1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ¹ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ²  evaluates what people do.

1 Samuel 2:16

2:16 If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No! ³  Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”

1 Samuel 3:17

3:17 Eli ⁴  said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely ⁵  if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

1 Samuel 4:2

4:2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight ⁶  Israel. As the battle spread out, ⁷  Israel was defeated by ⁸  the Philistines, who ⁹  killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field.

1 Samuel 4:10

4:10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home. ¹⁰  The slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers fell in battle.

1 Samuel 5:7

5:7 When the people ¹¹  of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked ¹²  both us and our god Dagon!”

1 Samuel 8:7

8:7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. ¹³  For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king.

1 Samuel 9:5

9:5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come on, let’s head back before my father quits worrying about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us!”

1 Samuel 9:19

9:19 Samuel replied to Saul, “I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking. ¹⁴ 

1 Samuel 9:22

9:22 Then Samuel brought ¹⁵  Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people present.

1 Samuel 9:26

9:26 They got up at dawn and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” So Saul got up and the two of them – he and Samuel – went outside.

1 Samuel 10:8

10:8 You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days, until I arrive and tell you what to do.”

1 Samuel 13:2

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; ¹⁶  the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ¹⁷  He sent all the rest of the people back home. ¹⁸ 

1 Samuel 13:15

13:15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal ¹⁹  to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ²⁰  Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men.

1 Samuel 14:2

14:2 Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron, on the outskirts of Gibeah. The army that was with him numbered about six hundred men.

1 Samuel 14:14

14:14 In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.

1 Samuel 14:24-26

Jonathan Violates Saul’s Oath

14:24 Now the men of Israel were hard pressed that day, for Saul had made the army agree to this oath: “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening! I will get my vengeance on my enemies!” So no one in the army ate anything.

14:25 Now the whole army ²¹  entered the forest and there was honey on the ground. ²²  14:26 When the army entered the forest, they saw ²³  the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, ²⁴  for the army was afraid of the oath.

1 Samuel 14:29

14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has caused trouble for the land. See how my eyes gleamed ²⁵  when I tasted just a little of this honey.

1 Samuel 14:36

14:36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout ²⁶  them until the break of day. ²⁷  We won’t leave any of them alive!” ²⁸  They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.” ²⁹  But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.”

1 Samuel 14:44

14:44 Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!” ³⁰ 

1 Samuel 15:15

15:15 Saul said, “They were brought ³¹  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.”

1 Samuel 15:20

15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed ³²  the Lord! I went on the campaign ³³  the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 17:4

17:4 Then a champion ³⁴  came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall. ³⁵ 

1 Samuel 18:13

18:13 Saul removed David ³⁶  from his presence and made him a commanding officer. ³⁷  David led the army out to battle and back. ³⁸ 

1 Samuel 18:15

18:15 When Saul saw how very successful he was, he was afraid of him.

1 Samuel 18:29

18:29 Saul became even more afraid of him. ³⁹  Saul continued to be at odds with David from then on. ⁴⁰ 

1 Samuel 20:13

20:13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the Lord do all this and more to Jonathan, if I don’t let you know ⁴¹  and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. ⁴²  May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.

1 Samuel 20:21-22

20:21 When I send a boy after them, I will say, “Go and find the arrows.” If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; ⁴³  get them,’ then come back. For as surely as the Lord lives, you will be safe and there will no problem. 20:22 But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,’ ⁴⁴  get away. For in that case the Lord has sent you away.

1 Samuel 20:37

20:37 When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called out to ⁴⁵  the servant, “Isn’t the arrow further beyond you?”

1 Samuel 20:41

20:41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, ⁴⁶  knelt ⁴⁷  with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David.

1 Samuel 22:2

22:2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented ⁴⁸  gathered around ⁴⁹  him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.

1 Samuel 22:23

22:23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid! Whoever ⁵⁰  seeks my life is seeking your life as well. You are secure with me.”

1 Samuel 24:3

24:3 He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself. ⁵¹ 

Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave.

1 Samuel 24:14

24:14 Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea?

1 Samuel 24:22

24:22 David promised Saul this on oath. ⁵²  Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25:13

25:13 Then David instructed his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the equipment.

1 Samuel 25:22

25:22 God will severely punish David, ⁵³  if I leave alive until morning even one male ⁵⁴  from all those who belong to him!”

1 Samuel 25:36

25:36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time ⁵⁵  and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing ⁵⁶  until morning’s light.

1 Samuel 29:3-4

29:3 The leaders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish said to the leaders of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me for quite some time? ⁵⁷  I have found no fault with him from the day of his defection until the present time!” ⁵⁸ 

29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said ⁵⁹  to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become ⁶⁰  our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? ⁶¹ 

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ² tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[2:16]  ³ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss (“no”) rather than the Kethib and MT, which read “to him.”

[3:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”

[4:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “to meet.”

