1 Samuel 1:7

1:7 Peninnah ¹  would behave this way year after year. Whenever Hannah ²  went up to the Lord’s house, Peninnah ³  would upset her so that she would weep and refuse to eat.

1 Samuel 1:13

1:13 Now Hannah was speaking from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice was inaudible. Eli therefore thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 1:18

1:18 She said, “May I, your servant, find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and got something to eat. ⁴  Her face no longer looked sad.

1 Samuel 1:22

1:22 but Hannah did not go up with them. ⁵  Instead she told her husband, “Once the boy is weaned, I will bring him and appear before the Lord, and he will remain there from then on.”

1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ⁶ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ⁷  evaluates what people do.

1 Samuel 2:32-33

2:32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place! ⁸  Israel will experience blessings, ⁹  but there will not be an old man in your ¹⁰  house for all time. ¹¹  2:33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your ¹²  eyes to fail ¹³  and will cause you grief. ¹⁴  All of those born to your family ¹⁵  will die in the prime of life. ¹⁶ 

1 Samuel 3:5

3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli ¹⁷  said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down.

1 Samuel 3:18

3:18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli ¹⁸  said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.” ¹⁹ 

1 Samuel 4:7

4:7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp. ²⁰  They said, “Too bad for ²¹  us! We’ve never seen anything like this!

1 Samuel 5:5

5:5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon’s temple step on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? ²²  When God ²³  treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? ²⁴ 

1 Samuel 7:13

7:13 So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

1 Samuel 8:5

8:5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead ²⁵  us, just like all the other nations have.”

1 Samuel 8:18

8:18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.” ²⁶ 

1 Samuel 10:1

Samuel Anoints Saul

10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s ²⁷  head. Samuel ²⁸  kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you ²⁹  to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen ³⁰  you as leader over his inheritance. ³¹ 

1 Samuel 10:21

10:21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.

1 Samuel 10:27

10:27 But some wicked men ³²  said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it. ³³ 

1 Samuel 11:13

11:13 But Saul said, “No one will be killed on this day. For today the Lord has given Israel a victory!”

1 Samuel 12:5

12:5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his chosen king ³⁴  is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” ³⁵  They said, “He is witness!”

1 Samuel 12:12

12:12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king!

1 Samuel 12:15

12:15 But if you don’t obey ³⁶  the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king. ³⁷ 

1 Samuel 12:22

12:22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. ³⁸  The Lord was pleased to make you his own people.

1 Samuel 13:8

13:8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. ³⁹  But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul. ⁴⁰ 

1 Samuel 13:12

13:12 I thought, ⁴¹  ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated ⁴²  to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 13:19

13:19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.”

1 Samuel 14:9

14:9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay ⁴³  right there and not go up to them.

1 Samuel 14:30

14:30 Certainly if the army had eaten some of the enemies’ provisions that they came across today, would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”

1 Samuel 14:37

14:37 So Saul asked God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.

1 Samuel 15:17

15:17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose ⁴⁴  you as king over Israel.

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 16:8

16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. ⁴⁵  But Samuel ⁴⁶  said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”

1 Samuel 16:10

16:10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. ⁴⁷  But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

1 Samuel 17:47

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.”

1 Samuel 18:26

18:26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed ⁴⁸  to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired ⁴⁹ 

1 Samuel 20:37

20:37 When the servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called out to ⁵⁰  the servant, “Isn’t the arrow further beyond you?”

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 23:14

23:14 David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill country of the desert of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, ⁵¹  but God did not deliver David ⁵²  into his hand.

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 24:7

24:7 David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down ⁵³  the road.

1 Samuel 24:18

24:18 You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me.

1 Samuel 25:11

25:11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came from!”

1 Samuel 26:1

David Spares Saul’s Life Again

26:1 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding on the hill of Hakilah near ⁵⁴  Jeshimon?”

1 Samuel 26:23

26:23 The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. ⁵⁵  Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one.

1 Samuel 27:9

27:9 When David would attack a district, ⁵⁶  he would leave neither man nor woman alive. He would take sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and would then go back to Achish.

1 Samuel 28:23

28:23 But he refused, saying, “I won’t eat!” Both his servants and the woman urged ⁵⁷  him to eat, so he gave in. ⁵⁸  He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed.

1 Samuel 29:5

29:5 Isn’t this David, of whom they sang as they danced, ⁵⁹ 

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands’?”

1 Samuel 30:2

30:2 They took captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way.

