1 Samuel 16:1--20:42
Konteks16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. 1 Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, 2 for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” 3
16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you 4 and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 16:3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out 5 to you.”
16:4 Samuel did what the Lord told him. 6 When he arrived in Bethlehem, 7 the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They 8 said, “Do you come in peace?” 16:5 He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
16:6 When they arrived, Samuel 9 noticed 10 Eliab and said to himself, 11 “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king!” 12 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by 13 his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. 14 People look on the outward appearance, 15 but the Lord looks at the heart.”
16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. 16 But Samuel 17 said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 16:9 Then Jesse presented 18 Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 16:10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. 19 But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 16:11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse 20 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.”
16:12 So Jesse had him brought in. 21 Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” 16:13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.
16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit 22 from the Lord tormented him. 16:15 Then Saul’s servants said to him, “Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you!” 16:16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre 23 and you will feel better.” 24 16:17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find 25 me a man who plays well and bring him to me.” 16:18 One of his attendants replied, 26 “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem 27 who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior 28 and is articulate 29 and handsome, 30 for the Lord is with him.”
16:19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is out with the sheep. 16:20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat 31 and sent them to Saul with 32 his son David. 16:21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal, 33 and he became his armor bearer. 16:22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.” 34
16:23 So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone. 35
17:1 36 The Philistines gathered their troops 37 for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 17:2 Saul and the Israelite army 38 assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against 39 the Philistines. 17:3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites 40 on another hill, with the valley between them.
17:4 Then a champion 41 came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall. 42 17:5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was five thousand shekels. 43 17:6 He had bronze shin guards 44 on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his shoulders. 17:7 The shaft 45 of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels. 46 His shield bearer was walking before him.
17:8 Goliath 47 stood and called to Israel’s troops, 48 “Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose 49 for yourselves a man so he may come down 50 to me! 17:9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.” 17:10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight 51 each other!” 17:11 When Saul and all the Israelites 52 heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.
17:12 53 Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem 54 in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years. 55 17:13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the 56 three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest, and Shammah, the third oldest. 17:14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul, 17:15 David was going back and forth 57 from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
17:16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position. 17:17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly 58 to the camp to your brothers. 17:18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. 59 Find out how your brothers are doing 60 and bring back their pledge that they received the goods. 61 17:19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army 62 in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
17:20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it. 63 After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp 64 as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry. 17:21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another. 17:22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer, 65 he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. 17:23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did, 66 and David heard it. 17:24 When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated 67 from his presence and were very afraid.
17:25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? He does so 68 to defy Israel. But the king will make the man who can strike him down very wealthy! He will give him his daughter in marriage, and he will make his father’s house exempt from tax obligations in Israel.”
17:26 David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation? 69 For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?” 17:27 The soldiers 70 told him what had been promised, saying, 71 “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”
17:28 When David’s 72 oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry 73 with David and said, “Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the desert? I am familiar with your pride and deceit! 74 You have come down here to watch the battle!”
17:29 David replied, “What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?” 75 17:30 Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question, 76 but they 77 gave him the same answer as before. 17:31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him. 78
17:32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. 79 Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 17:33 But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!”
17:34 David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock, 17:35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it. 17:36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them. 80 For he has defied the armies of the living God!” 17:37 David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.” 81
17:38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet on his head. He also put body armor on him. 17:39 David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk around, but he was not used to them. 82 David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them.” So David removed them. 17:40 He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch 83 of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine.
17:41 84 The Philistine kept coming closer to David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him. 17:42 When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy. 17:43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?” 85 Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 17:44 The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!” 86
17:45 But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! 17:46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God 17:47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”
17:48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine. 87 17:49 David reached his hand into the bag and took out a stone. He slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and he fell down with his face to the ground.
17:50 88 David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand. 89 17:51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s 90 sword, drew it from its sheath, 91 killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.
