¹ tn Heb “why is your heart displeased?”

² sn Like the number seven, the number ten is sometimes used in the OT as an ideal number (see, for example, Dan 1:20, Zech 8:23).

³ tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive here. The words “with them” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss (“no”) rather than the Kethib and MT, which read “to him.”

⁵ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

⁶ tn Heb “to your father’s” (also in vv. 28, 30).

⁷ tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.

⁸ tn Heb “arm.”

⁹ tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

¹⁰ tc The MT has וְהִגַּדְתִּי לוֹ (vÿhiggadti lo). The verb is Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular, and apparently the conjunction should be understood as vav consecutive (“I will say to him”). But the future reference makes more sense if Samuel is the subject. This would require dropping the final י (yod) and reading the 2nd person masculine singular וְהִגַּדְתָּ (vÿhiggadta). Although there is no external evidence to support it, this reading has been adopted in the present translation. The alternative is to understand the MT to mean “I said to him,” but for this we would expect the preterite with vav consecutive.

¹¹ tn The translation understands the preposition to have a causal sense. However, the preposition could also be understood as the beth pretii, indicating in a broad sense the price attached to this action. So GKC 380 §119.p.

¹² tc The translation follows the LXX θεόν (qeon, “God”) rather than the MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”). The MT seems to mean “they were bringing a curse on themselves” (cf. ASV, NASB). But this meaning is problematic in part because the verb qll means “to curse,” not “to bring a curse on,” and in part because it takes an accusative object rather than the equivalent of a dative. This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” Why would the ancient copyists alter the original statement about Eli’s sons cursing God to the less objectionable statement that they brought a curse on themselves? Some argue that the scribes were concerned that such a direct and blasphemous affront against God could occur without an immediate response of judgment from God. Therefore they changed the text by deleting two letters א and י (alef and yod) from the word for “God,” with the result that the text then read “to them.” If this ancient scribal claim is accepted as accurate, it implies that the MT here is secondary. The present translation follows the LXX (κακολογοῦντες θεόν, kakologounte" qeon) and a few mss of the Old Latin in reading “God” rather than the MT “to them.” Cf. also NAB, NRSV, NLT.

¹³ tn Heb “according to all the deeds which they have done.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “dispersed from upon me.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “answered and said.”

¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

¹⁷ tn Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “discerning of word.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “a man of form.”

²⁰ tn Heb “in the ears of.”

²¹ tn Heb “Send me away! Why should I kill you?” The question has the force of a threat in this context. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 325, 26.

²² tn Heb “and you must do loyalty.”

²³ tn Heb “for into a covenant of the Lord you have brought your servant with you.”

²⁴ tn Heb “and if there is in me guilt.”

²⁵ tn Heb “from you and onward.”

²⁶ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss include the words “his son” here.

²⁷ tn Heb “son of a perverse woman of rebelliousness.” But such an overly literal and domesticated translation of the Hebrew expression fails to capture the force of Saul’s unrestrained reaction. Saul, now incensed and enraged over Jonathan’s liaison with David, is actually hurling very coarse and emotionally charged words at his son. The translation of this phrase suggested by Koehler and Baumgartner is “bastard of a wayward woman” (HALOT 796 s.v. עוה), but this is not an expression commonly used in English. A better English approximation of the sentiments expressed here by the Hebrew phrase would be “You stupid son of a bitch!” However, sensitivity to the various public formats in which the Bible is read aloud has led to a less startling English rendering which focuses on the semantic value of Saul’s utterance (i.e., the behavior of his own son Jonathan, which he viewed as both a personal and a political betrayal [= “traitor”]). But this concession should not obscure the fact that Saul is full of bitterness and frustration. That he would address his son Jonathan with such language, not to mention his apparent readiness even to kill his own son over this friendship with David (v. 33), indicates something of the extreme depth of Saul’s jealousy and hatred of David.

²⁸ tn Heb “servants.”

²⁹ tn Heb “have kept themselves from women” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “haven’t had sexual relations recently”; NLT “have not slept with any women recently.”

³⁰ tn Heb “go forth.”

³¹ tn Heb “and foolishness is with him.”

³² tn Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”

³³ tn Heb “up.”

³⁴ tn Heb “your voice.”

³⁵ tn Heb “I have lifted up your face.”

³⁶ tn Heb “and the Lord returns to the man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”

³⁷ tn Heb “the guardian for my head.”

³⁸ tn Heb “all the days.”

³⁹ tn Heb “an owner of a ritual pit.” See the note at v. 3.

⁴⁰ tn Heb “Use divination for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me the one whom I say to you.”

⁴¹ tn Heb “gods.” The modifying participle (translated “coming up”) is plural, suggesting that underworld spirits are the referent. But in the following verse Saul understands the plural word to refer to a singular being. The reference is to the spirit of Samuel.

⁴² tn Heb “listened to your voice.”

⁴³ tn Heb “listened to your words that you spoke to me.”

⁴⁴ 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).

⁴⁵ tn Heb “he listened to their voice.”

⁴⁶ tn Heb “I know that you are good in my eyes.”