1 Samuel 13:1-23
Konteks13:1 Saul was [thirty] 1 years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] 2 years. 13:2 Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; 3 the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 4 He sent all the rest of the people back home. 5
13:3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost 6 that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted 7 all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!” 13:4 All Israel heard this message, 8 “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive 9 to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join 10 Saul at Gilgal.
13:5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 11 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 13:6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, 12 and cisterns. 13:7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River 13 to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified. 13:8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. 14 But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul. 15
13:9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering. 13:10 Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 16
13:11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me 17 and that you didn’t come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, 13:12 I thought, 18 ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated 19 to offer the burnt offering.”
13:13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed 20 the commandment that the Lord your God gave 21 you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever! 13:14 But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out 22 for himself a man who is loyal to him 23 and the Lord has appointed 24 him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”
13:15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal 25 to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 26 Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men. 13:16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash. 27 13:17 Raiding bands went out from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One band turned toward the road leading to Ophrah by the land of Shual; 13:18 another band turned toward the road leading to Beth Horon; and yet another band turned toward the road leading to the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboim in the direction of the desert.
13:19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 13:20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles 28 sharpened. 13:21 They charged 29 two-thirds of a shekel 30 to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel 31 to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 13:22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
13:23 A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
1 Samuel 15:1-35
Konteks15:1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says. 32 15:2 Here is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed 33 Israel along the way when Israel 34 came up from Egypt. 15:3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare 35 them. Put them to death – man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”
15:4 So Saul assembled 36 the army 37 and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 15:5 Saul proceeded to the city 38 of Amalek, where he set an ambush 39 in the wadi. 40 15:6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away 41 with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.
15:7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to 42 Shur, which is next to Egypt. 15:8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people 43 with the sword. 15:9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, 44 and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. 45 They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised 46 and worthless.
15:10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
15:12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where 47 he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left 48 and went down to Gilgal.” 49 15:13 When Samuel came to him, 50 Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have done what the Lord said.”
15:14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case, 51 then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15:15 Saul said, “They were brought 52 from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”
15:16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute! 53 Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul 54 said to him, “Tell me.” 15:17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose 55 you as king over Israel. 15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign 56 saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you 57 have destroyed them.’ 15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed 58 the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.” 59
15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed 60 the Lord! I went on the campaign 61 the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 15:21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
15:22 Then Samuel said,
“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as he does in obedience? 62
Certainly, 63 obedience 64 is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than 65 the fat of rams.
15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as 66 king.”
15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded 67 and what you said as well. 68 For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes. 69 15:25 Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship 70 the Lord.”
15:26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”
15:27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul 71 grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 15:28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 15:29 The Preeminent One 72 of Israel does not go back on his word 73 or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.” 74 15:30 Saul 75 again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” 15:31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, 76 thinking to himself, 77 “Surely death is bitter!” 78 15:33 Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved among women!” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.
15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 15:35 Until the day he 79 died Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
[13:1] 1 tc The MT does not have “thirty.” A number appears to have dropped out of the Hebrew text here, since as it stands the MT (literally, “a son of a year”) must mean that Saul was only one year old when he began to reign! The KJV, attempting to resolve this, reads “Saul reigned one year,” but that is not the normal meaning of the Hebrew text represented by the MT. Although most LXX
[13:1] 2 tc The MT has “two years” here. If this number is to be accepted as correct, the meaning apparently would be that after a lapse of two years at the beginning of Saul’s reign, he then went about the task of consolidating an army as described in what follows (cf. KJV, ASV, CEV). But if the statement in v. 1 is intended to be a comprehensive report on the length of Saul’s reign, the number is too small. According to Acts 13:21 Saul reigned for forty years. Some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT), taking this forty to be a round number, add it to the “two years” of the MT and translate the number in 2 Sam 13:1 as “forty-two years.” While this is an acceptable option, the present translation instead replaces the MT’s “two” with the figure “forty.” Admittedly the textual evidence for this decision is weak, but the same can be said of any attempt to restore sense to this difficult text (note the ellipsis marks at this point in NAB, NRSV). The Syriac Peshitta lacks this part of v. 1.
[13:2] 3 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:2] 4 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:2] 5 tn Heb “each one to his tents.”
[13:3] 6 tn Or perhaps “struck down the Philistine official.” See the note at 1 Sam 10:5. Cf. TEV “killed the Philistine commander.”
[13:3] 7 tn Heb “blew the ram’s horn in.”
[13:4] 8 tn The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:4] 9 tn Heb “stinks.” The figurative language indicates that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines.
[13:4] 10 tn Heb “were summoned after.”
[13:5] 11 tn Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) read “30,000” here.
[13:6] 12 tn Or perhaps “vaults.” This rare term also occurs in Judg 9:46, 49. Cf. KJV “high places”; ASV “coverts”; NAB “caverns”; NASB “cellars”; NIV, NCV, TEV “pits”; NRSV, NLT “tombs.”
[13:7] 13 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:8] 14 tn This apparently refers to the instructions given by Samuel in 1 Sam 10:8. If so, several years had passed. On the relationship between chs. 10 and 13, see V. P. Long, The Art of Biblical History (FCI), 201-23.