17:52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry. 92 They chased the Philistines to the valley 93 and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 17:53 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they looted their camp. 17:54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, 94 and he put Goliath’s 95 weapons in his tent.
17:55 96 Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.” 17:56 The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is!”
17:57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand. 17:58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.” 97
18:1 When David 98 had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. 99 Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. 100 18:2 Saul retained David 101 on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. 18:3 Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life. 102 18:4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.
18:5 On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also Saul’s servants. 103
18:6 When the men 104 arrived after David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women from all the cities of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet King Saul. They were happy as they played their tambourines and three-stringed instruments. 105 18:7 The women who were playing the music sang,
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands!”
18:8 This made Saul very angry. The statement displeased him and he thought, 106 “They have attributed to David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed only thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?” 18:9 So Saul was keeping an eye on David from that day onward.
18:10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied within his house. Now David was playing the lyre 107 that day. There was a spear in Saul’s hand, 18:11 and Saul threw the spear, thinking, “I’ll nail David to the wall!” But David escaped from him on two different occasions.
18:12 So Saul feared David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 18:13 Saul removed David 108 from his presence and made him a commanding officer. 109 David led the army out to battle and back. 110 18:14 Now David achieved success in all he did, 111 for the Lord was with him. 18:15 When Saul saw how very successful he was, he was afraid of him. 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he was the one leading them out to battle and back.
18:17 112 Then Saul said to David, “Here’s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior 113 for me and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul thought, “There’s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!”
18:18 David said to Saul, “Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father 114 in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 18:19 When the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she instead was given in marriage to Adriel, who was from Meholah.
18:20 Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they told Saul about this, it 115 pleased him. 18:21 Saul said, “I will give her to him so that she may become a snare to him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Today is the second time for you to become my son-in-law.” 116
18:22 Then Saul instructed his servants, “Tell David secretly, ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants like you. So now become the king’s son-in-law.” 18:23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately 117 to David. David replied, “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law something insignificant to you? I’m just a poor and lightly-esteemed man!”
18:24 When Saul’s servants reported what David had said, 18:25 Saul replied, “Here is what you should say to David: ‘There is nothing that the king wants as a price for the bride except a hundred Philistine foreskins, so that he can be avenged of his 118 enemies.’” (Now Saul was thinking that he could kill David by the hand of the Philistines.)
18:26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed 119 to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired 120 18:27 when David, along with his men, went out 121 and struck down two hundred Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and presented all of them to the king so he could become the king’s son-in-law. Saul then gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
18:28 When Saul realized 122 that the Lord was with David and that his 123 daughter Michal loved David, 124 18:29 Saul became even more afraid of him. 125 Saul continued to be at odds with David from then on. 126 18:30 127 Then the leaders of the Philistines would march out, and as often as they did so, David achieved more success than all of Saul’s servants. His name was held in high esteem.
19:1 Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much. 128 19:2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying 129 to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find 130 a hiding place and stay in seclusion. 131 19:3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, 132 I will let you know.”
19:4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf 133 to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial 134 for you. 19:5 He risked his life 135 when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”
19:6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice 136 and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.” 19:7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. 137
19:8 Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly 138 and they ran away from him. 19:9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon 139 Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. 140 19:10 Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. 141 David escaped quickly 142 that night.
19:11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it and to kill him in the morning. Then David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save yourself 143 tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” 19:12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he ran away and escaped.
19:13 Then Michal took a household idol 144 and put it on the bed. She put a quilt 145 made of goat’s hair over its head 146 and then covered the idol with a garment. 19:14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He’s sick.”
19:15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.” 19:16 When the messengers came, they found only the idol on the bed and the quilt made of goat’s hair at its head.
19:17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away or else I will kill you!’” 147
19:18 Now David had run away and escaped. He went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. 19:19 It was reported to Saul saying, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 19:20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw a company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 19:21 When it was reported to Saul, he sent more messengers, but they prophesied too. So Saul sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. 19:22 Finally Saul 148 himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the large cistern that is in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” They said, “At Naioth in Ramah.”
