1 Samuel 9:1--15:35
Konteks9:1 There was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He was a prominent person. 9:2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was; he stood head and shoulders above all the people.
9:3 The donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, 1 so Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go 2 look for the donkeys.” 3 9:4 So Saul 4 crossed through the hill country of Ephraim, passing through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. So they crossed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he crossed through the land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.
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!” 9:6 But the servant said to him, “Look, there is a man of God in this town. He is highly respected. Everything that he says really happens. 5 Now let’s go there. Perhaps he will tell us where we should go from here.” 6 9:7 So Saul said to his servant, “All right, 7 we can go. But what can we bring the man, since the food in our bags is used up? We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” 9:8 The servant went on to answer Saul, “Look, I happen to have in my hand a quarter shekel 8 of silver. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us where we should go.” 9 9:9 (Now it used to be in Israel that whenever someone went to inquire of God he would say, “Come on, let’s go to the seer.” For today’s prophet used to be called a seer.) 9:10 So Saul said to his servant, “That’s a good idea! 10 Come on. Let’s go.” So they went to the town where the man of God was.
9:11 As they were going up the ascent to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water. They said to them, “Is this where the seer is?” 9:12 They replied, “Yes, straight ahead! But hurry now, for he came to the town today, and the people are making a sacrifice at the high place. 9:13 When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on up, for 11 this is the time when you can find him!”
9:14 So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town, Samuel was coming in their direction 12 to go up to the high place. 9:15 Now the day before Saul arrived, the Lord had told 13 Samuel: 9:16 “At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin. You must consecrate 14 him as a leader over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked with favor on my people. Their cry has reached me!”
9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, 15 “Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people.” 9:18 As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
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. 16 9:20 Don’t be concerned 17 about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?” 18
9:21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and is not my family clan the smallest of all the tribes of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”
9:22 Then Samuel brought 19 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. 9:23 Samuel said to the cook, “Give me the portion of meat that I gave to you – the one I asked you to keep with you.”
9:24 So the cook picked up the leg and brought it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel 20 said, “What was kept is now set before you! Eat, for it has been kept for you for this meeting time, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
9:25 When they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. 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. 9:27 While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did. 21 Samuel then said, 22 “You remain here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”
10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s 23 head. Samuel 24 kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you 25 to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen 26 you as leader over his inheritance. 27 10:2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two! 28 He is asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
10:3 “As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel 29 will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine. 10:4 They will ask you how you’re doing and will give you two loaves of bread. You will accept them. 10:5 Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials. 30 When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying. 10:6 Then the spirit of the Lord will rush upon you and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person.
10:7 “When these signs have taken place, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God will be with you. 31 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.”
10:9 As Saul 32 turned 33 to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person. 34 All these signs happened on that very day. 10:10 When Saul and his servant 35 arrived at Gibeah, a company of prophets was coming out to meet him. Then the spirit of God rushed upon Saul 36 and he prophesied among them. 10:11 When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people all asked one another, “What on earth has happened to the son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?”
10:12 A man who was from there replied, “And who is their father?” Therefore this became a proverb: “Is even Saul among the prophets?” 10:13 When Saul 37 had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
10:14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Saul 38 replied, “To look for the donkeys. But when we realized they were lost, 39 we went to Samuel.” 10:15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” 40 10:16 Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul 41 did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.
10:17 Then Samuel called the people together before the Lord at Mizpah. 10:18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power 42 of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 10:19 But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and distress. You have said, “No! 43 Appoint a king over us.” Now take your positions before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.’”
10:20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 10:21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. 10:22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man arrived here yet?” The Lord said, “He has hidden himself among the equipment.” 44
10:23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all. 10:24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”
10:25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work. 45 He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes. 10:26 Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched. 10:27 But some wicked men 46 said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it. 47
11:1 48 Nahash 49 the Ammonite marched 50 against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”
11:2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “The only way I will make a treaty with you is if you let me gouge out the right eye of every one of you and in so doing humiliate all Israel!”
11:3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily to you.”
11:4 When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived) 51 and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly. 52 11:5 Now Saul was walking behind the 53 oxen as he came from the field. Saul asked, “What has happened to the people? Why are they weeping?” So they told him about 54 the men of Jabesh.
