1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:1–7:17 The Story of Samuel. Samuel’s birth is God’s answer to the prayer of a childless woman. Samuel becomes a prophet who guides Israel as they move from the period of the judges to the period of the kings. These chapters also tell the story of Eli, the priest at Shiloh, and his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phineas.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:1–28 These verses record the birth and dedication of Samuel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:1 Ramathaim-zophim is called Ramah in v. 19 and 2:11. Samuel later lived there (7:17; 8:4; 25:1). It is presumably the city in the land of Zuph where Saul meets him (9:5).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:2 two wives. Probably Hannah was Elkanah’s first wife, since she is named first. He most likely married Peninnah because of Hannah’s inability to have children.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:3 year by year. This may have been an annual family gathering, including women and children. the LORD of hosts. This is the first appearance in the Bible of the title “the LORD of hosts,” to whom Elkanah sacrifices and Hannah prays (v. 11) at Shiloh. The title is used in Samuel several times and very frequently in the Psalms and the Prophets. “Hosts” can refer to any large group of items such as heavenly bodies (Isa. 40:26), angelic beings (Josh. 5:14), the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), or all creatures (Gen. 2:1). Shiloh is 20 miles (32 km) north of Jerusalem. The tent of meeting was set up there in Josh. 18:1.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:4 portions. Elkanah’s sacrifice is a peace offering. Parts of the sacrificial animal are burned, parts are given to the priest, and parts are eaten by the people who brought the sacrifice (Lev. 7:11–36; see also 1 Sam. 2:12–17).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:7, 9 house of the LORD . . . temple of the LORD. Was this a tent, or a building with solid walls? The word “house” refers to a dwelling without specifying the material it was made of. In 2 Sam. 7:2 David says, “the ark of God dwells in a tent,” and in 2 Sam. 7:6 the Lord says, “I have not lived in a house . . . to this day.” First Samuel 2:22 mentions the “tent of meeting.” On the other hand, “doorpost of the temple” (1:9) and “opened the doors” (3:15) suggest something more permanent. Perhaps there was a more solid structure surrounding a tent.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:8 Am I not more to you than ten sons? Elkanah tries to comfort Hannah because of her barrenness.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:9 The seat was a symbol of Eli’s authority; normally, people sat on the ground.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:11 I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life may mean that Hannah will dedicate her son as a Nazirite. According to Numbers 6, people could make a special vow to separate themselves to serve the Lord for a time. This involved letting no razor . . . touch one’s head, eating and drinking nothing from the grapevine, and not going near a dead body. Hannah mentions only the razor in the text, but that probably stood for the entire vow. According to Lev. 27:1–8, a person as young as a month old could be given to the Lord with such a vow.
Children were of great importance in ancient times for several reasons. They carried on the family name and helped to care for the family’s flocks and herds. Women who could not have children were often looked down upon because children were considered a blessing from the Lord. It was common for children to die as infants, so couples would often have many children, knowing some would not survive.
Hannah was one of Elkanah’s two wives. Although his other wife, Peninnah, had children, Hannah did not. While at the temple in Shiloh, Hannah wept bitterly because of her inability to have a child. Deeply distressed, she prayed to the Lord. She vowed that if he gave her a son, she would dedicate the child to God. Eli the priest observed Hannah praying and thought that she was drunk. When he realized that her display of emotion was genuine, however, he blessed Hannah. God answered Hannah’s prayer, and she gave birth to Samuel. When the child was weaned, she took him to Eli at the temple in fulfillment of her vow. Hannah’s song, praising God for her new son, is very similar to the prayer of Mary in Luke 1:46–55 as she looked forward to the birth of her son Jesus. (1 Samuel 1:9–11)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:12–18 Eli assumes that Hannah is drunk and therefore rebukes her. This shows his devotion to the law, which forbade drunkenness in the sanctuary.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:20 Samuel can mean “name of God” or “offspring of God.” Samuel bore the name of God, who gave him to Hannah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:24 Three-year-old bull could also be translated “three bulls” (esv footnote). In either case, Elkanah apparently was a prosperous man, able to afford an expensive animal offering and large amounts of grain and wine. See Num. 15:9; 28:12, 20, 28.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:26 As you live, or “as your soul lives,” is a common OT form of oath (2 Sam. 11:11), as is the phrase “as the LORD lives” (see 1 Sam. 14:39; 26:16). The two oaths were often combined (20:3; 25:26).