19:23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him as well, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 19:24 He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there 149 naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”)
20:1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, 150 “What have I done? What is my offense? 151 How have I sinned before your father? For he is seeking my life!”
20:2 Jonathan 152 said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing 153 large or small without making me aware of it. 154 Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”
20:3 Taking an oath, David again 155 said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact 156 that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, 157 ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!” 20:4 Jonathan replied to David, “Tell me what I can do for you.” 158
20:5 David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal. 159 You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now. 20:6 If your father happens to miss me, you should say, ‘David urgently requested me to let him go 160 to his city Bethlehem, 161 for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.’ 20:7 If he should then say, ‘That’s fine,’ 162 then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me. 163 20:8 You must be loyal 164 to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord’s name. 165 If I am guilty, 166 you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”
20:9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?” 20:10 David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” 20:11 Jonathan said to David, “Come on. Let’s go out to the field.”
When the two of them had gone out into the field, 20:12 Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness. 167 I will feel out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know? 168 20:13 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 169 and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. 170 May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father. 20:14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the Lord, or else I will die! 20:15 Don’t ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth 20:16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant 171 with the house of David. 172 20:17 Jonathan once again took an oath with David, because he loved him. In fact Jonathan loved him as much as he did his own life. 173 20:18 Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. 20:19 On the third day 174 you should go down quickly 175 and come to the place where you hid yourself the day this all started. 176 Stay near the stone Ezel. 20:20 I will shoot three arrows near it, as though I were shooting at a target. 20:21 When I send a boy after them, I will say, “Go and find the arrows.” If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; 177 get them,’ then come back. For as surely as the Lord lives, you will be safe and there will no problem. 20:22 But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,’ 178 get away. For in that case the Lord has sent you away. 20:23 With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the Lord is the witness between us forever!” 179
20:24 So David hid in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. 20:25 The king sat down in his usual place by the wall, with Jonathan opposite him 180 and Abner at his side. 181 But David’s place was vacant. 20:26 However, Saul said nothing about it 182 that day, for he thought, 183 “Something has happened to make him ceremonially unclean. Yes, he must be unclean.” 20:27 But the next morning, the second day of the new moon, David’s place was still vacant. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has Jesse’s son not come to the meal yesterday or today?”
20:28 Jonathan replied to Saul, “David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem. 20:29 He said, ‘Permit me to go, 184 for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged 185 me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go 186 to see my brothers.’ For that reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
20:30 Saul became angry with Jonathan 187 and said to him, “You stupid traitor! 188 Don’t I realize that to your own disgrace and to the disgrace of your mother’s nakedness you have chosen this son of Jesse? 20:31 For as long as 189 this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men 190 and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!” 191
20:32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 20:33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan 192 in order to strike him down. So Jonathan was convinced 193 that his father had decided to kill David. 20:34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David. 194
20:35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David. 20:36 He said to his servant, “Run, find the arrows that I am about to shoot.” As the servant ran, Jonathan 195 shot the arrow beyond him. 20:37 When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called out to 196 the servant, “Isn’t the arrow further beyond you?” 20:38 Jonathan called out to the servant, “Hurry! Go faster! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master. 20:39 (Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.) 197 20:40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him. He said to him, “Go, take these things back to the city.”
20:41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, 198 knelt 199 with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David. 20:42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together in the name of the Lord saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”
200 Then David 201 got up and left, while Jonathan went back to the city.
[16:1] 1 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”
[16:1] 2 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[16:1] 3 tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”
[16:2] 4 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:3] 5 tn Heb “say”; KJV, NRSV “name”; NIV “indicate.”
[16:4] 7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[16:4] 8 tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[16:6] 9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 11 tn Heb “said”; the words “to himself” are implied, given the secrecy surrounding Samuel’s mission to Bethlehem (v. 2).
