city." — 1 Samuel 8:22 (ASV)

Hearken unto their voice. — And for the third time (see 1 Samuel 8:7, 9), the voice of the Eternal, which Samuel the seer knew so well, used the same expression, bidding the reluctant and indignant old man comply with the people's request. God had allowed His servant to remonstrate, knowing full well what would be the result of his remonstrances.

So now, with the very same words with which He had spoken to the seer when he first laid Israel's petition before the eternal throne, He finally directed Samuel concerning the course of action he was to pursue on this momentous occasion.

The men of Israel. — This refers to the elders. The words that follow, Go you every man to his city, show that these elders were indeed a representative body, drawn from the chief centers of the land.

Attention has already been drawn to the perfect trust the Eternal must have placed in Samuel the judge, given that He entrusted him with all the arrangements connected with this vital change in the Hebrew constitution, although his own downfall from power was necessarily involved in it. The confidence of the God-Friend of Israel in their upright judge was evidently shared by the people.

It was to their ruler, the earthly head of their republic, that they first brought their request through their representative chiefs. This request, in other words, stated, “Let kings in the future, and not judges like you, rule over us.” The elders of Israel appear to have listened respectfully to the urgent remonstrances of their great judge, deliberated carefully over them, and then, still respectfully but firmly, reiterated their initial request, which asked for a king instead of a judge.

Again, they watched him go alone into the presence of the Eternal. After the seer’s solitary prayer, the elders, at their judge's instruction, dispersed quietly, each one traveling to his own city. They loved and trusted the patriot Samuel; although they were ready to depose him, they waited until he gave them a sign.