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1:27–28 And the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him repeats almost word for word Eli’s blessing in v. 17. The words “petition” (here and v. 17), “asked” (v. 20), and “lent” (v. 28 twice) are all from the same Hebrew word family.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:1–10 Hannah’s song is very similar to the prayer of Mary in Luke 1:46–56. There are also many similarities to psalms and other passages of the OT—especially Psalm 113—as the numerous esv cross-references show. The reference to the “king” in 1 Sam. 2:10 looks forward to the rest of 1 Samuel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:1 my horn is exalted in the LORD. This is the theme of Hannah’s song. When Hannah speaks of my enemies, she is referring to the enemies of God.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:2 there is none besides you. There is no holy being besides the Lord. Only the Lord is God (see Deut. 4:35; 32:39). The Lord is often described as a rock (compare Deut. 32:4, 15; 2 Sam. 22:2), which means that he provides shelter and protection for his people. In saying our God, Hannah is speaking as a member of the covenant community.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:3 by him actions are weighed. God’s knowledge extends even to the motives behind human actions.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:5 seven. Hannah actually had only six children, including Samuel (v. 21). This is a general statement, and seven is a poetic number for perfection.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:6–7 The Lord controls not only birth and death, but all of life in between.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:6 Sheol. The place of the dead. God also raises up a soul from Sheol (compare Ps. 30:3). He has authority over the dead as well as the living.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:8 the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s. The Lord is sovereign over life, for he created and owns the world (on them he has set the world). Compare “pillars” (Job 9:6; Ps. 75:3) and “foundations” (2 Sam. 22:16). The Lord upholds the physical place where his people live as well as the moral order of this world. He protects his faithful, while he destroys the wicked (1 Sam. 2:9).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:10 The LORD will judge. See Ps. 96:10. The ends of the earth describes God’s uniqueness, majesty, and authority (compare Ps. 67:7; 98:3; Prov. 30:4; Isa. 52:10; Mic. 5:4; Zech. 9:10). Since there was currently no king in Israel, it is possible that the last two lines of this verse are a comment by the writer of 1 Samuel rather than part of Hannah’s actual prayer. The law made provision for a king, however, and the idea of kingship was well known in Israel even before it was practiced (Judg. 9:6; 1 Samuel 8), so these could have been Hannah’s words. The phrase his anointed appears here for the first time in the Bible. In Samuel, it usually refers to a king. The Hebrew word for “anointed” can also be translated “Messiah.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:11–36 At the same time that the boy Samuel is ministering to the Lord (vv. 11, 18; 3:1), Eli’s own two sons, Hophni and Phineas (see 1:3; 2:34), are hindering the worship there.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:12–17 These verses describe how the worthless . . . sons of Eli (v. 12) treated the tabernacle sacrifices with contempt (v. 17). They behaved in this way because they did not know the LORD (v. 12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:13–14 The priests were to be supported by portions of the sacrifices of the people (see, e.g., Lev. 7:31–32; Deut. 18:3). But the custom described in these verses seems to have been a serious deviation from the law.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:15–16 These verses seem to suggest that Eli’s sons were guilty of a further deviation from the already degenerate custom described in vv. 13–14. This is an extraordinary situation: the priest, who was supposed to know the rules of sacrifice, was engaging in behavior that shocked even the ordinary worshiper.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:18–21 The story returns to Samuel. Before, Samuel was ministering “in the presence of Eli the priest” (v. 11), but now he is ministering simply before the LORD, in the garment of a priest. The linen ephod was probably a simple tunic or apron worn by priests (22:18).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:22–23 Eli’s sons committed sexual immorality with women who worked with them in the sanctuary.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:25 if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? This shows the need for a mediator between man and God. Hophni and Phineas had rebelled against God, even ignoring their father’s warnings about their behavior. Because of Eli’s sons’ willful rejection of him, it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:26 Similar language is used in Luke 2:52 to describe the physical and spiritual growth of the boy Jesus.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:27–28 A man of God (a prophet) confronts Eli about the wicked behavior of his two sons. I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire. When an offering was made, part was burned as a “memorial portion.” The remaining part was normally eaten by the priests (Lev. 6:14–18; 7:1–38). But Eli’s sons have made a mockery of this law (1 Sam. 2:12–17).