[16:6] 12 tn Heb “his anointed one.”
[16:7] 13 tn Heb “don’t look toward.”
[16:7] 14 tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.
[16:7] 15 tn Heb “to the eyes.”
[16:8] 16 tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”
[16:8] 17 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:9] 18 tn Heb “caused to pass by.”
[16:10] 19 tn Heb “caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.” This could be taken as referring to seven sons in addition to the three mentioned before this, but 1 Sam 17:12 says Jesse had eight sons, not eleven. 1 Chr 2:13-15 lists only seven sons, including David. However, 1 Chr 27:18 mentions an additional son, named Elihu.
[16:11] 20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.
[16:12] 21 tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”
[16:14] 22 tn Or “an injurious spirit”; cf. NLT “a tormenting spirit.” The phrase need not refer to an evil, demonic spirit. The Hebrew word translated “evil” may refer to the character of the spirit or to its effect upon Saul. If the latter, another translation option might be “a mischief-making spirit.”
[16:16] 23 tn Heb “and he will play with his hand.”
[16:16] 24 tn Heb “and it will be better for you.”
[16:18] 26 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[16:18] 27 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[16:18] 28 tn Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”
[16:18] 29 tn Heb “discerning of word.”
[16:18] 30 tn Heb “a man of form.”
[16:20] 31 tn Heb “a kid of the goats.”
[16:20] 32 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
[16:21] 33 tn Heb “he loved him.”
[16:22] 34 tn Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”
[16:23] 35 tn Heb “would turn aside from upon him.”
[17:1] 36 tc The content of 1 Sam 17–18, which includes the David and Goliath story, differs considerably in the LXX as compared to the MT, suggesting that this story circulated in ancient times in more than one form. The LXX for chs. 17–18 is much shorter than the MT, lacking almost half of the material (39 of a total of 88 verses). Many scholars (e.g., McCarter, Klein) think that the shorter text of the LXX is preferable to the MT, which in their view has been expanded by incorporation of later material. Other scholars (e.g., Wellhausen, Driver) conclude that the shorter Greek text (or the Hebrew text that underlies it) reflects an attempt to harmonize certain alleged inconsistencies that appear in the longer version of the story. Given the translation characteristics of the LXX elsewhere in this section, it does not seem likely that these differences are due to deliberate omission of these verses on the part of the translator. It seems more likely that the Greek translator has faithfully rendered here a Hebrew text that itself was much shorter than the MT in these chapters. Whether or not the shorter text represented by the LXX is to be preferred over the MT in 1 Sam 17–18 is a matter over which textual scholars are divided. For a helpful discussion of the major textual issues in this unit see D. Barthélemy, D. W. Gooding, J. Lust, and E. Tov, The Story of David and Goliath (OBO). Overall it seems preferable to stay with the MT, at least for the most part. However, the major textual differences between the LXX and the MT will be mentioned in the notes that accompany the translation so that the reader may be alert to the major problem passages.
[17:2] 38 tn Heb “the men of Israel” (so KJV, NASB); NAB, NIV, NRSV “the Israelites.”
[17:4] 41 tn Heb “the man of the space between the two [armies].” See v. 23.
[17:4] 42 tc Heb “his height was six cubits and a span” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV). A cubit was approximately eighteen inches, a span nine inches. So, according to the Hebrew tradition, Goliath was about nine feet, nine inches tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres”). However, some Greek witnesses, Josephus, and a manuscript of 1 Samuel from Qumran read “four cubits and a span” here, that is, about six feet, nine inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). This seems more reasonable; it is likely that Goliath’s height was exaggerated as the story was retold. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 286, 291.
