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, ¹ 

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn ²  is exalted high because of the Lord.

I loudly denounce ³  my enemies,

for I am happy that you delivered me. ⁴ 

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. ⁵ 

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? ⁶  When God ⁷  treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? ⁸ 

1 Samuel 10:9

Saul Becomes King

10:9 As Saul ⁹  turned ¹⁰  to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person. ¹¹  All these signs happened on that very day.

1 Samuel 17:32

17:32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. ¹²  Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”

1 Samuel 24:5

24:5 Afterward David’s conscience bothered him ¹³  because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 25:3

25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, ¹⁴  and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise ¹⁵  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, ¹⁶  his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. ¹⁷ 

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[2:1]  ² sn 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.

[2:1]  ³ tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”

[4:20]  ¹ tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”

[6:6]  ¹ tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

[6:6]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ³ tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

[10:9]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ² tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”

[10:9]  ³ 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.”

[17:32]  ¹ tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”

[24:5]  ¹ tn Heb “the heart of David struck him.”

[25:3]  ¹ sn 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.

[25:3]  ² tn Heb “good of insight”; KJV “of good understanding”; NAB, NIV, TEV “intelligent”; NRSV “clever.”

[25:37]  ¹ tn Heb “when the wine had gone out from Nabal.”

[25:37]  ² tn 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.