“Thus says the Lord.” Ancient messengers would begin their message by stating the sender’s name and saying, “[The sender’s name] has spoken thus.” The message would then be delivered in the first person as if the sender were saying it himself (2:27).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:30 Though the Lord had promised the priesthood (go in and out before me) to the descendants of Levi, the agreement can be broken if they are not obedient.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:31–34 The man of God (see v. 27) declares a curse for Eli and all his descendants for their breaking of the covenant. Compare the punishments described in Deut. 28:15–68. Behold, the days are coming indicates that the prophesied events will happen during a future time of God’s judgment. The only one who would be spared from this judgment would be Abiathar, who escaped when the 85 priests of Nob were killed (1 Sam. 22:18–20). Solomon later banished him, and this was seen as the final fulfillment of the prophecy against Eli and his priestly descendants (1 Kings 2:26–27). Eli will not live to experience the punishment, but the death of his two sons on the same day (see 1 Sam. 4:11) will be a sign to him that the prophecy is true.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 2:35 The faithful priest with a sure house is probably Zadok, a priest under David and a descendant of Ithamar’s brother Eleazar, son of Aaron (2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chron. 24:3; see also Judg. 20:28). The anointed is the king (see 2 Sam. 7:16).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:1–4:1a The word of the LORD was rare in those days in Israel (3:1), but that is about to change, as the Lord calls Samuel to serve him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:3 The lamp of God was in the tent of meeting, in the Holy Place. It burned every day from evening to morning (Ex. 27:20–21; Lev. 24:1–3). It had not yet gone out, so the time was probably just before dawn. The ark of God was beyond the veil, in the Most Holy Place.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:7 Samuel did not yet know the LORD in a personal relationship, though of course he knew about him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:10 Samuel! Samuel! The Lord called other people by uttering their name twice, e.g., Abraham (Gen. 22:11), Jacob (Gen. 46:2), and Moses (Ex. 3:4).
Samuel! Samuel! When God called Samuel to his service, he called out his name twice (3:10). Abraham, Jacob, and Moses also heard the Lord speak their name twice at a crucial point in their lives.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:12 all that I have spoken. See 2:27–36.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:14 Though normal or unintentional sins of priests could be atoned for by offering (Lev. 4:3–12), Eli’s sons sinned defiantly. Their guilt could not be removed (see Num. 15:30 and note on Num. 15:30–31; see also Heb. 10:26–27), as Eli himself recognizes (1 Sam. 2:25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:17 May God do so to you and more also if is a form of solemn appeal to the Lord, a kind of oath. Compare Ruth 1:17; 2 Sam. 3:9; 19:13; 1 Kings 19:2.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:18 It is the LORD. Eli accepts the judgment humbly.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:19 the LORD . . . let none of his words fall to the ground. That is, all that Samuel spoke was fulfilled, and so he could be known as a prophet (see Deut. 18:21–22).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 3:20 From Dan to Beersheba is the traditional limits of Israel to the north and south (Judg. 20:1; 2 Sam. 17:11).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:1b–7:1 The ark of the covenant was the visible sign of God’s presence with Israel. After a disastrous defeat by the Philistines, the elders of Israel realize that the defeat was the work of the Lord, but apparently they do not seek to know how they have sinned. Instead, they decide that bringing the ark to the battlefield will save them. But that plan does not work. Israel is defeated, the ark is captured by the Philistines, and Eli and his sons die. However, the Lord cannot let the enemy think that they have defeated him. For seven months he causes plagues and disturbances wherever the Philistines take the ark, until they give up and send it back to Israel with a tribute of gold. The ark will then remain in Kiriath-jearim until David takes it to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). Samuel is completely absent from this story (reappearing in 1 Sam. 7:3), which indicates that these events took place while he was growing up.
