1 Samuel 20:3

20:3 Taking an oath, David again ¹  said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact ²  that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ³  ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”

1 Samuel 25:26

25:26 “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:2

David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal

25:2 There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; ⁴  he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ⁵  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ⁶  like our God!

1 Samuel 2:4

2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,

but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

1 Samuel 2:6

2:6 The Lord both kills and gives life;

he brings down to the grave ⁷  and raises up.

1 Samuel 4:1

4:1 Samuel revealed the word of the Lord ⁸  to all Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant is Lost to the Philistines

Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. ⁹  They camped at Ebenezer, ¹⁰  and the Philistines camped at Aphek.

[20:3]  ¹ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”

[20:3]  ² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:3]  ³ tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.

[25:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “great.”

[2:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.”

[2:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “Sheol”; NAB “the nether world”; CEV “the world of the dead.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the word of Samuel was.” The present translation understands Samuel to be the speaker of the divine word (“Samuel” is a subjective genitive in this case), although the statement could mean that he was the recipient of the divine word (“Samuel” is an objective genitive in this case) who in turn reported it to Israel.

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “and Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the stone, the help.” The second noun is in apposition to the first one and apparently is the name by which the stone was known. Contrast the expression used in 5:1 and 7:12, where the first word lacks the definite article, unlike 4:1.