11:6 The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry. 11:7 He took a pair 55 of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, “Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out as one army. 56 11:8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 57 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000. 58
11:9 They said to the messengers who had come, “Here’s what you should say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun is fully up.’” When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead, they were happy. 11:10 The men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you 59 and you can do with us whatever you wish.” 60
11:11 The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them 61 down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.
11:12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who were the ones asking, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Hand over those men so we may execute them!” 11:13 But Saul said, “No one will be killed on this day. For today the Lord has given Israel a victory!” 11:14 Samuel said to the people, “Come on! Let’s go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.” 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal, where 62 they established Saul as king in the Lord’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the Lord’s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
12:1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have done 63 everything you requested. 64 I have given you a king. 65 12:2 Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, though my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till the present day. 12:3 Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the Lord and before his chosen king. 66 Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, 67 and I will return it to you!”
12:4 They replied, “You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 12:5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his chosen king 68 is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” 69 They said, “He is witness!”
12:6 Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors 70 up from the land of Egypt. 12:7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you 71 before the Lord regarding all the Lord’s just actions toward you and your ancestors. 72 12:8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
12:9 “But they forgot the Lord their God, so he gave 73 them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazor’s 74 army, 75 and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 12:10 Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, 76 ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. 77 Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’ 78 12:11 So the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, 79 Barak, 80 Jephthah, and Samuel, 81 and he delivered you from the hand of the enemies all around you, and you were able to live securely.
12:12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king! 12:13 Now look! Here is the king you have chosen – the one that you asked for! Look, the Lord has given you a king! 12:14 If you fear the Lord, serving him and obeying him 82 and not rebelling against what he says, 83 and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God, all will be well. 84 12:15 But if you don’t obey 85 the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king. 86
12:16 “So now, take your positions and watch this great thing that the Lord is about to do in your sight. 12:17 Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves.”
12:18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both the Lord and Samuel. 12:19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us – your servants – so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.” 87
12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. 88 However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. 12:21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, since they are empty. 89 12:22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. 90 The Lord was pleased to make you his own people. 12:23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright. 12:24 However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you! 12:25 But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
13:1 Saul was [thirty] 91 years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] 92 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; 93 the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 94 He sent all the rest of the people back home. 95
13:3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost 96 that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted 97 all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!” 13:4 All Israel heard this message, 98 “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive 99 to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join 100 Saul at Gilgal.
13:5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 101 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, 102 and cisterns. 13:7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River 103 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. 104 But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul. 105
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. 106
13:11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me 107 and that you didn’t come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, 13:12 I thought, 108 ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated 109 to offer the burnt offering.”
13:13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed 110 the commandment that the Lord your God gave 111 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 112 for himself a man who is loyal to him 113 and the Lord has appointed 114 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 115 to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 116 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. 117 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 118 sharpened. 13:21 They charged 119 two-thirds of a shekel 120 to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel 121 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. 14:1 Then one day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer, 122 “Come on, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison that is opposite us.” But he did not let his father know.
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. 14:3 Now Ahijah was carrying 123 an ephod. He was the son of Ahitub, who was the brother of Ichabod and a son of Phineas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh. The army was unaware that Jonathan had left.
14:4 Now there was a steep cliff on each side of the pass through which Jonathan intended to go to reach the Philistine garrison. One cliff was named Bozez, the other Seneh. 14:5 The cliff to the north was closer to Micmash, the one to the south closer to Geba.
14:6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will intervene 124 for us. Nothing can prevent the Lord from delivering, whether by many or by a few.” 14:7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind. 125 Do as you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!” 126
14:8 Jonathan replied, “All right! 127 We’ll go over to these men and fight them. 14:9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay 128 right there and not go up to them. 14:10 But if they say, ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand – it will be a sign to us.”
14:11 When they 129 made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.” 14:12 Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer, “Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!” 130 Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up behind me, for the Lord has given 131 them into the hand of Israel!”
14:13 Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer following behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines, 132 while his armor bearer came along behind him and killed them. 133 14:14 In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.
