1 Samuel 1:20
1:20 After some time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the Lord for him. 1
1 Samuel 13:16
13:16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash. 2
1 Samuel 16:20
16:20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat 3 and sent them to Saul with 4 his son David.
1 Samuel 17:17
17:17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly 5 to the camp to your brothers.
1 Samuel 18:26
18:26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed 6 to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the specified time had not yet expired 7
1 Samuel 24:16
24:16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly. 8
1 Samuel 26:17
26:17 When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” David replied, “Yes, it’s my voice, my lord the king.”
1 Samuel 30:7
30:7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
1 tn Heb “because from the Lord I asked him.” The name “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “asked.” The explanation of the meaning of the name “Samuel” that is provided in v. 20 is not a strict etymology. It seems to suggest that the first part of the name is derived from the Hebrew root שׁאל (sh’l, “to ask”), but the consonants do not support this. Nor is it likely that the name comes from the root שׁמא (shm’, “to hear”), for the same reason. It more probably derives from שֶׁם (shem, “name”), so that “Samuel” means “name of God.” Verse 20 therefore does not set forth a linguistic explanation of the meaning of the name, but rather draws a parallel between similar sounds. This figure of speech is known as paronomasia.
2 tn The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses in v.16 indicates synchronic action.
3 tn Heb “a kid of the goats.”
4 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
5 tn Heb “run.”
6 tn Heb “and it was acceptable in the eyes of David.”
7 tn Heb “the days were not fulfilled.”
8 tn Heb “lifted his voice and wept.”