2 Samuel 1:1-27
Konteks1:1 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!
Hakim-hakim 11:1-40
Konteks11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a brave warrior. His mother was a prostitute, but Gilead was his father. 34 11:2 Gilead’s wife also gave 35 him sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they made Jephthah leave and said to him, “You are not going to inherit any of our father’s wealth, 36 because you are another woman’s son.” 11:3 So Jephthah left 37 his half-brothers 38 and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah’s gang and traveled with him. 39
11:4 It was some time after this when the Ammonites fought with Israel. 11:5 When the Ammonites attacked, 40 the leaders 41 of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back 42 from the land of Tob. 11:6 They said, 43 “Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites.” 11:7 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “But you hated me and made me leave 44 my father’s house. Why do you come to me now, when you are in trouble?” 11:8 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That may be true, 45 but now we pledge to you our loyalty. 46 Come with us and fight with the Ammonites. Then you will become the leader 47 of all who live in Gilead.” 48 11:9 Jephthah said to the leaders of Gilead, “All right! 49 If you take me back to fight with the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, 50 I will be your leader.” 51 11:10 The leaders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord will judge any grievance you have against us, 52 if we do not do as you say.” 53 11:11 So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement 54 before the Lord in Mizpah.
11:12 Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king, saying, “Why have 55 you come against me to attack my land?” 11:13 The Ammonite king said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel stole 56 my land when they 57 came up from Egypt – from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River in the north, and as far west as the Jordan. 58 Now return it 59 peaceably!”
11:14 Jephthah sent messengers back to the Ammonite king 11:15 and said to him, “This is what Jephthah says, ‘Israel did not steal 60 the land of Moab and the land of the Ammonites. 11:16 When they left 61 Egypt, Israel traveled 62 through the desert as far as the Red Sea and then came to Kadesh. 11:17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please allow us 63 to pass through your land.” But the king of Edom rejected the request. 64 Israel sent the same request to the king of Moab, but he was unwilling to cooperate. 65 So Israel stayed at Kadesh. 11:18 Then Israel 66 went through the desert and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab. They traveled east of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon River; 67 they did not go through Moabite territory (the Arnon was Moab’s border). 11:19 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Please allow us to pass through your land to our land.” 68 11:20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He 69 assembled his whole army, 70 camped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel. 11:21 The Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel and they defeated them. Israel took 71 all the land of the Amorites who lived in that land. 11:22 They took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River on the south to the Jabbok River on the north, from the desert in the east to the Jordan in the west. 72 11:23 Since 73 the Lord God of Israel has driven out 74 the Amorites before his people Israel, do you think you can just take it from them? 75 11:24 You have the right to take what Chemosh your god gives you, but we will take the land of all whom the Lord our God has driven out before us. 76 11:25 Are you really better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he dare to quarrel with Israel? Did he dare to fight with them? 77 11:26 Israel has been living in Heshbon and its nearby towns, in Aroer and its nearby towns, and in all the cities along the Arnon for three hundred years! Why did you not reclaim them during that time? 11:27 I have not done you wrong, 78 but you are doing wrong 79 by attacking me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!’” 11:28 But the Ammonite king disregarded 80 the message sent by Jephthah. 81
11:29 The Lord’s spirit empowered 82 Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh and went 83 to Mizpah in Gilead. From there he approached the Ammonites. 84 11:30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you really do hand the Ammonites over to me, 11:31 then whoever is the first to come through 85 the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from fighting the Ammonites – he 86 will belong to the Lord and 87 I will offer him up as a burnt sacrifice.” 11:32 Jephthah approached 88 the Ammonites to fight with them, and the Lord handed them over to him. 11:33 He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith – twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out! 89 The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites. 90
11:34 When Jephthah came home to Mizpah, there was his daughter hurrying out 91 to meet him, dancing to the rhythm of tambourines. 92 She was his only child; except for her he had no son or daughter. 11:35 When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, “Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me! 93 You have brought me disaster! 94 I made an oath to the Lord, and I cannot break it.” 95 11:36 She said to him, “My father, since 96 you made an oath to the Lord, do to me as you promised. 97 After all, the Lord vindicated you before 98 your enemies, the Ammonites.” 11:37 She then said to her father, “Please grant me this one wish. 99 For two months allow me to walk through the hills with my friends and mourn my virginity.” 100 11:38 He said, “You may go.” He permitted her to leave 101 for two months. She went with her friends and mourned her virginity as she walked through the hills. 102 11:39 After two months she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. She died a virgin. 103 Her tragic death gave rise to a custom in Israel. 104 11:40 Every year 105 Israelite women commemorate 106 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite for four days. 107
[1:1] 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.
