1:1 After the death of Saul, 1 when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, 2 he stayed at Ziklag 3 for two days. 1:2 On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 4 When he approached David, the man 5 threw himself to the ground. 6
1:3 David asked him, “Where are you coming from?” He replied, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 1:4 David inquired, “How were things going? 7 Tell me!” He replied, “The people fled from the battle and many of them 8 fell dead. 9 Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead!” 1:5 David said to the young man 10 who was telling him this, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 11 1:6 The young man who was telling him this 12 said, “I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him. 1:7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me. I answered, ‘Here I am!’ 1:8 He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ I told him, ‘I’m 13 an Amalekite.’ 1:9 He said to me, ‘Stand over me and finish me off! 14 I’m very dizzy, 15 even though I’m still alive.’ 16 1:10 So I stood over him and put him to death, since I knew that he couldn’t live in such a condition. 17 Then I took the crown which was on his head and the 18 bracelet which was on his arm. I have brought them here to my lord.” 19
1:11 David then grabbed his own clothes 20 and tore them, as did all the men who were with him. 1:12 They lamented and wept and fasted until evening because Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord’s people, and the house of Israel had fallen by the sword.
1:13 David said to the young man who told this to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am an Amalekite, the son of a resident foreigner.” 21 1:14 David replied to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to reach out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 1:15 Then David called one of the soldiers 22 and said, “Come here and strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. 1:16 David said to him, “Your blood be on your own head! Your own mouth has testified against you, saying ‘I have put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”
1:17 Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan. 1:18 (He gave instructions that the people of Judah should be taught “The Bow.” 23 Indeed, it is written down in the Book of Yashar.) 24
1:19 The beauty 25 of Israel lies slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
1:20 Don’t report it in Gath,
don’t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon, 26
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate!
1:21 O mountains of Gilboa,
may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! 27
For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; 28
the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil. 29
1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of warriors,
the bow of Jonathan was not turned away.
The sword of Saul never returned 30 empty.
1:23 Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved 31 during their lives,
and not even in their deaths were they separated.
They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.
1:24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet 32 as well as jewelry,
who put gold jewelry on your clothes.
1:25 How the warriors have fallen
in the midst of battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your high places!
1:26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan!
You were very dear to me.
Your love was more special to me than the love of women.
1:27 How the warriors have fallen!
The weapons of war 33 are destroyed!
7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men 34 got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. 35 The Midianites 36 were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. 37 Israel might brag, 38 ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 39 7:3 Now, announce to the men, 40 ‘Whoever is shaking with fear 41 may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” 42 Twenty-two thousand men 43 went home; 44 ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. 45 Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. 46 When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; 47 when I say, 48 ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 49 7:5 So he brought the men 50 down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 51 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; 52 the rest of the men 53 kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army 54 and I will hand Midian over to you. 55 The rest of the men should go home.” 56 7:8 The men 57 who were chosen 58 took supplies 59 and their trumpets. Gideon 60 sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; 61 he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites 62 were camped down below 63 in the valley.
7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, 64 “Get up! Attack 65 the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 66 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave 67 and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 68 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. 69 Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. 70 The man 71 said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw 72 a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 73 7:14 The other man said, 74 “Without a doubt this symbolizes 75 the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. 76 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. 77 He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 78 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! 79 I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp 80 at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 81 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. 82 Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order 83 all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 84 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords 85 throughout 86 the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went 87 to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 88
7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. 89 Take control of the fords of the streams 90 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” 91 When all the Ephraimites had assembled, 92 they took control of the fords 93 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. 94 They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb 95 in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites 96 and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. 97
17:1 When David had settled into his palace, 98 he 99 said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace 100 made from cedar, while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under a tent.” 101 17:2 Nathan said to David, “You should do whatever you have in mind, 102 for God is with you.”
17:3 That night God told Nathan the prophet, 103 17:4 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must not build me a house in which to live. 17:5 For I have not lived in a house from the time I brought Israel up from Egypt 104 to the present day. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places. 105 17:6 Wherever I moved throughout Israel, I did not say 106 to any of the leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, 107 ‘Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?’”’
