³ tn Or “pure”; Heb “choice.”

¹ tn Heb “choice” or “select.”

⁵ tn Or “mind” (the center of the will, the choice).

² tn The word is a substantive, “choice, selection”; it is here used in the construct state to convey an attribute before a partitive genitive—“the choice of his officers” means his “choice officers” (see GKC 417 §128.r).

¹ sn For obedience and for sprinkling indicates the purpose of their choice or election by God.

² tn Heb “the fat [ones].” Cf. ASV “the fat sheep”; NIV “the choice sheep.”

² tn Or “lovely”; cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “pleasant,” NAB “choice,” NIV “lush.”

¹ tn Heb “besides from the ones living in Gibeah they mustered 700 choice men.”

² tn For the rendering “choice wheat flour” see the note on Lev 2:1.

³ tn The verb is perfect tense, referring to Yahweh’s previous choice of the holy place.

¹ tn The passive participle of the verb “to choose” means that these were “choice” or superb chariots.

³ sn God chose. The theme of God’s sovereign choice is an important point because 1st century Jews believed Israel’s unique position and customs were a reflection of God’s choice.

² tn Or “choice troops” (BDB 104 s.v. מִבְחָר), or “elite troops” (HALOT 542 s.v. מִבְחָר).

⁴ tn Heb “choice wheat flour well-soaked ring-shaped loaves.” See the note on Lev 2:1.

² tn Heb “shall take up from it with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering.”

¹ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

¹ sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

¹ sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.

¹ tc Some manuscripts and versions read “choice men,” while most manuscripts read “fugitives”; the difference arises from the reversal, or metathesis, of two letters, מִבְרָחָיו (mivrakhayv) for מִבְחָריו (mivkharayv).

¹ tn Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.