[1:7]  ¹ tn The MT has a masculine form of the verb here יַעֲשֶׂה (ya’aseh, “he used to do”); the subject in that case would presumably be Elkanah. But this leads to an abrupt change of subject in the following part of the verse, where the subject is the rival wife who caused Hannah anxiety. In light of v. 6 one expects the statement of v. 7 to refer to the ongoing actions of the rival wife: “she used to behave in this way year after year.” Some scholars have proposed retaining the masculine form but changing the vocalization of the verb so as to read a Niphal rather than a Qal (i.e., יֵעֲשֶׂה, ye’aseh, “so it used to be done”). But the problem here is lack of precedent for such a use of the Niphal of this verb. It seems best in light of the context to understand the reference to be to Hannah’s rival Peninnah and to read here, with the Syriac Peshitta, a feminine form of the verb (“she used to do”). In the translation the referent (Peninnah) has been specified for clarity.

[1:7]  ² tn Heb “she”; the referent (Hannah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:7]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Peninnah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:18]  ⁴ tc Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack the words “and got something to eat.”

[1:22]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive here. The words “with them” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ⁷ tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[2:32]  ⁸ tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).

[2:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”

[2:32]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.

[2:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all the days.”

[2:33]  ¹² tc The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss have the third person pronominal suffix “his” here.

[2:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).

[2:33]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”

[2:33]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”

[2:33]  ¹⁶ tc The text is difficult. The MT literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The LXX and a Qumran ms, however, have the additional word “sword” (“they will die by the sword of men”). This is an easier reading (cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but that fact is not in favor of its originality.

[3:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”

[4:7]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew text has a direct quote, “because they said, ‘Gods have come to the camp.’” Even though the verb translated “have come” is singular, the following subject should be taken as plural (“gods”), as v. 8 indicates. Some emend the verb to a plural form.

[4:7]  ²¹ tn Traditionally “woe to.” They thought disaster was imminent.

[6:6]  ²² tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

[6:6]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

[8:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “judge” (also in v. 6).

[8:18]  ²⁶ tc The LXX adds “because you have chosen for yourselves a king.”

[10:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you?” The question draws attention to the fact and is a rhetorical way of affirming the Lord’s choice of Saul. The translation reflects the rhetorical force of the question.

[10:1]  ³⁰ tn That is, “anointed.”

[10:1]  ³¹ tc The MT reads simply “Is it not that the Lord has anointed you over his inheritance for a leader?” The translation follows the LXX. The MT apparently suffers from parablepsis, whereby a scribe’s eye jumped from the first occurrence of the expression “the Lord has anointed you” to the second occurrence of this expression at the end of v. 1. This mistake caused the accidental omission of the intervening material in the LXX, which appears to preserve the original Hebrew text here.

[10:27]  ³² tn Heb “sons of worthlessness” (see 2:12).

[10:27]  ³³ tc In place of the MT (“and it was like one being silent”) the LXX has “after about a month,” taking the expression with the first part of the following chapter rather than with 10:27. Some Hebrew support for this reading appears in the corrected hand of a Qumran ms of Samuel, which has here “about a month.” However, it seems best to stay with the MT here even though it is difficult.

[12:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “anointed [one].”

[12:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “that you have not found anything in my hand.”

[12:15]  ³⁶ tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”

[12:15]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Heb “on account of his great name.”

[13:8]  ³⁹ tn This apparently refers to the instructions given by Samuel in 1 Sam 10:8. If so, several years had passed. On the relationship between chs. 10 and 13, see V. P. Long, The Art of Biblical History (FCI), 201-23.

[13:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “dispersed from upon him”; NAB, NRSV “began to slip away.”

[13:12]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “said.”

[13:12]  ⁴² tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”

[14:9]  ⁴³ tn Heb “stand.”

[15:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “anointed.”

[16:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”

[16:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ⁴⁷ 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.

[18:26]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and it was acceptable in the eyes of David.”

[18:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the days were not fulfilled.”

[20:37]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “called after” (also in v. 38).

[23:14]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “all the days.”

[23:14]  ⁵² tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “went on.”

[26:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “upon the face of.”

[26:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the Lord returns to the man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”

[27:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the land.”

[28:23]  ⁵⁷ tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיִּפְצְרוּ (vayyiftseru, “and they pressed”; from the root פצר, psr) rather than the MT’s וַיִּפְרְצוּ (vayyifretsu, “and they broke forth”; from the root פרצ, prs).

[28:23]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “he listened to their voice.”

[29:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “in dances.”