Samuel’s birth was God’s answer to Hannah’s prayer for a son. Dedicated to the Lord as a small child, he lived and ministered at Shiloh. When he was a young man, the Lord spoke to him and established him as a prophet. Samuel called the people of Israel to repent and put aside idolatry. During Samuel’s lifetime, Israel changed from a collection of tribes ruled by various temporary “judges” to a nation ruled by a king. As the last judge of Israel, Samuel anointed Saul as Israel’s first king. When Saul disobeyed God and was rejected as king, Samuel anointed David as his successor. Samuel acted as a faithful judge, prophet, and priest, foreshadowing the work of Christ as king, prophet, and priest (Heb. 1:1–3). (1 Samuel 3:19–21)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:1b–22 After suffering defeat in battle, the Israelites try to use the ark of the covenant to ensure victory. Instead, the Philistines defeat them again, killing Eli’s two sons and taking the ark into exile. When Eli hears of it, he suddenly dies. For reflections on these events see Ps. 78:58–66 and Jer. 7:8–15.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:1b Aphek was 8 miles (13 km) east of Tel Aviv, north of the Philistia plain, and just to the west of the hill country of Ephraim. The location of Ebenezer is uncertain, but it may have been 2 miles (3.2 km) farther east.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:3–4 from Shiloh. The ark of the covenant had been “in the temple of the LORD” in Shiloh (3:3). (On the details of the ark, see Ex. 25:10–22; 37:1–9; and illustration.) Moses was commanded by the Lord to put the tablets of the covenant, the “testimony,” into the ark (Ex. 25:16; Deut. 10:5; see 1 Kings 8:9). enthroned. The ark represented God’s actual presence among his people (Ex. 25:22). It showed that he was fighting for Israel. Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD . . . that it may come among us. The language here suggests that the people were treating the ark disrespectfully.
| 1 Sam. 3:3 | The Lord calls to Samuel who is sleeping in the tent of meeting, “where the ark of God was” |
| 1 Samuel 4 | Philistines capture the ark (for seven months: 1 Sam. 6:1) |
| 1 Sam. 5:1–7 | Philistines bring the ark to Ashdod, setting it up next to the idol Dagon |
| 1 Sam. 5:8–9 | Philistines bring the ark to Gath |
| 1 Sam. 5:10–12 | Philistines send the ark to Ekron |
| 1 Sam. 6:10–15 | Philistines return the ark with guilt offering to Beth-shemesh |
| 1 Sam. 6:19–21 | The Lord strikes 70 men for looking into the ark |
| 1 Sam. 7:1–2 | Men of Kiriath-jearim take the ark to the house of Abinadab (where it stays for 20 years) |
| 1 Sam. 14:18 | Saul commands Ahijah to bring the ark to the war camp |
| 2 Sam. 6:2–5 | David begins to move the ark to Jerusalem on a cart |
| 2 Sam. 6:6–7 | The Lord strikes Uzzah dead for holding on to the ark |
| 2 Sam. 6:10–11 | David takes the ark to the house of Obed-edom, where it stays for three months |
| 2 Sam. 6:12–17 | David brings the ark to Jerusalem, and places it inside the tent he pitched for it |
| 2 Sam. 15:24–25 | Zadok brings the ark to David, who commands him to carry it back to Jerusalem |
| 2 Sam. 15:29 | Zadok and Abiathar carry the ark back to Jerusalem |
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:3 The elders of Israel were senior tribal leaders entrusted with important decisions. They realize that the defeat was a punishment from the Lord, but there is no indication that they want to know how they have sinned.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:5 a mighty shout. The Israelites are confident in the ark’s power, but the rest of the story will show that they have failed to approach God’s presence in faith and obedience.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:6 The Philistines usually refer to the Israelites as Hebrews (e.g., 14:11; 29:3). The term apparently comes from the name Eber (Gen. 10:21–25). “Hebrew” is an ethnic term for the people (see Gen. 14:13), while “Israel” is a religious and political designation.
The term “Hebrews” is used in 4:6 by the Philistines to describe the Israelites as an ethnic group. The term literally means “descendants of Eber” (Gen. 10:21–25). After David established the monarchy, the nation was referred to as “Israel” rather than “the Hebrews.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:7–8 A god. The Philistines thought the ark was an image of Israel’s God. Because they believed in the existence of many gods, the Philistines assumed Israel did as well. Struck the Egyptians . . . in the wilderness probably shows the Philistines’ ignorance about the exact course of events during Israel’s wilderness wanderings.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:10 Israel was defeated. In view of v. 3, one cannot give the Philistines all the credit for defeating Israel. The phrase every man to his home was a common way of describing the disbanding of an army, either intentionally (Judg. 20:8; 1 Sam. 13:2; 2 Sam. 20:1, 22) or because of defeat (2 Chron. 25:22).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:17 Your two sons . . . are dead is the sign that Eli had been told to expect as a forewarning of the destruction of his priestly descendants (2:34), but it seems that he is even more concerned about the ark.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:18 Besides being a priest at Shiloh, Eli had also judged Israel for forty years.