[17:5] 43 sn Although the exact weight of Goliath’s defensive body armor is difficult to estimate in terms of modern equivalency, it was obviously quite heavy. Driver, following Kennedy, suggests a modern equivalent of about 220 pounds (100 kg); see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 139. Klein, taking the shekel to be equal to .403 ounces, arrives at a somewhat smaller weight of about 126 pounds (57 kg); see R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 175. But by any estimate it is clear that Goliath presented himself as a formidable foe indeed.
[17:6] 44 sn Or “greaves.” These were coverings (probably lined for comfort) that extended from about the knee to the ankle, affording protection for the shins of a warrior.
[17:7] 45 tn The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[17:7] 46 sn That is, about fifteen or sixteen pounds.
[17:8] 47 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:8] 48 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to them.”
[17:8] 49 tc The translation follows the ancient versions in reading “choose,” (from the root בחר, bkhr), rather than the MT. The verb in MT (ברה, brh) elsewhere means “to eat food”; the sense of “to choose,” required here by the context, is not attested for this root. The MT apparently reflects an early scribal error.
[17:8] 50 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (either an imperfect or jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result here.
[17:10] 51 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative verbal form indicates purpose/result here.
[17:11] 52 tn Heb “all Israel.”
[17:12] 53 tc Some
[17:12] 54 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[17:12] 55 tc The translation follows the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “in years,” rather than MT “among men.”
[17:15] 57 tn Heb “was going and returning.”
[17:18] 59 tn Heb “officer of the thousand.”
[17:18] 60 tn Heb “and your brothers, observe with respect to welfare.”
[17:18] 61 tn Heb “and their pledge take.” This probably refers to some type of confirmation that the goods arrived safely. See R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 177. Cf. NIV “bring back some assurance”; NCV “some proof to show me they are all right”; NLT “bring me back a letter from them.”
[17:19] 62 tn Heb “all the men of Israel.”
[17:20] 63 tn Heb “to a guard”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “with a keeper”; NIV “with a shepherd.” Since in contemporary English “guard” sounds like someone at a military installation or a prison, the present translation uses “to someone else who would watch over it.”
[17:20] 64 tn Or “entrenchment.”
[17:22] 65 tn Heb “the guard of the equipment.”
[17:23] 66 tn Heb “according to these words.”
[17:25] 68 tn Heb “he is coming up.”
[17:26] 69 tn Heb “and turns aside humiliation from upon Israel.”
[17:27] 71 tn Heb “according to this word, saying.”
[17:28] 72 tn Heb “his”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:28] 73 tn Heb “the anger of Eliab became hot.”
[17:28] 74 tn Heb “the wickedness of your heart.”
[17:29] 75 tn Heb “Is it not [just] a word?”
[17:30] 76 tn Heb “and spoke according to this word.”
[17:30] 77 tn Heb “the people.”
[17:31] 78 tn Heb “he took him.”
[17:32] 79 tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”
[17:36] 80 tc The LXX includes here the following words not found in the MT: “Should I not go and smite him, and remove today reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one?”
[17:37] 81 tn Or “Go, and may the
[17:39] 82 tn Heb “he had not tested.”
[17:40] 83 tn This Hebrew word occurs only here and its exact meaning is not entirely clear. It refers to a receptacle of some sort and apparently was a common part of a shepherd’s equipment. Here it serves as a depository for the stones that David will use in his sling.
[17:41] 84 tc Most LXX
[17:43] 85 sn Sticks is a pejorative reference to David’s staff (v. 40); the same Hebrew word (מַקֵּל, maqqel) is used for both.
[17:44] 86 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[17:48] 87 tc Most LXX
[17:50] 88 tc Most LXX
[17:50] 89 tn Verse 50 is a summary statement; v. 51 gives a more detailed account of how David killed the Philistine.
[17:51] 90 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:51] 91 tc Most LXX
[17:52] 92 tn Heb “arose and cried out.”
[17:52] 93 tc Most of the LXX
[17:54] 94 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[17:54] 95 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:55] 96 tc Most LXX
[17:58] 97 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[18:1] 98 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 99 tn Heb “the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David.”