[1:1] 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).
[1:1] 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.
[1:2] 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.
[1:2] 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.
[1:2] 6 tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”
[1:4] 7 tn Heb “What was the word?”
[1:4] 8 tn Heb “from the people.”
[1:4] 9 tn Heb “fell and died.”
[1:5] 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.
[1:5] 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.”
[1:6] 12 tc The Syriac Peshitta and one
[1:8] 13 tc The present translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[1:9] 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.”
[1:9] 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.
[1:9] 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
[1:10] 17 tn Heb “after his falling”; NAB “could not survive his wound”; CEV “was too badly wounded to live much longer.”
[1:10] 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”).
[1:10] 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.
[1:11] 20 tc The present translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[1:13] 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.
[1:18] 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.
[1:18] 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).
[1:19] 25 sn The word beauty is used figuratively here to refer to Saul and Jonathan.
[1:20] 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.
[1:21] 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”).
[1:21] 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.
[1:21] 29 tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew
[1:22] 30 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form is used here to indicate repeated past action.
[1:23] 31 tn Heb “beloved and dear.”
[1:24] 32 sn Clothing of scarlet was expensive and beyond the financial reach of most people.
[1:27] 33 sn The expression weapons of war may here be a figurative way of referring to Saul and Jonathan.
[11:1] 34 tn Heb “Now he was the son of a woman, a prostitute, and Gilead fathered Jephthah.”
[11:2] 36 tn Heb “in the house of our father.”
[11:3] 39 tn Heb “Empty men joined themselves to Jephthah and went out with him.”
[11:5] 40 tn Heb “When the Ammonites fought with Israel.”
[11:5] 42 tn Heb “went to take Jephthah.”
[11:6] 43 tn Heb “to Jephthah.”
[11:7] 44 tn Heb “Did you not hate me and make me leave?”
[11:8] 45 tn Heb “therefore”; “even so.” For MT לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) the LXX has an opposite reading, “not so,” which seems to be based on the Hebrew words לֹא כֵן (lo’ khen).
[11:8] 46 tn Heb “we have returned to you.” For another example of שׁוּב אֶל (shuv ’el) in the sense of “give allegiance to,” see 1 Kgs 12:27b.
[11:8] 47 sn Then you will become the leader. The leaders of Gilead now use the word רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head, leader”), the same term that appeared in their original, general offer (see 10:18). In their initial offer to Jephthah they had simply invited him to be their קָצִין (qatsin, “commander”; v. 6). When he resists they must offer him a more attractive reward – rulership over the region. See R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 198.
[11:8] 48 tn Heb “leader of us and all who live in Gilead.”
[11:9] 49 tn “All right” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:9] 50 tn Heb “places them before me.”
[11:9] 51 tn Some translate the final statement as a question, “will I really be your leader?” An affirmative sentence is preferable. Jephthah is repeating the terms of the agreement in an official manner. In v. 10 the leaders legally agree to these terms.
[11:10] 52 tn Heb “The
[11:10] 53 sn The
[11:11] 54 tn Heb “spoke all his words.” This probably refers to the “words” recorded in v. 9. Jephthah repeats the terms of the agreement at the
[11:12] 55 tn Heb “What to me and to you that…?”
[11:13] 56 tn Or “took”; or “seized.”
[11:13] 57 tn Heb “he” (a collective singular).
[11:13] 58 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:13] 59 tc The translation assumes a singular suffix (“[return] it”); the Hebrew text has a plural suffix (“[return] them”), which, if retained, might refer to the cities of the land.
[11:15] 60 tn Or “take”; or “seize.”
[11:16] 61 tn Heb “For when they went up from.”
[11:17] 63 tn Heb “me.” (Collective Israel is the speaker.)
[11:17] 64 tn Heb “did not listen.”
[11:17] 65 tn Heb “Also to the king of Moab he sent, but he was unwilling.”
[11:18] 66 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel; the pronoun in the Hebrew text represents a collective singular) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:18] 67 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[11:19] 68 tn Heb “to my place.”
[11:20] 69 tn Heb “Sihon.” The proper name (“Sihon”) has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) because of English style; a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant in English.
