22:1 So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family 3 learned about it, they went down there to him.
1:19 They got up early the next morning and after worshiping the Lord, they returned to their home at Ramah. Elkanah had marital relations with 7 his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered 8 her.
2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.
2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not plainly 9 reveal myself to your ancestor’s 10 house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?
2:16 When Herod 11 saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men 12 to kill all the children in Bethlehem 13 and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 2:17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
2:18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud wailing, 14
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she did not want to be comforted, because they were 15 gone.” 16
1 tc The translation follows the LXX, which reads “I am guilty,” rather than the MT, which has “I have turned.”
2 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.
3 tn Heb “house.”
4 tn The MT has a masculine form of the verb here יַעֲשֶׂה (ya’aseh, “he used to do”); the subject in that case would presumably be Elkanah. But this leads to an abrupt change of subject in the following part of the verse, where the subject is the rival wife who caused Hannah anxiety. In light of v. 6 one expects the statement of v. 7 to refer to the ongoing actions of the rival wife: “she used to behave in this way year after year.” Some scholars have proposed retaining the masculine form but changing the vocalization of the verb so as to read a Niphal rather than a Qal (i.e., יֵעֲשֶׂה, ye’aseh, “so it used to be done”). But the problem here is lack of precedent for such a use of the Niphal of this verb. It seems best in light of the context to understand the reference to be to Hannah’s rival Peninnah and to read here, with the Syriac Peshitta, a feminine form of the verb (“she used to do”). In the translation the referent (Peninnah) has been specified for clarity.
5 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Hannah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Peninnah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “Elkanah knew his wife.” The Hebrew expression is a euphemism for sexual relations.
8 sn The Lord “remembered” her in the sense of granting her earlier request for a child. The Hebrew verb is often used in the OT for considering the needs or desires of people with favor and kindness.
9 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
10 tn Heb “to your father’s” (also in vv. 28, 30).
11 sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.
12 tn Or “soldiers.”
13 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
14 tc The LXX of Jer 38:15 (31:15 ET) has “lamentation, weeping, and loud wailing”; most later
15 tn Grk “are”; the Greek text uses a present tense verb.
16 sn A quotation from Jer 31:15.