[18:1] 100 tn Heb “like his [own] soul.”
[18:1] sn On the nature of Jonathan’s love for David, see J. A. Thompson, “The Significance of the Verb Love in the David-Jonathan Narratives in 1 Samuel,” VT 24 (1974): 334-38.
[18:2] 101 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:3] 102 tn Heb “like his [own] soul.”
[18:5] 103 tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”
[18:6] 104 tn Heb “them.” The masculine plural pronoun apparently refers to the returning soldiers.
[18:6] 105 tn Heb “with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments.”
[18:8] 106 tn Heb “said.” So also in vv. 11, 17.
[18:10] 107 tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.”
[18:13] 108 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:13] 109 tn Heb “an officer of a thousand.”
[18:13] 110 tn Heb “and he went out and came in before the people.” See v. 16.
[18:14] 111 tn Heb “in all his ways.”
[18:17] 112 tc Much of the
[18:17] 113 tn Heb “son of valor.”
[18:18] 114 tn Heb “Who are my relatives, the clan of my father?” The term חַי (khay), traditionally understood as “my life,” is here a rare word meaning “family, kinfolk” (see HALOT 309 s.v. III חַי). The phrase “clan of my father” may be a scribal gloss explaining the referent of this rare word.
[18:20] 115 tn Heb “the matter.”
[18:21] 116 tc The final sentence of v. 21 is absent in most LXX
[18:23] 117 tn Heb “in the ears of.”
[18:25] 118 tn Heb “the king’s.”
[18:26] 119 tn Heb “and it was acceptable in the eyes of David.”
[18:26] 120 tn Heb “the days were not fulfilled.”
[18:27] 121 tn Heb “arose and went.”
[18:28] 122 tn Heb “saw and knew.”
[18:28] 123 tn Heb “Saul’s.” In the translation the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[18:28] 124 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 125 tn Heb “of David.” In the translation the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun for stylistic reasons.
[18:29] 126 tc The final sentence of v. 29 is absent in most LXX
[18:29] tn Heb “all the days.”
[18:30] 127 tc Verse 30 is absent in most LXX
[19:1] 128 tn Heb “delighted greatly in David.”
[19:2] 131 tn Heb “and hide yourself.”
[19:3] 132 tn Heb “when I see.”
[19:4] 133 tn Heb “spoke good with respect to David.”
[19:5] 135 tn Heb “and he put his life into his hand.”
[19:6] 136 tn Heb “and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan.”
[19:7] 137 tn Heb “and he was before him as before.”
[19:8] 138 tn Heb “and he struck them down with a great blow.”
[19:9] 140 tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.”
[19:10] 141 tn Heb “and he drove the spear into the wall.”
[19:10] 142 tn Heb “fled and escaped.”
[19:11] 143 tn Heb “your life.”
[19:13] 144 tn Heb “teraphim” (also a second time in this verse and once in v. 16). These were statues that represented various deities. According to 2 Kgs 23:24 they were prohibited during the time of Josiah’s reform movement in the seventh century. The idol Michal placed under the covers was of sufficient size to give the mistaken impression that David lay in the bed, thus facilitating his escape.
[19:13] 145 tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew word כָּבִיר (kavir) is uncertain; it is found in the Hebrew Bible only here and in v. 16. It probably refers to a quilt made of goat’s hair, perhaps used as a fly net while one slept. See HALOT 458 s.v. *כָּבִיר. Cf. KJV, TEV “pillow”; NLT “cushion”; NAB, NRSV “net.”
[19:13] 146 tn Heb “at the place of its head.”
[19:17] 147 tn Heb “Send me away! Why should I kill you?” The question has the force of a threat in this context. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 325, 26.
[19:22] 148 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 23). the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:24] 149 tn Heb “and he fell down.”
[20:1] 150 tn Heb “and he came and said before Jonathan.”