14:15 Then fear overwhelmed 134 those who were in the camp, those who were in the field, all the army in the garrison, and the raiding bands. They trembled and the ground shook. This fear was caused by God. 135
14:16 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin 136 looked on 137 as the crowd of soldiers seemed to melt away first in one direction and then in another. 138 14:17 So Saul said to the army that was with him, “Muster the troops and see who is no longer with us.” When they mustered the troops, 139 Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there. 14:18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ephod,” 140 for he was at that time wearing the ephod. 141 14:19 While 142 Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines’ camp was becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand!”
14:20 Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found 143 the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords. 144 14:21 The Hebrews who had earlier gone over to the Philistine side 145 joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 14:22 When all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too pursued them in battle. 14:23 So the Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle shifted over to Beth Aven. 146
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 147 entered the forest and there was honey on the ground. 148 14:26 When the army entered the forest, they saw 149 the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, 150 for the army was afraid of the oath. 14:27 But Jonathan had not heard about the oath his father had made the army take. He extended the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he ate it, 151 his eyes gleamed. 152 14:28 Then someone from the army informed him, “Your father put the army under a strict oath 153 saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today!’ That is why the army is tired.” 14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has caused trouble for the land. See how my eyes gleamed 154 when I tasted just a little of this honey. 14:30 Certainly if the army had eaten some of the enemies’ provisions that they came across today, would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”
14:31 On that day the army struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, and they became very tired. 14:32 So the army rushed greedily on 155 the 156 plunder, confiscating sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground, and the army ate them blood and all.
14:33 Now it was reported to Saul, “Look, the army is sinning against the Lord by eating even the blood.” He said, “All of you have broken the covenant! 157 Roll a large stone over here to me.” 14:34 Then Saul said, “Scatter out among the army and say to them, ‘Each of you bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating the blood.” So that night each one brought his ox and slaughtered it there. 158 14:35 Then Saul built an altar for the Lord; it was the first time he had built an altar for the Lord.
14:36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout 159 them until the break of day. 160 We won’t leave any of them alive!” 161 They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.” 162 But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.” 14:37 So Saul asked God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.
14:38 Then Saul said, “All you leaders of the army come here. Find out 163 how this sin occurred today. 14:39 For as surely as the Lord, the deliverer of Israel, lives, even if it turns out to be my own son Jonathan, he will certainly die!” But no one from the army said anything. 164
14:40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” The army replied to Saul, “Do whatever you think is best.”
14:41 Then Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, O Lord God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim.” 165 Then Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated. 166 14:42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan!” 167 Jonathan was indicated by lot.
14:43 So Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey. I must die!” 168 14:44 Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!” 169
14:45 But the army said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death. 170
14:46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back home. 171 14:47 After Saul had secured his royal position over Israel, he fought against all their 172 enemies on all sides – the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. In every direction that he turned he was victorious. 173 14:48 He fought bravely, striking down the Amalekites and delivering Israel from the hand of its enemies. 174
14:49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. 175 He had two daughters; the older one was named Merab and the younger Michal. 14:50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the general in command of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 176 14:51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son 177 of Abiel.
14:52 There was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever Saul saw anyone who was a warrior or a brave individual, he would conscript him.
15:1 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. 178 15:2 Here is what the Lord of hosts says: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed 179 Israel along the way when Israel 180 came up from Egypt. 15:3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare 181 them. Put them to death – man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”
15:4 So Saul assembled 182 the army 183 and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 15:5 Saul proceeded to the city 184 of Amalek, where he set an ambush 185 in the wadi. 186 15:6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away 187 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 188 Shur, which is next to Egypt. 15:8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people 189 with the sword. 15:9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, 190 and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. 191 They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised 192 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 193 he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left 194 and went down to Gilgal.” 195 15:13 When Samuel came to him, 196 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, 197 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 198 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! 199 Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul 200 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 201 you as king over Israel. 15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign 202 saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you 203 have destroyed them.’ 15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed 204 the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.” 205
15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed 206 the Lord! I went on the campaign 207 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? 208
Certainly, 209 obedience 210 is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than 211 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 212 king.”