Eli was a priest at Shiloh and a judge of Israel. He became Samuel’s guardian after Hannah brought her son to the temple. When God spoke to Samuel, it was Eli who realized the voice was the Lord’s, and he told Samuel how to respond. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who also served as priests. Both of them were wicked and blasphemed God. Although Eli rebuked his sons, they did not listen. A messenger from God announced to Eli that his household had been rejected by the Lord. Eli died after receiving news that both of his sons had been killed in battle and the ark of the Lord had been captured. (1 Samuel 4:12–18)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 4:21–22 Like Eli (see note on v. 17), Phinehas’s wife seems more concerned with the fate of the ark than with the death of her husband. Ichabod means “where is the glory?” She mourns for Israel because it is without the presence of God. She doesn’t know that the Lord is going to demonstrate his glory in the land of Philistia, as will be seen in ch. 5.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 5:2–5 When the Philistines set the ark beside their god Dagon, the idol fell to the floor and was broken. A people whose gods were in enemy hands was considered to be completely conquered.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 5:6 The tumors, together with an apparently abnormal number of mice in the area (6:5), have led most commentators to identify the disease as bubonic plague. Yet 5:12 has no reference to the mice at all.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 5:8 The five (6:4, 16) lords were the rulers of the five leading Philistine cities (see 6:17).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:3 Many ancient religions recognized that it was wrong to mishandle objects used in worship. The Philistines thought the Israelites’ God was angry about how they treated the ark. They hoped he would be satisfied by a guilt offering.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:5 Even the pagan Philistines must eventually give glory to the God of Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:6 as the Egyptians. The Philistine religious professionals knew about the events of the exodus (see especially Ex. 10:1–2; but see also note on 1 Sam. 4:7–8).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:7–9 Untrained milk cows could not pull a cart well as a team. If they went anywhere, it would be home to their calves. Therefore, if they pulled the cart uphill toward Israel, it must be the work of the Lord (v. 9).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:12 Beth-shemesh was partway up the Sorek Valley, connecting Israel and Philistia. It was the scene of many of Samson’s exploits. It is listed among the Levitical cities in Josh. 21:16.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:17–18 All of the Philistines, both fortified cities and unwalled villages, participated in the guilt offering.
Why the offering of golden mice and tumors? The tumors that afflicted the Philistines were most likely inflamed lymph nodes. This is the most common symptom of bubonic plague, which is often spread through rodents such as mice. Therefore, in order to appease the God of Israel, the Philistines sent gold replicas of the mice and tumors (6:17).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:19 Looked upon indicates staring, peering into, perhaps gloating. This irreverence explains why God struck some of the men.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:20 The Israelites in Beth-shemesh responded to the presence of the ark in much the same way as the Philistines had responded (5:7–10)!
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 6:21 Kiriath-jearim was about 10 miles (16 km) farther up the Sorek Valley toward Jerusalem, strategically situated on a hill at the intersection of the boundaries of Judah, Dan, and Benjamin.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:1 Eleazar may have been descended from Aaron, and that may have been why the people of Beth-shemesh asked Kiriath-jearim to take the ark. (Aaron also had a son named Eleazar; the name was probably common in the Levitical families.)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:2–17 Samuel has not appeared since 4:1, but when he calls the people to repent of their idolatry, they respond. He is clearly the leader of “all . . . Israel” (8:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:3–4 Returning here means repenting, that is, a change of direction back to the Lord. Samuel gives three commands: (1) turn away from idolatry; (2) direct the heart to the LORD; and (3) serve him alone (see Deut. 6:4–15; Josh. 24:14–28; Judg. 10:6–16). Foreign gods and the Ashtaroth refers to all idols. The Baals and the Ashtaroth has the same meaning.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:5–6 Mizpah was probably about 7 miles (11 km) north of Jerusalem, near an important north-south road. It was a place of assembly for all Israel, as in Judges 20–21 and also 1 Sam. 10:17–27, where Saul was proclaimed king. Samuel was the judge for the city. I will pray to the LORD for you. Samuel was known as an intercessor (7:8; 12:23; Jer. 15:1). They drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted. Like fasting, pouring out the water was an act of self-denial.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:9 nursing lamb. An animal could be sacrificed once it was eight days old (Lev. 22:27). A basic purpose of the whole burnt offering was to make atonement (Lev. 1:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:10 confusion. Compare Ex. 14:24, where the Lord threw the Egyptian army into “panic.” Compare also “confusion” (Ex. 23:27), “panic” (Josh. 10:10), and “routed” (2 Sam. 22:15 and Ps. 18:14). These are all the same Hebrew word.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:13 did not again enter the territory of Israel. The victory is here described as a decisive turning point, although Philistine armies do reappear later (e.g., 10:5; 13:3).
