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 19:20

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.

1 Samuel 19:1

Saul Repeatedly Attempts to Take David’s Life

19:1 Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much. ¹ 

1 Samuel 17:1

David Kills Goliath

17:1 ² The Philistines gathered their troops ³  for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.

1 Samuel 18:4

18:4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.

1 Samuel 19:16

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.

1 Samuel 20:13

20:13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the Lord do all this and more to Jonathan, if I don’t let you know ⁴  and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. ⁵  May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.

1 Samuel 20:35

20:35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David.

1 Samuel 20:41

20:41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, ⁶  knelt ⁷  with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David.

1 Samuel 22:8

22:8 For all of you have conspired against me! No one informs me ⁸  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!”

1 Samuel 22:2

22:2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented ⁹  gathered around ¹⁰  him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.

1 Samuel 2:2-5

2:2 No one is holy ¹¹  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ¹²  like our God!

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ¹³ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ¹⁴  evaluates what people do.

2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,

but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

2:5 Those who are well-fed hire themselves out to earn food,

but the hungry no longer lack.

Even ¹⁵  the barren woman gives birth to seven, ¹⁶ 

but the one with many children withers away. ¹⁷ 

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ¹⁸  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ¹⁹  like our God!

1 Samuel 6:1

The Philistines Return the Ark

6:1 When the ark of the Lord had been in the land ²⁰  of the Philistines for seven months, ²¹ 

1 Samuel 17:13

17:13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the ²²  three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest, and Shammah, the third oldest.

1 Samuel 17:2

17:2 Saul and the Israelite army ²³  assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against ²⁴  the Philistines.

1 Samuel 1:15

1:15 But Hannah replied, “That’s not the way it is, ²⁵  my lord! I am under a great deal of stress. ²⁶  I have drunk neither wine nor beer. Rather, I have poured out my soul to ²⁷  the Lord.

1 Samuel 1:2

1:2 He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

1 Samuel 1:20-21

1:20 After some time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the Lord for him. ²⁸ 

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the Lord

1:21 This man Elkanah went up with all his family to make the yearly sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow,

[19:1]  ¹ tn Heb “delighted greatly in David.”

[17:1]  ² tc The content of 1 Sam 17–18, which includes the David and Goliath story, differs considerably in the LXX as compared to the MT, suggesting that this story circulated in ancient times in more than one form. The LXX for chs. 17–18 is much shorter than the MT, lacking almost half of the material (39 of a total of 88 verses). Many scholars (e.g., McCarter, Klein) think that the shorter text of the LXX is preferable to the MT, which in their view has been expanded by incorporation of later material. Other scholars (e.g., Wellhausen, Driver) conclude that the shorter Greek text (or the Hebrew text that underlies it) reflects an attempt to harmonize certain alleged inconsistencies that appear in the longer version of the story. Given the translation characteristics of the LXX elsewhere in this section, it does not seem likely that these differences are due to deliberate omission of these verses on the part of the translator. It seems more likely that the Greek translator has faithfully rendered here a Hebrew text that itself was much shorter than the MT in these chapters. Whether or not the shorter text represented by the LXX is to be preferred over the MT in 1 Sam 17–18 is a matter over which textual scholars are divided. For a helpful discussion of the major textual issues in this unit see D. Barthélemy, D. W. Gooding, J. Lust, and E. Tov, The Story of David and Goliath (OBO). Overall it seems preferable to stay with the MT, at least for the most part. However, the major textual differences between the LXX and the MT will be mentioned in the notes that accompany the translation so that the reader may be alert to the major problem passages.

[17:1]  ³ tn Heb “camps.”

[20:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “uncover your ear.”

[20:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “in peace.”

[20:41]  ⁶ tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.

[20:41]  ⁷ tn Heb “fell.”

[22:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “uncovers my ear.”

[22:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “bitter of soul.”

[22:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to.”

[2:2]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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.”

[2:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[2:5]  ¹⁵ tc Against BHS but with the MT, the preposition (עַד, ’ad) should be taken with what follows rather than with what precedes. For this sense of the preposition see Job 25:5.

[2:5]  ¹⁶ sn The number seven is used here in an ideal sense. Elsewhere in the OT having seven children is evidence of fertility as a result of God’s blessing on the family. See, for example, Jer 15:9, Ruth 4:15.

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn Or “languishes.”

[2:2]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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.”

[6:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “field.”

[6:1]  ²¹ tc The LXX adds “and their land swarmed with mice.”

[17:13]  ²² tn Heb “his.”

[17:2]  ²³ tn Heb “the men of Israel” (so KJV, NASB); NAB, NIV, NRSV “the Israelites.”

[17:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “to meet.”

[1:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “No.”

[1:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “I am a woman difficult of spirit.” The LXX has “for whom the day is difficult,” apparently mistaking the Hebrew word for “spirit” רוּחַ (ruakh) to be the word for “day” יוֹם (yom).

[1:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “before.”

[1:20]  ²⁸ tn Heb “because from the Lord I asked him.” The name “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “asked.” The explanation of the meaning of the name “Samuel” that is provided in v. 20 is not a strict etymology. It seems to suggest that the first part of the name is derived from the Hebrew root שׁאל (sh’l, “to ask”), but the consonants do not support this. Nor is it likely that the name comes from the root שׁמא (shm’, “to hear”), for the same reason. It more probably derives from שֶׁם (shem, “name”), so that “Samuel” means “name of God.” Verse 20 therefore does not set forth a linguistic explanation of the meaning of the name, but rather draws a parallel between similar sounds. This figure of speech is known as paronomasia.