17:7 “So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord who commands armies 108 says: “I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd 109 to make you a leader of my people Israel. 17:8 I was with you wherever you went and I defeated 110 all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. 111 17:9 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle 112 them there; they will live there and not be disturbed 113 anymore. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning 114 17:10 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies.
“‘“I declare to you that the Lord will build a dynastic house 115 for you! 17:11 When the time comes for you to die, 116 I will raise up your descendant, 117 one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. 17:12 He will build me a house, and I will make his dynasty permanent. 118 17:13 I will become his father and he will become my son. I will never withhold my loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you. 119 17:14 I will put him in permanent charge of my house and my kingdom; his dynasty will be permanent.”’” 120 17:15 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him. 121
17:16 David went in, sat before the Lord, and said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, 122 that you should have brought me to this point? 17:17 And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. 123 You have revealed to me what men long to know, 124 O Lord God. 17:18 What more can David say 125 to you? You have honored your servant; you have given your servant special recognition. 126 17:19 O Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to your will, 127 you have done this great thing in order to reveal your greatness. 128 17:20 O Lord, there is none like you; there is no God besides you! What we heard is true! 129 17:21 And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation 130 in the earth? Their God 131 went to claim 132 a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds 133 when you drove out 134 nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods. 135 17:22 You made Israel your very own nation for all time. 136 You, O Lord, became their God. 17:23 So now, O Lord, may the promise you made about your servant and his family become a permanent reality! 137 Do as you promised, 138 17:24 so 139 it may become a reality 140 and you may gain lasting fame, 141 as people say, 142 ‘The Lord who commands armies is the God of Israel.’ 143 David’s dynasty 144 will be established before you, 17:25 for you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a dynasty 145 for him. That is why your servant has had the courage to pray to you. 146 17:26 Now, O Lord, you are the true God; 147 you have made this good promise to your servant. 148 17:27 Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty 149 so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Lord, have blessed it and it will be blessed from now on into the future.” 150
1 sn This chapter is closely linked to 1 Sam 31. It should be kept in mind that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally a single book, not separate volumes. Whereas in English Bible tradition the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezra-Nehemiah are each regarded as two separate books, this was not the practice in ancient Hebrew tradition. Early canonical records, for example, counted them as single books respectively. The division into two books goes back to the Greek translation of the OT and was probably initiated because of the cumbersome length of copies due to the Greek practice (unlike that of Hebrew) of writing vowels. The present division into two books can be a little misleading in terms of perceiving the progression of the argument of the book; in some ways it is preferable to treat the books of 1-2 Samuel in a unified fashion.
2 sn The Amalekites were a nomadic people who inhabited Judah and the Transjordan. They are mentioned in Gen 36:15-16 as descendants of Amalek who in turn descended from Esau. In Exod 17:8-16 they are described as having acted in a hostile fashion toward Israel as the Israelites traveled to Canaan from Egypt. In David’s time the Amalekites were viewed as dangerous enemies who raided, looted, and burned Israelite cities (see 1 Sam 30).
3 sn Ziklag was a city in the Negev which had been given to David by Achish king of Gath. For more than a year David used it as a base from which he conducted military expeditions (see 1 Sam 27:5-12). According to 1 Sam 30:1-19, Ziklag was destroyed by the Amalekites while Saul fought the Philistines.
4 sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.
6 tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”
7 tn Heb “What was the word?”
8 tn Heb “from the people.”
9 tn Heb “fell and died.”
10 tn In v. 2 he is called simply a “man.” The word used here in v. 5 (so also in vv. 6, 13, 15), though usually referring to a young man or servant, may in this context designate a “fighting” man, i.e., a soldier.
11 tc Instead of the MT “who was recounting this to him, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’” the Syriac Peshitta reads “declare to me how Saul and his son Jonathan died.”
12 tc The Syriac Peshitta and one
13 tc The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
14 tn As P. K. McCarter (II Samuel [AB], 59) points out, the Polel of the verb מוּת (mut, “to die”) “refers to dispatching or ‘finishing off’ someone already wounded and near death.” Cf. NLT “put me out of my misery.”
15 tn Heb “the dizziness has seized me.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun translated “dizziness,” see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 59-60. The point seems to be that he is unable to kill himself because he is weak and disoriented.