Ebenezer (7:12) means “stone of help.” The monument was raised to remember the victory of the Israelites over the Philistines. Samuel chose to name it after the place where the Philistines first defeated the Israelites. This monument represented a chance of a fresh start for Israel because God had changed their circumstances and restored them as a nation.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:14 Restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath probably means that the Israelite territories that had come under the control of those two Philistine cities were now freed. peace also between Israel and the Amorites. Thus Israel was no longer bothered by enemies from outside or from inside the land.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 7:15–16 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. This is a summary of Samuel’s activities as judge. From his hometown of Ramah, he visited the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, which are all in or around the territory of Benjamin. In the book of Judges and here in 1 Samuel, a “judge” can be someone who simply leads or governs, but apparently Samuel also “judged” in the sense of deciding legal cases.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:1–22 Transition to the Monarchy. Chapter 8 is a turning point in OT history, marking Israel’s transition from judgeship to kingship. Until now the people had depended on the Lord to raise up judges to lead them as needed, but now they want a monarchy. Samuel’s sons were causing problems, but instead of rejecting these hereditary judges and demanding that better judges be appointed, the people ask for a hereditary kingship. As threats from their enemies resumed (v. 20; 9:16; 10:5; 12:12), they may have felt the need for stronger and more permanent leadership. But the text suggests that they simply wanted to have their own king, “like all the nations” around them. In doing so, they were rejecting the Lord as their true king (8:7).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:1 he made his sons judges. Samuel himself may have contributed to the problem (see note on vv. 1–22) by appointing his sons as judges. There had not been hereditary judges before; Gideon had rejected the idea (Judg. 8:22–23).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:2 Beersheba was the extreme south of Israel in traditional descriptions (see 3:20).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:3 turned aside after gain . . . took bribes and perverted justice. Such self-serving practices by leaders are criticized repeatedly in the Bible.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:4–5 appoint for us a king . . . like all the nations. Samuel had appointed judges. The elders, recognizing his authority, ask for a king. They want to exchange their unique position as the people of the incomparable God (2:2) to be “like all the nations.” The law had given permission to appoint a king, but it was not a requirement (Deut. 17:14–20).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:6 the thing displeased Samuel. Literally, “the thing was evil in Samuel’s eyes.” It was more than just a personal sense of rejection.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:9–18 The Lord told Samuel to solemnly warn the people about the ways of the king, since they so desperately wanted their own king. Some of the things Samuel warned about were the normal cost of running a large central government, but others were clearly abuses of power (see note on vv. 14–15).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:11 Having men run before his chariots was a status symbol. Both Absalom and Adonijah had a chariot, horses, horsemen, and 50 runners to run before them (2 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:12–13 The commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties were probably permanent officers over soldiers forced to serve. The king will also force people to make weapons, prepare his food, and provide him with luxuries (perfumers and cooks and bakers).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:14–15 the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards. Rather than serving the people without seeking self-enrichment (as Samuel did, 12:3–5), the king would use his power to “take” the best for himself and those around him (8:11–15). Servants refers to high-ranking officials.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:17 you shall be his slaves. The Israelites and all their possessions would be subject to the king’s use. Forced labor (see 1 Kings 5:13–16) would probably be the most objectionable form of this “slavery.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:19–21 “We,” “us,” and “our” appear frequently in this short speech. The king’s functions are (1) to give influence and status like all the nations; (2) to judge us (2 Sam. 15:2–4; 1 Kings 3:16–28; Psalm 72); and (3) to go out before us and fight our battles—that is, be a war leader (e.g., 1 Sam. 14:47–48).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 8:22 make them a king. The Lord grants the people’s demands, even though it means that they have rejected him (v. 7). By raising up David’s dynasty, God will bring good out of Israel’s sinful desire for a king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:1–15:35 The Story of Saul. Saul, the first king over all Israel, starts out well. But he fails as a king because he will not obey the word of God that comes through Samuel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:2 Saul seems to be the ideal candidate for king, with a striking physical appearance. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. See also 10:23.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:3–8 Saul’s father sends him in search of some lost donkeys. Just as Saul is about to give up the search, God intervenes through Saul’s servant. The servant suggests that they inquire of a local man of God (that is, a “seer”; v. 9). The servant just happens to have some silver with him, which would provide the customary present for the seer (compare 1 Kings 14:3; 2 Kings 8:8).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:9 Inquire refers to seeking guidance from the Lord, either through a prophet or by lots (compare 10:22; 2 Kings 22:13; Jer. 21:2). It could also refer to inquiring of pagan gods (2 Kings 1:2). Seer, prophet, and “man of God” (1 Sam. 9:6) are used almost interchangeably in the OT.