[20:1] 151 tn Heb “What is my guilt?”
[20:2] 152 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:2] 153 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew
[20:2] 154 tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.”
[20:3] 155 tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”
[20:3] 156 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:3] 157 tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.
[20:4] 158 tn Heb “whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”
[20:5] 159 tn Heb “and I must surely sit with the king to eat.” The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:6] 161 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[20:7] 163 tn Heb “know that the evil is completed from with him.”
[20:8] 164 tn Heb “and you must do loyalty.”
[20:8] 165 tn Heb “for into a covenant of the
[20:8] 166 tn Heb “and if there is in me guilt.”
[20:12] 167 tc The Hebrew text has simply “the
[20:12] 168 tn Heb “and uncover your ear.”
[20:13] 169 tn Heb “uncover your ear.”
[20:13] 170 tn Heb “in peace.”
[20:16] 171 tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied.
[20:16] 172 tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the
[20:17] 173 tn Heb “for [with] the love of his [own] life he loved him.”
[20:19] 174 tc Heb “you will do [something] a third time.” The translation assumes an emendation of the verb from שִׁלַּשְׁתָּ (shillashta, “to do a third time”) to שִׁלִּישִׁית (shillishit, “[on the] third [day]”).
[20:19] 175 tn Heb “you must go down greatly.” See Judg 19:11 for the same idiom.
[20:19] 176 tn Heb “on the day of the deed.” This probably refers to the incident recorded in 19:2.
[20:21] 177 tn Heb “from you and here.”
[20:22] 178 tn Heb “from you and onward.”
[20:23] 179 tc Heb “the
[20:25] 180 tc Heb “and Jonathan arose.” Instead of MT’s וַיָּקָם (vayyaqam, “and he arose”; from the hollow verbal root קוּם, qum), the translation assumes a reading וַיִּקַדֵּם (vayyiqaddem, “and he was in front of”; from the verbal root קדם, qdm). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 338.
[20:25] 181 tn Heb “and Abner sat at the side of Saul.”
[20:26] 182 tn The words “about it” are not present in the Hebrew text, although they are implied.
[20:26] 183 tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself.
[20:29] 185 tn Heb “commanded.”
[20:29] 186 tn Heb “be released [from duty].”
[20:30] 187 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[20:30] 188 tn Heb “son of a perverse woman of rebelliousness.” But such an overly literal and domesticated translation of the Hebrew expression fails to capture the force of Saul’s unrestrained reaction. Saul, now incensed and enraged over Jonathan’s liaison with David, is actually hurling very coarse and emotionally charged words at his son. The translation of this phrase suggested by Koehler and Baumgartner is “bastard of a wayward woman” (HALOT 796 s.v. עוה), but this is not an expression commonly used in English. A better English approximation of the sentiments expressed here by the Hebrew phrase would be “You stupid son of a bitch!” However, sensitivity to the various public formats in which the Bible is read aloud has led to a less startling English rendering which focuses on the semantic value of Saul’s utterance (i.e., the behavior of his own son Jonathan, which he viewed as both a personal and a political betrayal [= “traitor”]). But this concession should not obscure the fact that Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David.
[20:31] 189 tn Heb “all the days that.”
[20:31] 190 tn The words “some men” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:31] 191 tn Heb “a son of death.”
[20:33] 192 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:34] 194 tn Heb “for he was upset concerning David for his father had humiliated him.” The referent of the pronoun “him” is not entirely clear, but the phrase “concerning David” suggests that it refers to David, rather than Jonathan.
[20:36] 195 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:37] 196 tn Heb “called after” (also in v. 38).
[20:39] 197 tn Heb “knew the matter.”
[20:41] 198 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.
[20:42] 200 sn Beginning with 20:42b, the verse numbers through 21:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:42b ET = 21:1 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:2 ET = 21:3 HT, etc., through 21:15 ET = 21:16 HT. With 22:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[20:42] 201 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