[4:2]  ⁷ tn The MT has וַתִּטֹּשׁ (vattittosh), from the root נטשׁ (ntsh). This verb normally means “to leave,” “to forsake,” or “to permit,” but such an idea does not fit this context very well. Many scholars have suspected that the text originally read either וַתֵּט (vattet, “and it spread out”), from the root נטה (nth), or וַתִּקֶשׁ (vattiqesh, “and it grew fierce”), from the root קשׂה (qsh). The former suggestion is apparently supported by the LXX ἔκλινεν (eklinen, “it inclined”) and is adopted in the translation.

[4:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “before.”

[4:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Philistines, and they killed.” The pronoun “they” has been translated as a relative pronoun (“who”) to make it clear to the English reader that the Philistines were the ones who did the killing.

[4:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they fled, each to his tents.”

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men.”

[5:7]  ¹² tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”

[8:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “Listen to the voice of the people, to all which they say to you.”

[9:19]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”

[9:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “took and brought.”

[13:2]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “each one to his tents.”

[13:15]  ¹⁹ tc The LXX and two Old Latin mss include the following words here: “on his way. And the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the warring army. When they arrived from Gilgal….”

[13:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

[14:25]  ²¹ tn Heb “all the land.”

[14:25]  ²² tn Heb “the surface of the field.”

[14:26]  ²³ tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”

[14:26]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”

[14:29]  ²⁵ tc The LXX reads “saw.” See v. 27.

[14:36]  ²⁶ tn Heb “plunder.”

[14:36]  ²⁷ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

[14:36]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”

[14:36]  ²⁹ tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.

[14:44]  ³⁰ tn Heb “So God will do and so he will add, surely you will certainly die, Jonathan.”

[15:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “they brought them.”

[15:20]  ³² tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”

[15:20]  ³³ tn Heb “journey.”

[17:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the man of the space between the two [armies].” See v. 23.

[17:4]  ³⁵ tc Heb “his height was six cubits and a span” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV). A cubit was approximately eighteen inches, a span nine inches. So, according to the Hebrew tradition, Goliath was about nine feet, nine inches tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres”). However, some Greek witnesses, Josephus, and a manuscript of 1 Samuel from Qumran read “four cubits and a span” here, that is, about six feet, nine inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). This seems more reasonable; it is likely that Goliath’s height was exaggerated as the story was retold. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 286, 291.

[18:13]  ³⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “an officer of a thousand.”

[18:13]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and he went out and came in before the people.” See v. 16.

[18:29]  ³⁹ tn Heb “of David.” In the translation the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun for stylistic reasons.

[18:29]  ⁴⁰ tc The final sentence of v. 29 is absent in most LXX mss.

[18:29]  tn Heb “all the days.”

[20:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “uncover your ear.”

[20:13]  ⁴² tn Heb “in peace.”

[20:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “from you and here.”

[20:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “from you and onward.”

[20:37]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “called after” (also in v. 38).

[20:41]  ⁴⁶ tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.

[20:41]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “fell.”

[22:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “bitter of soul.”

[22:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “to.”

[22:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “the one who.” This may refer specifically to Saul, in which case David acknowledges that Abiathar’s life is endangered because of his allegiance to David. The translation assumes that the statement is more generalized, meaning that any enemy of Abiathar is an enemy of David. In other words, David promises that he will protect Abiathar with his very own life.

[24:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to cover his feet,” an idiom (euphemism) for relieving oneself (cf. NAB “to ease nature”).

[24:22]  ⁵² tn Heb “and David swore an oath to Saul.”

[25:22]  ⁵³ tc Heb “Thus God will do to the enemies of David and thus he will add.” Most of the Old Greek ms tradition has simply “David,” with no reference to his enemies. In OT imprecations such as the one found in v. 22 it is common for the speaker to direct malediction toward himself as an indication of the seriousness with which he regards the matter at hand. In other words, the speaker invites on himself dire consequences if he fails to fulfill the matter expressed in the oath. However, in the situation alluded to in v. 22 the threat actually does not come to fruition due to the effectiveness of Abigail’s appeal to David in behalf of her husband Nabal. Instead, David is placated through Abigail’s intervention. It therefore seems likely that the reference to “the enemies of David” in the MT of v. 22 is the result of a scribal attempt to deliver David from the implied consequences of this oath. The present translation follows the LXX rather than the MT here.

[25:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “one who urinates against a wall” (also in v. 34); KJV “any that pisseth against the wall.”

[25:36]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the heart of Nabal was good upon him”; NASB, NRSV “Nabal’s heart was merry within him”; NIV “he was in high spirits”; NCV, TEV “was in a good mood”; CEV “was very drunk and feeling good.”

[25:36]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”

[29:3]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “these days or these years.”

[29:3]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “from the day of his falling [away] until this day.”

[29:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”

[29:4]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “so that he might not become.”

[29:4]  ⁶¹ tn Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.