1 Samuel 1:20

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. ¹ 

1 Samuel 2:7

2:7 The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;

he humbles and he exalts.

1 Samuel 3:19

3:19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled. ² 

1 Samuel 5:6

5:6 The Lord attacked ³  the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of ⁴  both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores. ⁵ 

1 Samuel 15:16

15:16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute! ⁶  Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul ⁷  said to him, “Tell me.”

1 Samuel 23:12

23:12 David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand?” The Lord said, “They will deliver you over.”

[1:20]  ¹ 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.

[3:19]  ² tn Heb “and he did not cause to fall from all his words to the ground.”

[5:6]  ³ tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was heavy upon.”

[5:6]  ⁴ tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:6]  ⁵ tc The LXX and Vulgate add the following: “And mice multiplied in their land, and the terror of death was throughout the entire city.”

[5:6]  tn Or “tumors” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “growths on their skin”; KJV “emerods”; NAB “hemorrhoids.”

[15:16]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”

[15:16]  ⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular (“he said”) rather than the plural (“they said”) of the Kethib.

[15:16]  tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.