1 Samuel 15:8

15:8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people ¹  with the sword.

1 Samuel 19:6

19:6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice ²  and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.”

1 Samuel 20:14

20:14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the Lord, or else I will die!

1 Samuel 25:6

25:6 Then you will say to my brother, ³  “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!

1 Samuel 28:10

28:10 But Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not incur guilt in this matter!”

[15:8]  ¹ tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.

[19:6]  ² tn Heb “and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan.”

[25:6]  ³ tc The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, le’ekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).