¹ sn Tearing one’s clothing and throwing dirt on one’s head were outward expressions of grief in the ancient Near East, where such demonstrable reactions were a common response to tragic news.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned at the beginning of v. 2) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion as to who fell to the ground.

³ tn Heb “he fell to the ground and did obeisance.”

⁴ tn Heb “What was the word?”

⁵ tn Heb “from the people.”

⁶ tn Heb “fell and died.”

⁷ tc The Syriac Peshitta and one ms of the LXX lack the words “who was telling him this” of the MT.

⁸ tc Instead of the MT’s “fields of grain offerings” the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “your high places are mountains of death.” Cf. the Old Latin montes mortis (“mountains of death”).

⁹ tn This is the only biblical occurrence of the Niphal of the verb גָּעַל (ga’al). This verb usually has the sense of “to abhor” or “loathe.” But here it seems to refer to the now dirty and unprotected condition of a previously well-maintained instrument of battle.

¹⁰ tc It is preferable to read here Hebrew מָשׁוּחַ (mashuakh) with many Hebrew mss, rather than מָשִׁיחַ (mashiakh) of the MT. Although the Syriac Peshitta understands the statement to pertain to Saul, the point here is not that Saul is not anointed. Rather, it is the shield of Saul that lies discarded and is no longer anointed. In ancient Near Eastern practice a warrior’s shield that was in normal use would have to be anointed regularly in order to ensure that the leather did not become dry and brittle. Like other warriors of his day Saul would have carefully maintained his tools of trade. But now that he is dead, the once-cared-for shield of the mighty warrior lies sadly discarded and woefully neglected, a silent but eloquent commentary on how different things are now compared to the way they were during Saul’s lifetime.

¹¹ tn Heb “house.”

¹² tn Heb “and they told David.” The subject appears to be indefinite, allowing one to translate the verb as passive with David as subject.

¹³ tn Heb “men.”

¹⁴ tn Or “loyalty.”

¹⁵ tn The words “when you come to see my face,” though found in the Hebrew text, are somewhat redundant given the similar expression in the earlier part of the verse. The words are absent from the Syriac Peshitta.

¹⁶ tn Heb “you were the one leading out and the one leading in Israel.”

¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “in her heart.” Cf. CEV “she was disgusted (+ with him TEV)”; NLT “was filled with contempt for him”; NCV “she hated him.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “your servant.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “he fell on his face and bowed down.”

²⁰ tn Heb “Look, your servant.”

²¹ tn Heb “anointed.”

²² tn Heb “youth.”

²³ tn Heb “rushed into.”

²⁴ tn Heb “son.”

²⁵ tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.

²⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁷ tn Heb “done his feet.”

²⁸ tn Heb “done.”

²⁹ tn Heb “sought the face of the Lord.”

³⁰ tn Heb “and the house of bloodshed.”

³¹ tn The exact nature of this execution is not altogether clear. The verb יָקַע (yaqa’) basically means “to dislocate” or “alienate.” In Gen 32:26 it is used of the dislocation of Jacob’s thigh. Figuratively it can refer to the removal of an individual from a group (e.g., Jer 6:8; Ezek 23:17) or to a type of punishment the specific identity of which is uncertain (e.g., here and Num 25:4); cf. NAB “dismember them”; NIV “to be killed and exposed.”

³² tc The LXX reads “at Gibeon on the mountain of the Lord” (cf. 21:9). The present translation follows the MT, although a number of recent English translations follow the LXX reading here (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).