15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded 213 and what you said as well. 214 For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes. 215 15:25 Now please forgive my sin! Go back with me so I can worship 216 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 217 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 218 of Israel does not go back on his word 219 or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.” 220 15:30 Saul 221 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, 222 thinking to himself, 223 “Surely death is bitter!” 224 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 225 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.
[9:3] 2 tn Heb “and arise, go.”
[9:3] 3 tc The Syriac Peshitta includes the following words: “So Saul arose and went out. He took with him one of the boys and went out to look for his father’s donkeys.”
[9:4] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:6] 5 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
[9:6] 6 tn Heb “our way on which we have gone.”
[9:8] 8 sn A quarter shekel of silver would weigh about a tenth of an ounce (about 3 grams).
[9:10] 10 tn Heb “your word is good.”
[9:13] 11 tc The MT has “him” (אֹתוֹ, ’oto) here, in addition to the “him” at the end of the verse. The ancient versions attest to only one occurrence of the pronoun, although it is possible that this is due to translation technique rather than to their having a Hebrew text with the pronoun used only once. The present translation assumes textual duplication in the MT and does not attempt to represent the pronoun twice. However, for a defense of the MT here, with the suggested translation “for him just now – you will find him,” see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 72-73.
[9:14] 12 tn Heb “to meet them.” This may indicate purpose on Samuel’s part. The next sentence indicates that the meeting was by design, not just an accident.
[9:15] 13 tn Heb “uncovered the ear of.”
[9:19] 16 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
[9:20] 17 tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”
[9:20] 18 tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”
[9:22] 19 tn Heb “took and brought.”
[9:24] 20 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 25); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in both places in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 21 tc This statement is absent in the LXX (with the exception of Origen), an Old Latin
[9:27] 22 tn The words “Samuel then said” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[10:1] 23 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:1] 24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:1] 25 tn Heb “Is it not that the
[10:1] 26 tn That is, “anointed.”
[10:1] 27 tc The MT reads simply “Is it not that the
[10:2] 28 sn In the Hebrew text the pronoun you is plural, suggesting that Saul’s father was concerned about his son and the servant who accompanied him.
[10:3] 29 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[10:5] 30 tn Or “sentries.” Some translate “outpost” (NIV) or “garrison” (NAB, NRSV, NLT) here (see 1 Sam 13:3). The noun is plural in the Hebrew text, but the LXX and other ancient witnesses read a singular noun here.
[10:7] 31 sn In light of Saul’s commission to be Israel’s deliverer (see v. 1), it is likely that some type of military action against the Philistines (see v.5) is implied.
[10:9] 32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 33 tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”
[10:9] 34 tn Heb “God turned for him another heart”; NAB, NRSV “gave him another heart”; NIV, NCV “changed Saul’s heart”; TEV “gave Saul a new nature”; CEV “made Saul feel like a different person.”
[10:10] 35 tc Two medieval Hebrew
[10:10] tn Heb “they”; the referents (Saul and his servant) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:10] 36 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:13] 37 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:14] 38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:14] 39 tn Heb “And we saw that they were not.”
[10:15] 40 tc In the LXX and Vulgate the pronoun “you” is singular, referring specifically to Saul. In the MT it is plural, including Saul’s servant as well.
[10:16] 41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[10:18] 42 tn Heb “hand” (also later in this verse).
[10:19] 43 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[10:22] 44 tn Or “baggage” (so many English versions); KJV “stuff”; TEV “supplies.”
[10:25] 45 tn Heb “the regulation of the kingship.” This probably refers to the regulations pertaining to kingship given to Moses (see Deut 17:14-20).
[10:27] 46 tn Heb “sons of worthlessness” (see 2:12).
[10:27] 47 tc In place of the MT (“and it was like one being silent”) the LXX has “after about a month,” taking the expression with the first part of the following chapter rather than with 10:27. Some Hebrew support for this reading appears in the corrected hand of a Qumran
[11:1] 48 tc 4QSama and Josephus (Ant. 6.68-71) attest to a longer form of text at this point. The addition explains Nahash’s practice of enemy mutilation, and by so doing provides a smoother transition to the following paragraph than is found in the MT. The NRSV adopts this reading, with the following English translation: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.” This reading should not be lightly dismissed; it may in fact provide a text superior to that of the MT and the ancient versions. But the external evidence for it is so limited as to induce caution; the present translation instead follows the MT. However, for a reasonable case for including this reading in the text see the discussions in P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 199, and R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 103.
