1 Samuel 17:5

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. ¹ 

1 Samuel 17:54

17:54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, ²  and he put Goliath’s ³  weapons in his tent.

1 Samuel 17:38

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.

1 Samuel 18:13

18:13 Saul removed David ⁴  from his presence and made him a commanding officer. ⁵  David led the army out to battle and back. ⁶ 

1 Samuel 19:16

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.

1 Samuel 19:13

19:13 Then Michal took a household idol ⁷  and put it on the bed. She put a quilt ⁸  made of goat’s hair over its head ⁹  and then covered the idol with a garment.

1 Samuel 4:12

Eli Dies

4:12 On that day ¹⁰  a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn and dirt was on his head.

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 31:9

31:9 They cut off Saul’s ¹¹  head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines.

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 ¹²  you as king over Israel.

1 Samuel 10:1

Samuel Anoints Saul

10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s ¹³  head. Samuel ¹⁴  kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  you as leader over his inheritance. ¹⁷ 

1 Samuel 26:7

26:7 So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the army were lying all around him.

1 Samuel 5:4

5:4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact. ¹⁸ 

1 Samuel 17:51

17:51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s ¹⁹  sword, drew it from its sheath, ²⁰  killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.

1 Samuel 26:11

26:11 But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord’s chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and let’s get out of here!”

1 Samuel 26:16

26:16 This failure on your part isn’t good! ²¹  As surely as the Lord lives, you people who have not protected your lord, the Lord’s chosen one, are as good as dead! ²²  Now look where the king’s spear and the jug of water that was by his head are!”

1 Samuel 21:7

21:7 (One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.)

1 Samuel 17:46

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

1 Samuel 26:12

26:12 So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got out of there. No one saw them or was aware of their presence or woke up. All of them were asleep, for the Lord had caused a deep sleep to fall on them.

1 Samuel 1:11

1:11 She made a vow saying, “O Lord of hosts, if you will look with compassion ²³  on the suffering of your female servant, ²⁴  remembering me and not forgetting your servant, and give a male child ²⁵  to your servant, then I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life. His hair will never be cut.” ²⁶ 

1 Samuel 25:39

25:39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! ²⁷  The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” ²⁸  Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.

1 Samuel 29:4

29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said ²⁹  to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become ³⁰  our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? ³¹ 

1 Samuel 18:16

18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he was the one leading them out to battle and back.

1 Samuel 8:20

8:20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us ³²  and fight our battles.”

1 Samuel 8:12

8:12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, ³³  as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment.

1 Samuel 20:36

20:36 He said to his servant, “Run, find the arrows that I am about to shoot.” As the servant ran, Jonathan ³⁴  shot the arrow beyond him.

1 Samuel 22:14

22:14 Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is faithful like David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the leader of your bodyguard, and honored in your house!

1 Samuel 17:18

17:18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. ³⁵  Find out how your brothers are doing ³⁶  and bring back their pledge that they received the goods. ³⁷ 

1 Samuel 17:50

17:50 ³⁸ 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. ³⁹ 

1 Samuel 10:20

10:20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot.

1 Samuel 14:45

14:45 But the army said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death. ⁴⁰ 

1 Samuel 25:3

25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, ⁴¹  and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise ⁴²  and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.

1 Samuel 18:5

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. ⁴³ 

1 Samuel 19:20

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.

1 Samuel 25:17

25:17 Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household. ⁴⁴  He is such a wicked person ⁴⁵  that no one tells him anything!”

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? ⁴⁶  When God ⁴⁷  treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? ⁴⁸ 

1 Samuel 10:23

10:23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all.

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. ⁴⁹ 

1 Samuel 22:2

22:2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented ⁵⁰  gathered around ⁵¹  him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.

1 Samuel 22:9

22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with the servants of Saul, replied, “I saw this son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

1 Samuel 9:2

9:2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was; he stood head and shoulders above all the people.

1 Samuel 16:13

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.

