1 Samuel 4:3

4:3 When the army ¹  came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by ²  the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us ³  from the hand of our enemies.

1 Samuel 12:10

12:10 Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, ⁴  ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. ⁵  Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’ ⁶ 

[4:3]  ¹ tn Or “people.”

[4:3]  ² tn Heb “before.”

[4:3]  ³ tn Heb “and it will come in our midst and it will save.” After the cohortative (see “let’s take”), the prefixed verbal forms with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose or result. The translation understands the ark to be the subject of the third masculine singular verbs, although it is possible to understand the Lord as the subject. In the latter case, one should translate, “when he is with us, he will save us.”

[12:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “and said.”

[12:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Ashtarot” (plural). The words “images of” are supplied in both vv. 3 and 4 for clarity.

[12:10]  ⁶ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.