1 Samuel 6:19

6:19 But the Lord ¹  struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; he struck down 50,070 ²  of the men. The people grieved because the Lord had struck the people with a hard blow.

1 Samuel 13:14

13:14 But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out ³  for himself a man who is loyal to him ⁴  and the Lord has appointed ⁵  him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”

1 Samuel 24:10

24:10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity ⁶  on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ ⁷ 

1 Samuel 26:16

26:16 This failure on your part isn’t good! ⁸  As surely as the Lord lives, you people who have not protected your lord, the Lord’s chosen one, are as good as dead! ⁹  Now look where the king’s spear and the jug of water that was by his head are!”

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¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tc The number 50,070 is surprisingly large, although it finds almost unanimous textual support in the MT and in the ancient versions. Only a few medieval Hebrew mss lack “50,000,” reading simply “70” instead. However, there does not seem to be sufficient external evidence to warrant reading 70 rather than 50,070, although that is done by a number of recent translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The present translation (reluctantly) follows the MT and the ancient versions here.

³ tn This verb form, as well as the one that follows (“appointed”), indicates completed action from the standpoint of the speaker. This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had already conducted his search and made his choice, however. The forms may be used for rhetorical effect to emphasize the certainty of the action. The divine search for a new king is as good as done, emphasizing that the days of Saul’s dynasty are numbered.

⁴ tn Heb “according to his heart.” The idiomatic expression means to be like-minded with another, as its use in 1 Sam 14:7 indicates.

⁵ tn Heb “commanded.”

⁶ tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.

⁷ tn Heb “anointed.”

⁸ tn Heb “Not good [is] this thing which you have done.”

⁹ tn Heb “you are sons of death.”