[11:20] 70 tn Heb “all his people” (also in the following verse).
[11:21] 71 tn That is, took as its own possession.
[11:22] 72 tn Heb “from the Arnon to the Jabbok, and from the desert to the Jordan.” The word “River” has been supplied in the translation with “Arnon” and “Jabbok,” because these are less familiar to modern readers than the Jordan.
[11:23] 74 tn Or “dispossessed.”
[11:23] 75 tn Heb “will you dispossess him [i.e., Israel; or possibly “it,” i.e., the territory]?” There is no interrogative marker in the Hebrew text.
[11:24] 76 tn Heb “Is it not so that what Chemosh your god causes you to possess, you possess, and all whom the
[11:25] 77 tn The Hebrew grammatical constructions of all three rhetorical questions indicate emphasis, which “really” and “dare to” are intended to express in the translation.
[11:25] sn Jephthah argues that the Ammonite king should follow the example of Balak, who, once thwarted in his attempt to bring a curse on Israel, refused to attack Israel and returned home (Num 22-24).
[11:27] 78 tn Or “sinned against you.”
[11:28] 80 tn Heb “did not listen to.”
[11:28] 81 tn Heb “Jephthah’s words which he sent to him.”
[11:29] 83 tn Heb “passed through.”
[11:29] 84 tn Heb “From Mizpah in Gilead he passed through [to] the Ammonites.”
[11:31] 85 tn Heb “the one coming out, who comes out from.” The text uses a masculine singular participle with prefixed article, followed by a relative pronoun and third masculine singular verb. The substantival masculine singular participle הַיּוֹצֵא (hayyotse’, “the one coming out”) is used elsewhere of inanimate objects (such as a desert [Num 21:13] or a word [Num 32:24]) or persons (Jer 5:6; 21:9; 38:2). In each case context must determine the referent. Jephthah may have envisioned an animal meeting him, since the construction of Iron Age houses would allow for an animal coming through the doors of a house (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 208). But the fact that he actually does offer up his daughter indicates the language of the vow is fluid enough to encompass human beings, including women. He probably intended such an offering from the very beginning, but he obviously did not expect his daughter to meet him first.
[11:31] 86 tn The language is fluid enough to include women and perhaps even animals, but the translation uses the masculine pronoun because the Hebrew form is grammatically masculine.
[11:31] 87 tn Some translate “or,” suggesting that Jephthah makes a distinction between humans and animals. According to this view, if a human comes through the door, then Jephthah will commit him/her to the
[11:32] 88 tn Heb “passed over to.”
[11:33] 89 tn Heb “with a very great slaughter.”
[11:33] 90 tn Heb “The Ammonites were humbled before the Israelites.”
[11:34] 91 tn Heb “Look! His daughter was coming out.”
[11:34] 92 tn Heb “with tambourines and dancing.”
[11:35] 93 tn Heb “you have brought me very low,” or “you have knocked me to my knees.” The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
[11:35] 94 tn Heb “You are among [or “like”] those who trouble me.”
[11:35] 95 tn Heb “I opened my mouth to the
[11:36] 96 tn The conjunction “since” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[11:36] 97 tn Heb “you opened your mouth to the
[11:36] 98 tn Or “has given you vengeance against.”
[11:37] 99 tn Heb “Let this thing be done for me.”
[11:37] 100 tn Heb “Leave me alone for two months so I can go and go down on the hills and weep over my virginity – I and my friends.”
[11:38] 101 tn Heb “he sent her.”
[11:38] 102 tn Heb “on the hills.” The words “as she walked” are supplied.
[11:39] 103 tn Heb “She had never known a man.” Some understand this to mean that her father committed her to a life of celibacy, but the disjunctive clause (note the vav + subject + verb pattern) more likely describes her condition at the time the vow was fulfilled. (See G. F. Moore, Judges [ICC], 302-3; C. F. Burney, Judges, 324.) She died a virgin and never experienced the joys of marriage and motherhood.
[11:39] 104 tn Heb “There was a custom in Israel.”
[11:40] 105 tn Heb “From days to days,” a Hebrew idiom for “annually.”
[11:40] 106 tn Heb “go to commemorate.” The rare Hebrew verb תָּנָה (tanah, “to tell; to repeat; to recount”) occurs only here and in 5:11.
[11:40] 107 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in the year.” This is redundant (note “every year” at the beginning of the verse) and has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
