1 Samuel 3:17
Konteks3:17 Eli 1 said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely 2 if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”
1 Samuel 14:44
Konteks14:44 Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!” 3
1 Samuel 20:13
Konteks20:13 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 20:16
Konteks20:16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant 6 with the house of David. 7
Rut 1:17
Konteks1:17 Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried.
May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! 8
Only death will be able to separate me from you!” 9
[3:17] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:17] 2 tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”
[14:44] 3 tn Heb “So God will do and so he will add, surely you will certainly die, Jonathan.”
[20:13] 4 tn Heb “uncover your ear.”
[20:16] 6 tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied.
[20:16] 7 tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the
[1:17] 8 tn Heb “Thus may the
[1:17] 9 tn Heb “certainly death will separate me and you.” Ruth’s vow has been interpreted two ways: (1) Not even death will separate her from Naomi – because they will be buried next to one another (e.g., NRSV, NCV; see E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 74-75). However, for the statement to mean, “Not even death will separate me and you,” it would probably need to be introduced by אִם (’im, “if”) or negated by לֹא (lo’, “not”; see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 83). (2) Nothing except death will separate her from Naomi (e.g., KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV, TEV, NJPS, REB, NLT, GW; see Bush, 83). The particle כִּי introduces the content of the vow, which – if violated – would bring about the curse uttered in the preceding oath (BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.c; e.g., Gen 42:16; Num 14:22; 1 Sam 20:3; 26:16; 29:6; 2 Sam 3:35; 1 Kgs 2:23; Isa 49:18). Some suggest that כּי is functioning as an asseverative (“indeed, certainly”) to express what the speaker is determined will happen (Bush, 83; see 1 Sam 14:44; 2 Sam 3:9; 1 Kgs 2:23; 19:2). Here כִּי probably functions in a conditional sense: “if” or “if…except, unless” (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי2.b). So her vow may essentially mean “if anything except death should separate me from you!” The most likely view is (2): Ruth is swearing that death alone will separate her from Naomi.
[1:17] sn Ruth’s devotion to Naomi is especially apparent here. Instead of receiving a sure blessing and going home (see v. 8), Ruth instead takes on a serious responsibility and subjects herself to potential divine punishment. Death, a power beyond Ruth’s control, will separate the two women, but until that time Ruth will stay by Naomi’s side and she will even be buried in the same place as Naomi.