[11:1] 49 sn The name “Nahash” means “serpent” in Hebrew.
[11:1] 50 tn Heb “went up and camped”; NIV, NRSV “went up and besieged.”
[11:4] 51 tn Heb “to Gibeah of Saul.”
[11:4] 52 tn Heb “lifted their voice and wept.”
[11:5] 53 tn Or perhaps, “his oxen.” On this use of the definite article see Joüon 2:506-7 §137.f.
[11:5] 54 tn Heb “the matters of.”
[11:7] 56 tn Heb “like one man.”
[11:8] 57 tc The LXX and two Old Latin
[11:8] 58 tc The LXX, two Old Latin
[11:10] 59 tn The second masculine plural forms in this quotation indicate that Nahash and his army are addressed.
[11:10] 60 tn Heb “according to all that is good in your eyes.”
[11:11] 61 tn Heb “Ammon.” By metonymy the name “Ammon” is used collectively for the soldiers in the Ammonite army.
[11:15] 62 tn Heb “and there in Gilgal.”
[12:1] 63 tn Heb “Look, I have listened to your voice.”
[12:1] 64 tn Heb “to all which you said to me.”
[12:1] 65 tn Heb “and I have installed a king over you.”
[12:3] 66 tn Heb “anointed [one].”
[12:3] 67 tn The words “tell me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:5] 68 tn Heb “anointed [one].”
[12:5] 69 tn Heb “that you have not found anything in my hand.”
[12:6] 70 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 8).
[12:7] 71 tn Heb “and I will enter into judgment with you” (NRSV similar); NAB “and I shall arraign you.”
[12:7] 72 tn Heb “all the just actions which he has done with you and with your fathers.”
[12:9] 73 tn Heb “sold” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “he allowed them to fall into the clutches of Sisera”; NLT “he let them be conquered by Sisera.”
[12:9] 74 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
[12:9] 75 tn Heb “captain of the host of Hazor.”
[12:10] 77 tn Heb “the Ashtarot” (plural). The words “images of” are supplied in both vv. 3 and 4 for clarity.
[12:10] sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. See the note on the same term in 7:3.
[12:10] 78 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
[12:11] 79 sn Jerub-Baal (יְרֻבַּעַל) is also known as Gideon (see Judg 6:32). The Book of Judges uses both names for him.
[12:11] 80 tc The MT has “Bedan” (בְּדָן) here (cf. KJV, NASB, CEV). But a deliverer by this name is not elsewhere mentioned in the OT. The translation follows the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “Barak.”
[12:11] 81 tc In the ancient versions there is some confusion with regard to these names, both with regard to the particular names selected for mention and with regard to the order in which they are listed. For example, the LXX has “Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel.” But the Targum has “Gideon, Samson, Jephthah, and Samuel,” while the Syriac Peshitta has “Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson.”
[12:14] 82 tn Heb “and you listen to his voice.”
[12:14] 83 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[12:14] 84 tn The words “all will be well” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:15] 85 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
[12:15] 86 tc The LXX reads “your king” rather than the MT’s “your fathers.” The latter makes little sense here. Some follow MT, but translate “as it was against your fathers.” See P. K. McCarter, 1 Samuel (AB), 212.
[12:19] 87 tn Heb “for we have added to all our sins an evil [thing] by asking for ourselves a king.”
[12:20] 88 tn Heb “you have done all this evil.”
[12:21] 89 tn Or “useless” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “nothing”; NASB “futile”; TEV “are not real.”
[12:22] 90 tn Heb “on account of his great name.”
[13:1] 91 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] 92 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] 93 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:2] 94 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:2] 95 tn Heb “each one to his tents.”
[13:3] 96 tn Or perhaps “struck down the Philistine official.” See the note at 1 Sam 10:5. Cf. TEV “killed the Philistine commander.”