[13:8] 15 tn Heb “dispersed from upon him”; NAB, NRSV “began to slip away.”
[13:10] 16 tn Heb “to bless him.”
[13:11] 17 tn Heb “dispersed from upon me.”
[13:12] 19 tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”
[13:13] 21 tn Heb “commanded.”
[13:14] 22 tn This verb form, as well as the one that follows (“appointed”), indicates completed action from the standpoint of the speaker. This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had already conducted his search and made his choice, however. The forms may be used for rhetorical effect to emphasize the certainty of the action. The divine search for a new king is as good as done, emphasizing that the days of Saul’s dynasty are numbered.
[13:14] 23 tn Heb “according to his heart.” The idiomatic expression means to be like-minded with another, as its use in 1 Sam 14:7 indicates.
[13:14] 24 tn Heb “commanded.”
[13:15] 25 tc The LXX and two Old Latin
[13:15] 26 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).
[13:16] 27 tn The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses in v.16 indicates synchronic action.
[13:20] 28 tc The translation follows the LXX (“their sickle”) here, rather than the MT “plowshares,” which is due to dittography from the word earlier in the verse.
[13:21] 29 tn Heb “the price was.” The meaning of the Hebrew word פְּצִירָה (pÿtsirah) is uncertain. This is the only place it occurs in the OT. Some propose the meaning “sharpening,” but “price” is a more likely meaning if the following term refers to a weight (see the following note on the word “shekel”). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238.
[13:21] 30 tn This word, which appears only here in the OT, probably refers to a stone weight. Stones marked פִּים (pim) have been found in excavations of Palestinian sites. The average weight of such stones is 0.268 ounces, which is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel. This probably refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238; DNWSI 2:910; and G. I. Davies, Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions, 259.
[13:21] 31 tc Heb “and for a third, a pick.” The Hebrew text suffers from haplography at this point. The translation follows the textual reconstruction offered by P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 235.
[15:1] 32 tn Heb “to the voice of the words of the
[15:2] 33 tn Heb “what Amalek did to Israel, how he placed against him.”
[15:2] 34 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:3] 35 tn Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. CEV).
[15:4] 36 tn Heb “caused the people to hear.”
[15:5] 38 tc The LXX has the plural here, “cities.”
[15:5] 39 tc The translation follows the LXX and Vulgate which assume a reading וַיָּאָרֶב (vayya’arev, “and he set an ambush,” from the root ארב [’rv] with quiescence of alef) rather than the MT, which has וַיָּרֶב (vayyareb, “and he contended,” from the root ריב [ryv]).
[15:5] 40 tn That is, “the dry stream bed.”
[15:6] 41 tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esfÿka, “I sweep you away,” from the root ספה [sfh]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (’osifÿka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אסף[’sf]).
[15:7] 42 tn Heb “[as] you enter.”
[15:8] 43 tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
[15:9] 44 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (vÿhammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the MT וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (vÿhammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the MT is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 123-24.)
[15:9] 46 tc The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nÿmivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).
[15:12] 48 tn Heb “and he turned and crossed over.”
[15:12] 49 tc At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin
[15:14] 51 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:15] 52 tn Heb “they brought them.”
[15:16] 53 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
[15:16] 54 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[15:16] tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:18] 57 tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).
[15:19] 58 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
[15:19] 59 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the
[15:20] 60 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
[15:22] 62 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the
[15:22] 64 tn Heb “listening.”
[15:22] 65 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
[15:23] 66 tn Or “from [being].”
[15:24] 67 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[15:24] 68 tn Heb “and your words.”
[15:24] 69 tn Heb “and I listened to their voice.”
[15:25] 70 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
[15:27] 71 tn Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran
[15:29] 72 tn Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the
[15:29] 73 tn Or perhaps “does not lie.”
[15:29] 74 sn This observation marks the preceding statement (v. 28) as an unconditional, unalterable decree. When God makes such a decree he will not alter it or change his mind. This does not mean that God never deviates from his stated intentions or changes his mind. On the contrary, several passages describe him as changing his mind. In fact, his willingness to do so is one of his fundamental divine attributes (see Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Change His Mind?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
[15:30] 75 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:32] 76 tn The MT reading מַעֲדַנֹּת (ma’adannot, literally, “bonds,” used here adverbially, “in bonds”) is difficult. The word is found only here and in Job 38:31. Part of the problem lies in determining the root of the word. Some scholars have taken it to be from the root ענד (’nd, “to bind around”), but this assumes a metathesis of two of the letters of the root. Others take it from the root עדן (’dn) with the meaning “voluptuously,” but this does not seem to fit the context. It seems better to understand the word to be from the root מעד (m’d, “to totter” or “shake”). In that case it describes the fear that Agag experienced in realizing the mortal danger that he faced as he approached Samuel. This is the way that the LXX translators understood the word, rendering it by the Greek participle τρέμον (tremon, “trembling”).
[15:32] 77 tn Heb “and Agag said.”
[15:32] 78 tc The text is difficult here. With the LXX, two Old Latin