16 tn The Hebrew text here is grammatically very awkward (Heb “because all still my life in me”). Whether the broken construct phrase is due to the fact that the alleged speaker is in a confused state of mind as he is on the verge of dying, or whether the MT has sustained corruption in the transmission process, is not entirely clear. The former seems likely, although P. K. McCarter understands the MT to be the result of conflation of two shorter forms of text (P. K. McCarter, II Samuel [AB], 57, n. 9). Early translators also struggled with the verse, apparently choosing to leave part of the Hebrew text untranslated. For example, the Lucianic recension of the LXX lacks “all,” while other witnesses (namely, one medieval Hebrew
17 tn Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”
18 tc The MT lacks the definite article, but this is likely due to textual corruption. It is preferable to read the alef (א) of אֶצְעָדָה (’ets’adah) as a ה (he) giving הַצְּעָדָה (hatsÿ’adah). There is no reason to think that the soldier confiscated from Saul’s dead body only one of two or more bracelets that he was wearing (cf. NLT “one of his bracelets”).
19 sn The claims that the soldier is making here seem to contradict the story of Saul’s death as presented in 1 Sam 31:3-5. In that passage it appears that Saul took his own life, not that he was slain by a passerby who happened on the scene. Some scholars account for the discrepancy by supposing that conflicting accounts have been brought together in the MT. However, it is likely that the young man is here fabricating the account in a self-serving way so as to gain favor with David, or so he supposes. He probably had come across Saul’s corpse, stolen the crown and bracelet from the body, and now hopes to curry favor with David by handing over to him these emblems of Saul’s royalty. But in so doing the Amalekite greatly miscalculated David’s response to this alleged participation in Saul’s death. The consequence of his lies will instead be his own death.
20 tc The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
21 tn The Hebrew word used here refers to a foreigner whose social standing was something less than that of native residents of the land, but something more than that of a nonresident alien who was merely passing through.
22 tn Heb “young men.”
23 tn Heb “be taught the bow.” The reference to “the bow” is very difficult here. Some interpreters (e.g., S. R. Driver, P. K. McCarter, Jr.) suggest deleting the word from the text (cf. NAB, TEV), but there does not seem to be sufficient evidence for doing so. Others (cf. KJV) understand the reference to be elliptical, meaning “the use of the bow.” The verse would then imply that with the deaths of Saul and Jonathan having occurred, a period of trying warfare is about to begin, requiring adequate preparation for war on the part of the younger generation. Various other views may also be found in the secondary literature. However, it seems best to understand the word here to be a reference to the name of a song (i.e., “The Bow”), most likely the poem that follows in vv. 19-27 (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV, CEV, NLT); NIV “this lament of the bow.” To make this clear the words “the song of” are supplied in the translation.
24 sn The Book of Yashar is a noncanonical writing no longer in existence. It is referred to here and in Josh 10:12-13 and 1 Kgs 8:12-13. It apparently was “a collection of ancient national poetry” (so BDB 449 s.v. יָשָׁר).
25 sn The word beauty is used figuratively here to refer to Saul and Jonathan.
26 sn The cities of Gath and Ashkelon are mentioned here by synecdoche of part for the whole. As major Philistine cities they in fact represent all of Philistia. The point is that when the sad news of fallen Israelite leadership reaches the Philistines, it will be for these enemies of Israel the occasion of great joy rather than grief.
27 tc Instead of the MT’s “fields of grain offerings” the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “your high places are mountains of death.” Cf. the Old Latin montes mortis (“mountains of death”).
28 tn This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb גָּעַל (ga’al). This verb usually has the sense of “to abhor” or “loathe.” But here it seems to refer to the now dirty and unprotected condition of a previously well-maintained instrument of battle.
29 tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew
30 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.
31 tn Heb “beloved and dear.”
32 sn Clothing of scarlet was expensive and beyond the financial reach of most people.
33 sn The expression weapons of war may here be a figurative way of referring to Saul and Jonathan.
34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
35 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
36 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
37 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
38 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
39 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
40 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
41 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
42 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
43 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
44 tn Or “turned around, back.”
45 tn Heb “too many people.”
46 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
47 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
48 tn Heb also has “to you.”
49 tn Heb “he should not go.”
50 tn Heb “the people.”
