1 Samuel 16:11

16:11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse ¹  replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ²  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ³  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ⁴ 

1 Tawarikh 21:17

21:17 David said to God, “Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed! ⁵  As for these sheep – what have they done? O Lord my God, attack me and my family, ⁶  but remove the plague from your people!” ⁷ 

Mazmur 74:1

Psalm 74 ⁸ 

A well-written song ⁹  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ¹⁰ 

Why does your anger burn ¹¹  against the sheep of your pasture?

Amos 7:15

7:15 Then the Lord took me from tending ¹²  flocks and gave me this commission, ¹³  ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel!’

[16:11]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.

[16:1]  ² tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[21:17]  ⁵ tn “and doing evil I did evil.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite form of the verb for emphasis.

[21:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “let your hand be on me and on the house of my father.”

[21:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “but on your people not for a plague.”

[74:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

[74:1]  ⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[74:1]  ¹⁰ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

[74:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

[7:15]  ¹² tn Heb “from [following] after.”

[7:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “and the Lord said to me.”