1 Samuel 17:28

17:28 When David’s ¹  oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry ²  with David and said, “Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the desert? I am familiar with your pride and deceit! ³  You have come down here to watch the battle!”

1 Samuel 25:39

25:39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! ⁴  The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” ⁵  Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.

1 Samuel 26:19

26:19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in ⁶  an offering. But if men have instigated this, ⁷  may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’

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

² tn Heb “the anger of Eliab became hot.”

³ tn Heb “the wickedness of your heart.”

⁴ tn Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”

⁵ tn Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the Lord has turned back on his head.”

⁷ tn Heb “may he smell.” The implication is that Saul should seek to appease God, for such divine instigation to evil would a sign of God’s disfavor. For a fuller discussion of this passage see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 19-21.

⁸ tn Heb “but if the sons of men.”