[13:3] 97 tn Heb “blew the ram’s horn in.”
[13:4] 98 tn The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:4] 99 tn Heb “stinks.” The figurative language indicates that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines.
[13:4] 100 tn Heb “were summoned after.”
[13:5] 101 tn Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) read “30,000” here.
[13:6] 102 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] 103 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[13:8] 104 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] 105 tn Heb “dispersed from upon him”; NAB, NRSV “began to slip away.”
[13:10] 106 tn Heb “to bless him.”
[13:11] 107 tn Heb “dispersed from upon me.”
[13:12] 109 tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”
[13:13] 111 tn Heb “commanded.”
[13:14] 112 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] 113 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] 114 tn Heb “commanded.”
[13:15] 115 tc The LXX and two Old Latin
[13:15] 116 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] 117 tn The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses in v.16 indicates synchronic action.
[13:20] 118 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] 119 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] 120 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] 121 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.
[14:1] 122 tn Or “the servant who was carrying his military equipment” (likewise in vv. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14).
[14:3] 123 tn Heb “bearing.” Many English versions understand this verb to mean “wearing” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT).
[14:7] 125 tn Heb “in your heart.”
[14:7] 126 tn Heb “Look, I am with you, according to your heart.” See the note at 13:14.
[14:11] 129 tn Heb “the two of them.”
[14:12] 131 tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically here to express Jonathan’s certitude. As far as he is concerned, the victory is as good as won and can be described as such.
[14:13] 132 tn Heb “and they fell before Jonathan.”
[14:13] 133 tn Heb “and the one carrying his equipment was killing after him.”
[14:15] 134 tn Heb “fell upon.”
[14:15] 135 tn Heb “and it was by the fear of God.” The translation understands this to mean that God was the source or cause of the fear experienced by the Philistines. This seems to be the most straightforward reading of the sentence. It is possible, however, that the word “God” functions here simply to intensify the accompanying word “fear,” in which one might translate “a very great fear” (cf. NAB, NRSV). It is clear that on some occasions that the divine name carries such a superlative nuance. For examples see Joüon 2:525 §141.n.
[14:16] 136 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:16] 137 tn Heb “saw, and look!”
[14:16] 138 tn Heb “the crowd melted and went, even here.”
[14:17] 139 tn Heb “and they mustered the troops, and look!”
[14:18] 140 tc Heb “the ark of God.” It seems unlikely that Saul would call for the ark, which was several miles away in Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Sam 7:2). The LXX and an Old Latin
[14:18] 141 tc Heb “for the ark of God was in that day, and the sons of Israel.” The translation follows the text of some Greek manuscripts. See the previous note.
[14:19] 142 tn Or perhaps “until.”
[14:20] 143 tn Heb “and look, there was”
[14:20] 144 tn Heb “the sword of a man against his companion, a very great panic.”
[14:21] 145 tn Heb “and the Hebrews were to the Philistines formerly, who went up with them in the camp all around.”
[14:23] 146 tc The LXX includes the following words: “And all the people were with Saul, about ten thousand men. And the battle extended to the entire city on mount Ephraim.”
[14:25] 147 tn Heb “all the land.”
[14:25] 148 tn Heb “the surface of the field.”
[14:26] 149 tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”
[14:26] 150 tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”
[14:27] 151 tn Heb “and he returned his hand to his mouth.”
[14:27] 152 tc The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew
[14:28] 153 tn Heb “your father surely put the army under an oath.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize the solemn nature of the oath.
[14:29] 154 tc The LXX reads “saw.” See v. 27.
[14:32] 155 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[14:32] 156 tc The translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[14:33] 157 tn Heb “You have acted deceptively.” In this context the verb refers to violating an agreement, in this case the dietary and sacrificial regulations of the Mosaic law. The verb form is second masculine plural; apparently Saul here addresses those who are eating the animals.
[14:34] 158 tn Heb “and all the army brought near, each his ox by his hand, and they slaughtered there.”
[14:36] 160 tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”
[14:36] 161 tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”
[14:36] 162 tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.
[14:38] 163 tn Heb “know and see.”