1 Samuel 22:7

22:7 Saul said to his servants who were stationed around him, “Listen up, you Benjaminites! Is Jesse’s son giving fields and vineyards to all of you? Or is he making all of you ⁵²  commanders and officers? ⁵³ 

1 Samuel 26:5

26:5 So David set out and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general in command of his army, were sleeping. Now Saul was lying in the entrenchment, and the army was camped all around him.

[17:5]  ¹ 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.

[17:54]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[17:54]  ³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “an officer of a thousand.”

[18:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he went out and came in before the people.” See v. 16.

[19:13]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “at the place of its head.”

[4:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps, “the same day.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.f.

[31:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

[15:17]  ¹² tn Heb “anointed.”

[10:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn That is, “anointed.”

[10:1]  ¹⁷ 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.

[5:4]  ¹⁸ tc Heb “only Dagon was left.” We should probably read the word גֵּו (gev, “back”) before Dagon, understanding it to have the sense of the similar word גְּוִיָּה (gÿviyyah, “body”). This variant is supported by the following evidence: The LXX has ἡ ῥάχις (Jh rJacis, “the back” or “trunk”); the Syriac Peshitta has wegusmeh (“and the body of”); the Targum has gupyeh (“the body of”); the Vulgate has truncus (“the trunk of,” cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). On the strength of this evidence the present translation employs the phrase “Dagon’s body.”

[17:51]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:51]  ²⁰ tc Most LXX mss lack the words “drew it from its sheath.”

[26:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “Not good [is] this thing which you have done.”

[26:16]  ²² tn Heb “you are sons of death.”

[1:11]  ²³ tn Heb “if looking you look.” The expression can refer, as here, to looking favorably upon another, in this case with compassion.

[1:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “handmaid.” The use of this term (translated two more times in this verse and once each in vv. 16, 17 simply as “servant” for stylistic reasons) is an expression of humility.

[1:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “seed of men.”

[1:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “a razor will not go up upon his head.”

[25:39]  ²⁷ tn Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”

[25:39]  ²⁸ tn Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the Lord has turned back on his head.”

[29:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”

[29:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “so that he might not become.”

[29:4]  ³¹ tn Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.

[8:20]  ³² tn Heb “and go out before us.”

[8:12]  ³³ tc The numbers of v. 12 are confused in the Greek and Syriac versions. For “fifties” the LXX has “hundreds.” The Syriac Peshitta has “heads of thousands and heads of hundreds and heads of fifties and heads of tens,” perhaps reflecting influence from Deut 1:15.

[20:36]  ³⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “officer of the thousand.”

[17:18]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and your brothers, observe with respect to welfare.”

[17:18]  ³⁷ 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.”

[17:50]  ³⁸ tc Most LXX mss lack v. 50.

[17:50]  ³⁹ tn Verse 50 is a summary statement; v. 51 gives a more detailed account of how David killed the Philistine.

[14:45]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he did not die.”

[25:3]  ⁴¹ sn The name נָבָל (Nabal) means “foolish” or “senseless” in Hebrew, and as an adjective the word is used especially of persons who have no perception of ethical or religious claims. It is an apt name for this character, who certainly typifies such behavior.

[25:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “good of insight”; KJV “of good understanding”; NAB, NIV, TEV “intelligent”; NRSV “clever.”

[18:5]  ⁴³ tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”

[25:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “all his house” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB, NLT “his whole family.”

[25:17]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “he is a son of worthlessness.”

[6:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

[6:6]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

[17:48]  ⁴⁹ tc Most LXX mss lack the second half of v. 48.

[22:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “bitter of soul.”

[22:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “to.”

[22:7]  ⁵² tc The MT has “to all of you.” If this reading is correct, we have here an example of a prepositional phrase functioning as the equivalent of a dative of advantage, which is not impossible from a grammatical point of view. However, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have “and.” A conjunction rather than a preposition should probably be read on the front of this phrase.

[22:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “officers of a thousand and officers of a hundred.”