1 Samuel 1:21

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the Lord

1:21 This man Elkanah went up with all his family to make the yearly sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow,

1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

2:1 Hannah prayed, ¹ 

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn ²  is exalted high because of the Lord.

I loudly denounce ³  my enemies,

for I am happy that you delivered me. ⁴ 

1 Samuel 2:20

2:20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord raise up for you descendants ⁵  from this woman to replace the one that she ⁶  dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would go to their ⁷  home.

1 Samuel 3:20

3:20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

1 Samuel 4:9

4:9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”

1 Samuel 9:3

9:3 The donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, ⁸  so Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go ⁹  look for the donkeys.” ¹⁰ 

1 Samuel 9:14

9:14 So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town, Samuel was coming in their direction ¹¹  to go up to the high place.

1 Samuel 9:17

9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, ¹²  “Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people.”

1 Samuel 9:22

9:22 Then Samuel brought ¹³  Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people present.

1 Samuel 10:14

10:14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Saul ¹⁴  replied, “To look for the donkeys. But when we realized they were lost, ¹⁵  we went to Samuel.”

1 Samuel 12:15

12:15 But if you don’t obey ¹⁶  the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king. ¹⁷ 

1 Samuel 12:22

12:22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. ¹⁸  The Lord was pleased to make you his own people.

1 Samuel 13:7

13:7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River ¹⁹  to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified.

1 Samuel 13:13

13:13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed ²⁰  the commandment that the Lord your God gave ²¹  you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever!

1 Samuel 13:15

13:15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal ²²  to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ²³  Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men.

1 Samuel 14:2

14:2 Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron, on the outskirts of Gibeah. The army that was with him numbered about six hundred men.

1 Samuel 14:11

14:11 When they ²⁴  made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.”

1 Samuel 14:15

14:15 Then fear overwhelmed ²⁵  those who were in the camp, those who were in the field, all the army in the garrison, and the raiding bands. They trembled and the ground shook. This fear was caused by God. ²⁶ 

1 Samuel 14:20-22

14:20 Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found ²⁷  the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords. ²⁸  14:21 The Hebrews who had earlier gone over to the Philistine side ²⁹  joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 14:22 When all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too pursued them in battle.

1 Samuel 14:33

14:33 Now it was reported to Saul, “Look, the army is sinning against the Lord by eating even the blood.” He said, “All of you have broken the covenant! ³⁰  Roll a large stone over here to me.”

1 Samuel 14:40

14:40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” The army replied to Saul, “Do whatever you think is best.”

1 Samuel 15:21

15:21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

1 Samuel 15:26

15:26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

1 Samuel 15:32

Samuel Puts Agag to Death

15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling, ³¹  thinking to himself, ³²  “Surely death is bitter!” ³³ 

1 Samuel 16:10

16:10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. ³⁴  But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

1 Samuel 16:20

16:20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat ³⁵  and sent them to Saul with ³⁶  his son David.

1 Samuel 17:43

17:43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?” ³⁷  Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

1 Samuel 17:48

17:48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine. ³⁸ 

1 Samuel 17:57

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.

1 Samuel 18:23

18:23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately ³⁹  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!”

1 Samuel 18:26

18:26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed ⁴⁰  to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired ⁴¹ 

1 Samuel 19:2

19:2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying ⁴²  to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find ⁴³  a hiding place and stay in seclusion. ⁴⁴ 

1 Samuel 20:6

20:6 If your father happens to miss me, you should say, ‘David urgently requested me to let him go ⁴⁵  to his city Bethlehem, ⁴⁶  for there is an annual sacrifice there for his entire family.’

1 Samuel 22:5

22:5 Then Gad the prophet said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

1 Samuel 23:2

23:2 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go and strike down these Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Go, strike down the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”

1 Samuel 23:19

23:19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon?

1 Samuel 23:24

23:24 So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.

1 Samuel 25:40

25:40 So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, “David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.”

1 Samuel 26:20

26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge ⁴⁷  in the hill country.”

1 Samuel 27:8

27:8 Then David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They had been living in that land for a long time, from the approach ⁴⁸  to Shur as far as the land of Egypt.)

1 Samuel 27:10

27:10 When Achish would ask, “Where ⁴⁹  did you raid today?” David would say, “The Negev of Judah” or “The Negev of Jeharmeel” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”

1 Samuel 30:26-27

30:26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, “Here’s a gift ⁵⁰  for you from the looting of the Lord’s enemies!” 30:27 The gift was for those in the following locations: ⁵¹  for those in Bethel, ⁵²  Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;

[2:1]  ¹ tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[2:1]  ² sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.

[2:1]  ³ tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”

[2:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “seed.”

[2:20]  ⁶ tn The MT has a masculine verb here, but in light of the context the reference must be to Hannah. It is possible that the text of the MT is incorrect here (cf. the ancient versions), in which case the text should be changed to read either a passive participle or better, the third feminine singular of the verb. If the MT is correct here, perhaps the masculine is to be understood in a nonspecific and impersonal way, allowing for a feminine antecedent. In any case, the syntax of the MT is unusual here.

