1 Samuel 26:8-11

26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear ¹  right through him into the ground with one swift jab! ²  A second jab won’t be necessary!”

26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one ³  and remain guiltless?” 26:10 David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. 26:11 But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord’s chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and let’s get out of here!”

1 Samuel 26:2

26:2 So Saul arose and

went down to the desert of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand select men of Israel, to look for David in the desert of Ziph.

1 Samuel 4:8

4:8 Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert!

Job 31:31

31:31 if ⁴  the members of my household ⁵  have never said, ⁶ 

‘If only there were ⁷  someone

who has not been satisfied from Job’s ⁸  meat!’ –

[26:8]  ¹ tn Here “the spear” almost certainly refers to Saul’s own spear, which according to the previous verse was stuck into the ground beside him as he slept. This is reflected in a number of English versions: TEV, CEV “his own spear”; NLT “that spear.” Cf. NIV, NCV “my spear,” in which case Abishai refers to his own spear rather than Saul’s, but this is unlikely since (1) Abishai would probably not have carried a spear along since such a weapon would be unwieldy when sneaking into the enemy camp; and (2) this would not explain the mention of Saul’s own spear stuck in the ground beside him in the previous verse.

[26:8]  ² tn Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”

[26:9]  ³ tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).

[31:31]  ⁴ tn Now Job picks up the series of clauses serving as the protasis.

[31:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “the men of my tent.” In context this refers to members of Job’s household.

[31:31]  ⁶ sn The line is difficult to sort out. Job is saying it is sinful “if his men have never said, ‘O that there was one who has not been satisfied from his food.’” If they never said that, it would mean there were people out there who needed to be satisfied with his food.

[31:31]  ⁷ tn The optative is again expressed with “who will give?”

[31:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation for clarity.