Discovery Box1 Samuel 1:1
Context1:1 There was a man from Ramathaim Zophim, 1 from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
1 Samuel 19:1-24
Context19:1 Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much. 2 19:2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying 3 to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find 4 a hiding place and stay in seclusion. 5 19:3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, 6 I will let you know.”
19:4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf 7 to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial 8 for you. 19:5 He risked his life 9 when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”
19:6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice 10 and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.” 19:7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. 11
19:8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly 12 and they ran away from him. 19:9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon 13 Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. 14 19:10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. 15 David escaped quickly 16 that night.
19:11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save yourself 17 tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 19:12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped.
19:13 Then Michal took a household idol 18 and put it on the bed. She put a quilt 19 made of goat’s hair over its head 20 and then covered the idol with a garment. 19:14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He’s sick.”
19:15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.” 19:16 When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat’s hair at its head.
19:17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away or else I will kill you!’” 21
19:18 Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19:19 It was reported to Saul saying, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 19:20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 19:21 When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. 19:22 Finally Saul 22 himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that is in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” They said, “At Naioth in Ramah.”
19:23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 19:24 He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there 23 naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”)
1 Samuel 21:1--22:23
Context21:1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met 24 David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?” 21:2 David replied to Ahimelech the priest, “The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know the reason I am sending you or the instructions I have given you.’ 25 I have told my soldiers 26 to wait at a certain place. 27 21:3 Now what do you have at your disposal? 28 Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
21:4 The priest replied to David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers 29 have abstained from sexual relations with women.” 30 21:5 David said to the priest, “Certainly women have been kept away from us, just as on previous occasions when I have set out. The soldiers’ 31 equipment is holy, even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along with their equipment!”
21:6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the Lord in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away. 21:7 (One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.) 21:8 David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I don’t have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the king’s instructions.”
21:9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that, there’s nothing here.” David said, “There’s nothing like it! Give it to me!” 21:10 So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath. 21:11 The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one that they sing about when they dance, saying,
‘Saul struck down his thousands,
But David his tens of thousands’?”
21:12 David thought about what they said 32 and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath. 21:13 He altered his behavior in their presence. 33 Since he was in their power, 34 he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard.
21:14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to me? 21:15 Do I have a shortage of fools, that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?”
22:1 So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family 35 learned about it, they went down there to him. 22:2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented 36 gathered around 37 him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.
22:3 Then David went from there to Mizpah in Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay 38 with you until I know what God is going to do for me.” 22:4 So he had them stay with the king of Moab; they stayed with him the whole time 39 that David was in the stronghold. 22:5 Then Gad the prophet said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
22:6 But Saul found out the whereabouts of David and the men who were with him. 40 Now Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at an elevated location with his spear in hand and all his servants stationed around him. 22:7 Saul said to his servants who were stationed around him, “Listen up, you Benjaminites! Is Jesse’s son giving fields and vineyards to all of you? Or is he making all of you 41 commanders and officers? 42 22:8 For all of you have conspired against me! No one informs me 43 when my own son makes an agreement with this son of Jesse! Not one of you feels sorry for me or informs me that my own son has commissioned my own servant to hide in ambush against me, as is the case today!”
22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with the servants of Saul, replied, “I saw this son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. 22:10 He inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
22:11 Then the king arranged for a meeting with the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and all the priests of his father’s house who were at Nob. They all came to the king. 22:12 Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub.” He replied, “Here I am, my lord.” 22:13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and this son of Jesse? You gave 44 him bread and a sword and inquired of God on his behalf, so that he opposes 45 me and waits in ambush, as is the case today!”
22:14 Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is faithful like David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the leader of your bodyguard, and honored in your house! 22:15 Was it just today that I began to inquire of God on his behalf? Far be it from me! The king should not accuse 46 his servant or any of my father’s house. For your servant is not aware of all this – not in whole or in part!” 47
22:16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house! 22:17 Then the king said to the messengers 48 who were stationed beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided 49 with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to harm 50 the priests of the Lord.
22:18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. He killed on that day eighty-five 51 men who wore the linen ephod. 22:19 As for Nob, the city of the priests, he struck down with the sword men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep – all with the sword.