51 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
52 tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.
53 tn Heb “the people.”
54 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
55 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
56 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
57 tn Heb “The people.”
58 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
59 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Heb “tents.”
62 tn Heb “Midian.”
63 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
64 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
65 tn Heb “Go down against.”
66 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
67 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
68 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
69 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
70 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
71 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
72 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
73 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
74 tn Heb “answered and said.”
75 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
76 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
77 tn Heb “heads.”
78 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
79 tn Or “look.”
80 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
81 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
82 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
83 tn Heb “each in his place.”
84 tn Or “fled.”
85 tn Heb “the
86 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
87 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
88 tn Heb “Midian.”
89 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
90 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
91 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
92 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
93 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
94 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
95 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
96 tn Heb “Midian.”
97 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).
98 tn Heb “house.”
99 tn Heb “David.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation here to avoid redundancy in keeping with contemporary English style.
100 tn Heb “house.”
101 tn Heb “tent curtains.”
102 tn Heb “all which is in your heart.”
103 tn Heb “the word of God was [i.e., came] to Nathan the prophet.”
104 tn The words “from Egypt” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
105 tc Heb “and I was from tent to tent and from tabernacle.” The words אֶל־מִשְּׁכָּן (’el-mishÿkan, “to tabernacle”) should probably be added at the end of the sentence to complete this prepositional phrase and produce symmetry with the preceding prepositional phrase. The words probably fell from the text by homoioteleuton.
106 tn In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question (“Did I say?”) meaning “I did not say.”
107 tn Heb “to one of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people.”
108 tn Traditionally, “
109 tn Heb “and from after sheep.”
110 tn Heb “cut off.”
111 tn Heb “and I will make for you a name like the name of the great men who are in the earth.”
112 tn Heb “plant.”
113 tn Heb “shaken.”
114 tn Heb “and sons of violence will no longer consume them as in the beginning.”
115 tn Here the word “house” is used in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. The
116 tn Heb “and it will be when your days are full to go with your ancestors.”
117 tn Heb “your seed.”
118 tn Heb “and I will establish his throne permanently.”
119 sn The one who ruled before you is a reference to Saul, from whom the kingdom was taken and given to David.
120 tn Heb “and his throne will be established permanently.”
121 tn Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
122 tn Heb “house.”
123 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
124 tn The translation “You have revealed to me what men long to know” is very tentative; the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The text appears to read literally, “and you see me like the searching of man, that which is upward,” which is nonsensical. The translation above assumes the following: (1) The Qal verb translated “you see me” is repointed as a Hiphil, “you showed me,” (2) תּוֹר (tor) is understood in the sense of “searching, exploring,” and (3) הַמַּעֲלָה (hamma’alah) is taken in a temporal sense of “that which lies beyond.” Thus one could translate, “you have shown me what men search for, what lies beyond.”
125 tn The word “say” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
126 tn Heb “for honoring your servant, and you, your servant, know.”
127 tn Heb “heart.”
128 tn Heb “to make known all the great deeds.”
129 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “in all which we heard with our ears,” but בְּכֹל (bÿkhol, “in all”) should probably be emended to כְּכֹל (kÿkhol, “according to all”).
130 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
131 tn Heb “whose God,” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
132 tn Heb “redeem” or “deliver.”
133 tn Heb “to make for yourself a name [with] great and awesome [deeds].”
134 tn Heb “to drive out.”
135 tn Heb “from Egypt, nations.” The parallel text in 2 Sam 7:23 reads “from Egypt, nations and its gods.”
136 tn Heb “and you made your people Israel your own for a people permanently.”
137 tn Heb “and now, O
138 tn Heb “as you have spoken.”
139 tn Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result: “so it might become a reality.”
140 tn Heb “so it might be established.”
141 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result (parallel to the previous purpose/result clause): “[so]…you might gain lasting fame.”
142 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
143 tc Heb “the
144 tn Heb “the house of David.”
145 tn Heb “house.”
146 tn Heb “That is why your servant found to pray before you.” Perhaps the phrase אֶת לִבּוֹ (’et libbo, “his heart”) should be supplied as the object of the verb “found.”
147 tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
148 tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
149 tn Heb “house.”
150 tn Heb “for you, O