A gift for the prophet. Gift-giving was an important custom in the social dealings of the ancient world, as is often the case today in various cultures around the world. It was expected that a person seeking knowledge from a prophet would give a gift in exchange (9:6–8).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:12 As they prepared to enter Canaan, the Israelites were told to destroy all the “high places” of the Canaanites (Num. 33:52). However, worship of the Lord at such places was allowed before the time of the temple (1 Kings 3:2, 4). Such worship sites were often built on hills or mountains to represent the power of the Lord (or of a pagan deity). After the temple was built, worship at these high places was no longer acceptable (2 Kings 23:15).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:16 you shall anoint him. The king was the Lord’s “anointed one,” a term that can also be translated “messiah.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:20–21 for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? As king, why should Saul concern himself with donkeys when he will receive the choicest things of the land (see 8:11–17)? However, Samuel’s question could also be seen as a criticism, since it can be translated, “For whom is all the desire of Israel?” In making Saul its king, Israel gets what it desires (ch. 8). Am I not . . . from the least . . . the humblest of all the clans? Saul’s emphasis on his low status indicates that he understands this question in the former, positive sense.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 9:24 the cook took up the leg. The leg was the priest’s portion (Ex. 29:27). Saul is told in 1 Sam. 10:4 to accept bread that probably was originally intended as an offering and would have been eaten by the priests (see Num. 18:8). These are indications of the sacredness of his kingship.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:1 the LORD has anointed you. This is a private anointing. Later Samuel will demonstrate publicly, by casting lots, that Saul has been chosen by the Lord (see vv. 17–27). The Hebrew for his heritage appears six times in Samuel and can refer either to the Lord’s land or to his people Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:4 The two loaves of bread were probably intended for the sacrificial meal (see note on 9:24), because the men were “going up to God at Bethel” (10:3). Saul’s authority as divinely anointed king is acknowledged through this act.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:6 In 1 and 2 Samuel, the phrase “the Spirit of the LORD” appears only in connection with Saul and David (1 Sam. 16:13–14; 2 Sam. 23:2). The expression the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon (someone) appears only in Judges and 1 Samuel, ending with David (Judg. 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Sam. 10:10; 11:6; 16:13). It always speaks of God’s Spirit coming suddenly on someone to equip and empower that person to serve God’s people. be turned into another man. He will be equipped to play a new role (see Judg. 6:34; 11:29).
Though musical instruments were used to induce trances in pagan worship, the Israelites used them for pleasing the Lord. The instruments used by the prophets in 10:5 were the same ones used during feasts (Isa. 5:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:9–10 Saul is given another heart and he prophesies. This is possible because the Spirit of God rushed upon him (see v. 6; 11:6). Later the Spirit of the Lord “departed from Saul” (16:14; 18:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:11–12 The people who knew him previously were shocked to see Saul prophesying. Their response, Is Saul also among the prophets? became a proverb, that is, an often-repeated saying in Israel (compare “Thus it is said”; 19:24).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:12 who is their father? The man’s question may simply be about leadership, since “father” elsewhere describes the leader of a group of prophets (2 Kings 2:12; 6:21; 13:14). If so, the man may have been implying that no good leader would permit someone like Saul to join his group. On the other hand, he may have been wondering why Saul was associating with such madmen as these prophets (compare 2 Kings 9:11). See also note on 1 Sam. 19:23–24.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:14–16 Saul’s uncle, probably Abner (see 14:50), asks where he has been and what Samuel said to him. Saul’s fate would be of great concern to Abner, since he was probably next in line after Kish and Saul to inherit Abiel’s estate (see 9:1).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:22 Saul had hidden himself, perhaps for fear of accepting his new responsibilities.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:24 Long live the king! At last Saul is publicly and officially presented and accepted by the people as the king. Here Samuel says that the LORD has chosen Saul, while in 12:13 he says to the people, “you have chosen.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:25 The rights and duties of the kingship represent the agreement between the people and the king about the king’s privileges and responsibilities. Here Samuel was the intermediary and witness. He also laid the document before the LORD, that is, deposited it in a sanctuary.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 10:26 Gibeah (“hill”), Saul’s home, was about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Jerusalem. It had a panoramic view and a north-south road nearby. This is probably the same as “Gibeath-elohim, where there was a garrison of Philistines” (v. 5).