22:20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped and fled to David. His name was Abiathar. 22:21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22:22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would certainly tell Saul! I am guilty 52 of all the deaths in your father’s house! 22:23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid! Whoever 53 seeks my life is seeking your life as well. You are secure with me.”
[1:1] 1 tc The translation follows the MT. The LXX reads “a man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite”; this is followed by a number of recent English translations. It is possible the MT reading צוֹפִים (tsofim) arose from dittography of the mem (מ) at the beginning of the following word.
[19:1] 2 tn Heb “delighted greatly in David.”
[19:2] 5 tn Heb “and hide yourself.”
[19:4] 5 tn Heb “spoke good with respect to David.”
[19:5] 6 tn Heb “and he put his life into his hand.”
[19:6] 7 tn Heb “and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan.”
[19:7] 8 tn Heb “and he was before him as before.”
[19:8] 9 tn Heb “and he struck them down with a great blow.”
[19:9] 11 tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.”
[19:10] 11 tn Heb “and he drove the spear into the wall.”
[19:10] 12 tn Heb “fled and escaped.”
[19:11] 12 tn Heb “your life.”
[19:13] 13 tn Heb “teraphim” (also a second time in this verse and once in v. 16). These were statues that represented various deities. According to 2 Kgs 23:24 they were prohibited during the time of Josiah’s reform movement in the seventh century. The idol Michal placed under the covers was of sufficient size to give the mistaken impression that David lay in the bed, thus facilitating his escape.
[19:13] 14 tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew word כָּבִיר (kavir) is uncertain; it is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in v. 16. It probably refers to a quilt made of goat’s hair, perhaps used as a fly net while one slept. See HALOT 458 s.v. *כָּבִיר. Cf. KJV, TEV “pillow”; NLT “cushion”; NAB, NRSV “net.”
[19:13] 15 tn Heb “at the place of its head.”
[19:17] 14 tn Heb “Send me away! Why should I kill you?” The question has the force of a threat in this context. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 325, 26.
[19:22] 15 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 23). the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:24] 16 tn Heb “and he fell down.”
[21:1] 17 tn Heb “trembled to meet.”
[21:2] 18 tn Heb “let not a man know anything about the matter [for] which I am sending you and [about] which I commanded you.”
[21:2] 20 tn The Hebrew expression here refers to a particular, but unnamed, place. It occurs in the OT only here, in 2 Kgs 6:8, and in Ruth 4:1, where Boaz uses it to refer to Naomi’s unnamed kinsman-redeemer. A contracted form of the expression appears in Dan 8:13.
[21:3] 19 tn Heb “under your hand.”
[21:4] 21 tn Heb “have kept themselves from women” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “haven’t had sexual relations recently”; NLT “have not slept with any women recently.”
[21:12] 22 tn Heb “placed these matters in his heart.”
[21:13] 23 tn Heb “in their eyes.”
[21:13] 24 tn Heb “in their hand.”
[22:2] 25 tn Heb “bitter of soul.”
[22:4] 27 tn Heb “all the days.”
[22:6] 28 tn Heb “and Saul heard that David and the men who were with him were known.”
[22:7] 29 tc The MT has “to all of you.” If this reading is correct, we have here an example of a prepositional phrase functioning as the equivalent of a dative of advantage, which is not impossible from a grammatical point of view. However, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have “and.” A conjunction rather than a preposition should probably be read on the front of this phrase.
[22:7] 30 tn Heb “officers of a thousand and officers of a hundred.”
[22:8] 30 tn Heb “uncovers my ear.”
[22:13] 31 tn Heb “by giving.”
[22:13] 32 tn Heb “rises up against.”
[22:15] 32 tn Heb “set a matter against.”
[22:15] 33 tn Heb “small or great.”
[22:17] 34 tn Heb “their hand is.”
[22:17] 35 tn Heb “to extend their hand to harm.”
[22:18] 34 tc The number is confused in the Greek
[22:22] 35 tc The translation follows the LXX, which reads “I am guilty,” rather than the MT, which has “I have turned.”
[22:23] 36 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.
