31:1 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa.
31:7 When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.
11:1 5 Nahash 6 the Ammonite marched 7 against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”
23:3 But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid while we are still here in Judah! What will it be like if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
5:9 But after it had been moved the Lord attacked 10 that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city 11 with sores. 12
7:1 Then the people 13 of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord; they brought it to the house of Abinadab located on the hill. They consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
17:52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry. 19 They chased the Philistines to the valley 20 and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
18:5 On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also Saul’s servants. 21
1 tn The second masculine plural forms in this quotation indicate that Nahash and his army are addressed.
2 tn Heb “according to all that is good in your eyes.”
3 tn Heb “he” or “it”; the referent here (the ark) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. also NIV, CEV, NLT). Others, however, take the referent to be the
5 tn Heb “listen to their voice.”
7 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.
8 sn The name “Nahash” means “serpent” in Hebrew.
9 tn Heb “went up and camped”; NIV, NRSV “went up and besieged.”
9 tn Heb “men.”
10 tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”
11 tn Heb “the hand of the
12 tn Heb “and he struck the men of the city from small and to great.”
13 tn See the note on this term in v. 6. Cf. KJV “and they had emerods in their secret parts.”
13 tn Heb “men.”
15 tn Or perhaps, “his oxen.” On this use of the definite article see Joüon 2:506-7 §137.f.
16 tn Heb “the matters of.”
17 tn Heb “and there in Gilgal.”
19 tn Heb “a thing.”
20 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.
21 tn Heb “arose and cried out.”
22 tc Most of the LXX
23 tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”
25 tn Heb “is good in your eyes.”