1 Samuel 28:4

28:4 The Philistines assembled; they came and camped at Shunem. Saul mustered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.

1 Samuel 28:1

The Witch of Endor

28:1 In those days the Philistines gathered their troops ¹  for war in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David, “You should fully understand that you and your men must go with me into the battle.” ² 

1 Raja-raja 1:3

1:3 So they looked through all Israel ³  for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

1 Raja-raja 1:2

1:2 His servants advised ⁴  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ⁵  to take care of the king’s needs ⁶  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ⁷  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ⁸ 

1 Raja-raja 4:8

4:8 These were their names:

Ben-Hur was in charge of the hill country of Ephraim.

[28:1]  ¹ tn Heb “their camps.”

[28:1]  ² tc The translation follows the LXX (εἰς πόλεμον, eis polemon) and a Qumran ms מלחמה במלחמה ([m]lkhmh) bammilkhamah (“in the battle”) rather than the MT’s בַמַּחֲנֶה (bammakhaneh, “in the camp”; cf. NASB). While the MT reading is not impossible here, and although admittedly it is the harder reading, the variant fits the context better. The MT can be explained as a scribal error caused in part by the earlier occurrence of “camp” in this verse.

[1:3]  ³ tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “said to.”

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).

[1:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”