[2:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “his.”

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “became lost.”

[9:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and arise, go.”

[9:3]  ¹⁰ tc The Syriac Peshitta includes the following words: “So Saul arose and went out. He took with him one of the boys and went out to look for his father’s donkeys.”

[9:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to meet them.” This may indicate purpose on Samuel’s part. The next sentence indicates that the meeting was by design, not just an accident.

[9:17]  ¹² tn Heb “responded.”

[9:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “took and brought.”

[10:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “And we saw that they were not.”

[12:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”

[12:15]  ¹⁷ tc The LXX reads “your king” rather than the MT’s “your fathers.” The latter makes little sense here. Some follow MT, but translate “as it was against your fathers.” See P. K. McCarter, 1 Samuel (AB), 212.

[12:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “on account of his great name.”

[13:7]  ¹⁹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:13]  ²⁰ tn Or “kept.”

[13:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “commanded.”

[13:15]  ²² tc The LXX and two Old Latin mss include the following words here: “on his way. And the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the warring army. When they arrived from Gilgal….”

[13:15]  ²³ tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

[14:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the two of them.”

[14:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “fell upon.”

[14:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and it was by the fear of God.” The translation understands this to mean that God was the source or cause of the fear experienced by the Philistines. This seems to be the most straightforward reading of the sentence. It is possible, however, that the word “God” functions here simply to intensify the accompanying word “fear,” in which one might translate “a very great fear” (cf. NAB, NRSV). It is clear that on some occasions that the divine name carries such a superlative nuance. For examples see Joüon 2:525 §141.n.

[14:20]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and look, there was”

[14:20]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the sword of a man against his companion, a very great panic.”

[14:21]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the Hebrews were to the Philistines formerly, who went up with them in the camp all around.”

[14:33]  ³⁰ tn Heb “You have acted deceptively.” In this context the verb refers to violating an agreement, in this case the dietary and sacrificial regulations of the Mosaic law. The verb form is second masculine plural; apparently Saul here addresses those who are eating the animals.

[15:32]  ³¹ tn The MT reading מַעֲדַנֹּת (ma’adannot, literally, “bonds,” used here adverbially, “in bonds”) is difficult. The word is found only here and in Job 38:31. Part of the problem lies in determining the root of the word. Some scholars have taken it to be from the root ענד (’nd, “to bind around”), but this assumes a metathesis of two of the letters of the root. Others take it from the root עדן (’dn) with the meaning “voluptuously,” but this does not seem to fit the context. It seems better to understand the word to be from the root מעד (m’d, “to totter” or “shake”). In that case it describes the fear that Agag experienced in realizing the mortal danger that he faced as he approached Samuel. This is the way that the LXX translators understood the word, rendering it by the Greek participle τρέμον (tremon, “trembling”).

[15:32]  ³² tn Heb “and Agag said.”

[15:32]  ³³ tc The text is difficult here. With the LXX, two Old Latin mss, and the Syriac Peshitta it is probably preferable to delete סָר (sar, “is past”) of the MT; it looks suspiciously like a dittograph of the following word מַר (mar, “bitter”). This further affects the interpretation of Agag’s comment. In the MT he comes to Samuel confidently assured that the danger is over (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV “Surely the bitterness of death is past,” along with NLT, CEV). However, it seems more likely that Agag realized that his fortunes had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and that the clemency he had enjoyed from Saul would not be his lot from Samuel. The present translation thus understands Agag to approach not confidently but in the stark realization that his death is imminent (“Surely death is bitter!”). Cf. NAB “So it is bitter death!”; NRSV “Surely this is the bitterness of death”; TEV “What a bitter thing it is to die!”

[16:10]  ³⁴ 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.

[16:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “a kid of the goats.”

[16:20]  ³⁶ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[17:43]  ³⁷ sn Sticks is a pejorative reference to David’s staff (v. 40); the same Hebrew word (מַקֵּל, maqqel) is used for both.

[17:48]  ³⁸ tc Most LXX mss lack the second half of v. 48.

[18:23]  ³⁹ tn Heb “in the ears of.”

[18:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and it was acceptable in the eyes of David.”

[18:26]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the days were not fulfilled.”

[19:2]  ⁴² tn Heb “seeking.”

[19:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “stay in.”

[19:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and hide yourself.”

[20:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to run.”

[20:6]  ⁴⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[26:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.

[27:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “from where you come.”

[27:10]  ⁴⁹ tc The translation follows the LXX (ἐπι τίνα, epi tina) and Vulgate (in quem) which assume אֶל מִי (’el mi, “to whom”) rather than the MT אַל (’al, “not”). The MT makes no sense here. Another possibility is that the text originally had אַן (’an, “where”), which has been distorted in the MT to אַל. Cf. the Syriac Peshitta and the Targum, which have “where.”

[30:26]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “blessing.”

[30:27]  ⁵¹ tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[30:27]  ⁵² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.