[14:39] 164 tn Heb “and there was no one answering from all the army.”
[14:41] 165 tc Heb “to the
[14:41] sn The Urim and Thummim were used for lot casting in ancient Israel. Their exact identity is uncertain; they may have been specially marked stones drawn from a bag. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8, and Deut 33:8, as well as the discussion in R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 140.
[14:41] 166 tn Heb “went out.”
[14:42] 167 tc The LXX includes the following words: “Whomever the Lord will indicate by the lot, let him die! And the people said to Saul, ‘It is not this word.’ But Saul prevailed over the people, and they cast lots between him and between Jonathan his son.”
[14:43] 168 tn Heb “Look, I, I will die.” Apparently Jonathan is acquiescing to his anticipated fate of death. However, the words may be taken as sarcastic (“Here I am about to die!”) or as a question, “Must I now die?” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
[14:44] 169 tn Heb “So God will do and so he will add, surely you will certainly die, Jonathan.”
[14:45] 170 tn Heb “and he did not die.”
[14:46] 171 tn Heb “to their place.”
[14:47] 172 tn Heb “his,” which could refer to Israel or to Saul.
[14:47] 173 tc The translation follows the LXX (“he was delivered”), rather than the MT, which reads, “he acted wickedly.”
[14:48] 174 tn Heb “plunderers.”
[14:49] 175 sn The list differs from others. In 1 Sam 31:2 (= 1 Chr 10:2), Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua are listed as Saul’s sons, while 1 Chr 8:33 and 9:39 list Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
[14:50] 176 sn The word “uncle” can modify either Abner or Ner. See the note on the word “son” in v. 51 for further discussion.
[14:51] 177 tn 1 Chr 9:35-36 indicates that Jeiel (= Abiel?) had two sons (among others) named Ner and Kish (see also 1 Sam 9:1 and 1 Chr 8:30, where some Greek manuscripts include the name Ner, though it is absent in the Hebrew text). If this Kish was the father of Saul and Ner was the father of Abner, then Saul and Abner were cousins. However, according to 1 Chr 8:33 and 9:39, Ner, not Abiel, was the father of Kish. In this case, Kish and Abner were brothers and Abner was Saul’s uncle. The simplest solution to the problem is to see two men named Kish in the genealogy: Abiel (Jeiel) was the father of Ner and Kish I. Ner was the father of Abner and Kish II. Kish II was the father of Saul. The Kish mentioned in 1 Sam 9:1 was the father of Saul (v.2) and must be identified as Kish II. In this case the genealogy is “gapped,” with Ner being omitted. Abiel was the grandfather of Kish II.
[15:1] 178 tn Heb “to the voice of the words of the
[15:2] 179 tn Heb “what Amalek did to Israel, how he placed against him.”
[15:2] 180 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:3] 181 tn Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. CEV).
[15:4] 182 tn Heb “caused the people to hear.”
[15:5] 184 tc The LXX has the plural here, “cities.”
[15:5] 185 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] 186 tn That is, “the dry stream bed.”
[15:6] 187 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] 188 tn Heb “[as] you enter.”
[15:8] 189 tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
[15:9] 190 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] 192 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] 193 tn Heb “and look.”
[15:12] 194 tn Heb “and he turned and crossed over.”
[15:12] 195 tc At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin
[15:14] 197 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:15] 198 tn Heb “they brought them.”
[15:16] 199 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
[15:16] 200 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.
[15:17] 201 tn Heb “anointed.”
[15:18] 203 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] 204 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
[15:19] 205 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the
[15:20] 206 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the
[15:22] 208 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the
[15:22] 210 tn Heb “listening.”
[15:22] 211 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
[15:23] 212 tn Or “from [being].”
[15:24] 213 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[15:24] 214 tn Heb “and your words.”
[15:24] 215 tn Heb “and I listened to their voice.”
[15:25] 216 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
[15:27] 217 tn Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran
[15:29] 218 tn Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the
[15:29] 219 tn Or perhaps “does not lie.”
[15:29] 220 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] 221 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:32] 222 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] 223 tn Heb “and Agag said.”
[15:32] 224 tc The text is difficult here. With the LXX, two Old Latin
