1 Samuel 16:4

16:4 Samuel did what the Lord told him. ¹  When he arrived in Bethlehem, ²  the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They ³  said, “Do you come in peace?”

1 Samuel 16:2

16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you ⁴  and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

1 Samuel 3:20

3:20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:1

The Call of Samuel

3:1 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision. ⁵  Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.

1 Samuel 2:13

2:13 Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way: ⁶  Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork ⁷  in his hand.

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ⁸  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ⁹  like our God!

1 Samuel 9:22

9:22 Then Samuel brought ¹⁰  Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people present.

Psalms 12:1-2

Psalm 12 ¹¹ 

For the music director; according to the sheminith style; ¹²  a psalm of David.

12:1 Deliver, Lord!

For the godly ¹³  have disappeared; ¹⁴ 

people of integrity ¹⁵  have vanished. ¹⁶ 

12:2 People lie to one another; ¹⁷ 

they flatter and deceive. ¹⁸ 

[16:4]  ¹ tn Heb “said.”

[16:4]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:4]  ³ tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).

[16:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “before Eli.”

[2:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “the habit of the priests with the people [was this].”

[2:13]  ⁷ sn The Hebrew word occurs only twice in the OT, here and again in v. 14. Its exact meaning is not entirely clear, although from the context it appears to be a sacrificial tool used for retrieving things from boiling water.

[2:2]  ⁸ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ⁹ tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[9:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “took and brought.”

[12:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.

[12:1]  ¹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[12:1]  ¹³ tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[12:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “have come to an end.”

[12:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”

[12:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”

[12:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[12:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”