1 Samuel 10:26

10:26 Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched.

1 Samuel 28:5

28:5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was absolutely terrified.¹

1 Samuel 1:13

1:13 Now Hannah was speaking from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice was inaudible. Eli therefore thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

2:1 Hannah prayed,²

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn³ is exalted high because of the Lord.

I loudly denounce⁴ my enemies,

for I am happy that you delivered me.⁵

1 Samuel 4:20

4:20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention.⁶

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?⁷ When God⁸ treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way?⁹

1 Samuel 10:9

Saul Becomes King

10:9 As Saul¹⁰ turned¹¹ to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person.¹² All these signs happened on that very day.

1 Samuel 17:32

17:32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged.¹³ Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”

1 Samuel 24:5

24:5 Afterward David’s conscience bothered him¹⁴ because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 25:3

25:3 The man’s name was Nabal,¹⁵ and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise¹⁶ and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.

1 Samuel 25:37

25:37 In the morning, when Nabal was sober,¹⁷ his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed.¹⁸

1 Samuel 4:13

4:13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of¹⁹ the road, for he was very worried²⁰ about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report,²¹ the whole city cried out.

1 Samuel 9:20

9:20 Don’t be concerned²² 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?”²³

1 Samuel 25:25

25:25 My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish!²⁴ But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.²⁵

1 Samuel 25:31

25:31 Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt²⁶ for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success,²⁷ please remember your servant.”

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 time²⁸ and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing²⁹ until morning’s light.

1 Samuel 27:1

David Aligns Himself with the Philistines

27:1 David thought to himself,³⁰ “One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”

¹tn Heb “he was afraid, and his heart was very terrified.”

¹tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

²sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.

³tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”

⁴tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”

¹tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”

¹tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

²tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

¹tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”

³tn 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.”

¹tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”

¹tn Heb “the heart of David struck him.”

¹sn The name נָבָל (Nabal) means “foolish” or “senseless” in Hebrew, and as an adjective the word is used especially of persons who have no perception of ethical or religious claims. It is an apt name for this character, who certainly typifies such behavior.

²tn Heb “good of insight”; KJV “of good understanding”; NAB, NIV, TEV “intelligent”; NRSV “clever.”

¹tn Heb “when the wine had gone out from Nabal.”

²tn Heb “and his heart died within him and he became a stone.” Cf. TEV, NLT “stroke”; CEV “heart attack.” For an alternative interpretation than that presented above, see Marjorie O’Rourke Boyle, “The Law of the Heart: The Death of a Fool (1 Samuel 25),” JBL 120 (2001): 401-27, who argues that a medical diagnosis is not necessary here. Instead, the passage makes a connection between the heart and the law; Nabal dies for his lawlessness.

¹tc Read with many medieval Hebrew mss, the Qere, and much versional evidence יַד (yad, “hand”) rather than MT יַךְ (yakh).

²tn Heb “his heart was trembling.”

³tn Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”

¹tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”

²tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”

¹tn Heb “and foolishness is with him.”

²tn Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”

¹tn Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”

²tn Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”

¹tn 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.”

²tn Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”

¹tn Heb “said to his heart.”