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:1–15 Saul’s victory over the Ammonites confirms his kingship.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:1 Jabesh-gilead was probably east of the Jordan River near the western edge of the Gilead mountains.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:2 To make a treaty is literally “to cut a treaty,” which usually involved sacrificial animals. But Nahash demands to “cut” the treaty with the men’s eyes.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:3 For elders, see note on 4:3.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:4 There were probably strong blood ties between Jabesh-gilead and Gibeah (see Judg. 21:12). The 42-mile (68-km) journey from Jabesh to Gibeah may have taken two days.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:6–7 As in 10:6 (see note there), the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul, and he is filled with power like one of the judges (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 14:6).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:8 Bezek was probably on the opposite side of the Jordan from Jabesh.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:10 Give ourselves up to you can also mean “march out to you.” The speech of the men is deliberately unclear.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 11:12–15 This ceremony at the worship center of Gilgal seems to be a religious coronation, as opposed to the political recognition in 10:17–25.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:1–25 The setting of this address is not clear, though it was probably a different occasion than ch. 11. From now on, Samuel will no longer be the judge of all Israel: the age of kingship has begun. But this is neither a retirement ceremony for Samuel nor his last public address; his authority as the prophet who gives the word of God to the king and people of Israel remains powerful (see 12:18), and he has one more king to anoint (ch. 16).
God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel. Soon after Samuel anointed him privately, the entire nation discovered by means of casting lots that he was to be their king. Saul was a gifted military leader who won the confidence of Israel by saving the city of Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites. The Bible describes him as a tall, handsome man. Although Saul was chosen by God, he was not faithful to the Lord. He eventually grew proud and disobedient, and God rejected him as king. Tormented into paranoia by a harmful spirit, Saul became insanely jealous of David’s popularity and success and sought to kill him. He was wounded in a battle against the Philistines, and ultimately took his own life to avoid capture. (1 Samuel 11:15)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:3–6 Samuel asks the people to testify to his honorable behavior as a judge, in contrast to that of his sons (see 8:3). Whose ox have I taken? Samuel has not used his office as a means of personal enrichment (see notes on 8:3; 8:14–15).
A king is crowned. Saul becomes the first king of all 12 tribes of Israel in ch. 12. Only three kings (Saul, David, and Solomon) ruled the entire nation before the people divided into the nations of Israel and Judah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:10 the Baals and the Ashtaroth. That is, the foreign gods and goddesses; see note on 7:3–4.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:14–15 No king in Israel is exempt from obeying the Lord’s commandments.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:21 empty things. Worthless idols. Those who trust in them receive only emptiness in return.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:23 Praying and instruction are two of Samuel’s major roles as prophet, even now that Israel has its king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 12:25 Both the people and the king are required to obey the Lord.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:1–23 In preparing for battle, Saul disobeys God’s commands given through Samuel. God cannot endure such a king over Israel.
Lord of lords. Beginning with Saul and David, kings ruled over Israel. But kings did not have supreme authority. That position still belonged to the Lord. Any king who undermined the authority of the Lord or the words he sent through his prophets would eventually see his kingdom fail.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:1 The Hebrew text of this verse is difficult, and various solutions have been proposed. One possibility (see esv footnote) is that some numbers, giving Saul’s age and length of reign, were lost from the text in the process of transmission. Most Septuagint manuscripts lack this verse completely. Acts 13:21 says that Saul reigned for “forty years.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:2 In ch. 9 Saul is described as a “young man,” but here he has a son who can command troops, and so a number of years may have passed. Michmash is about 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Jerusalem and 3 or 4 miles (4.8 or 6.4 km) south of Bethel. These three thousand men were Saul’s standing army.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:5 Thirty thousand chariots seems to be a very high number. Some ancient Bible manuscripts have “three thousand.” Beth-aven is probably the Beth-aven near Ai (Josh. 7:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:7 land of Gad and Gilead. Or “land of Gad, that is, Gilead.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:8–15 Saul knows he has done wrong, for he starts making excuses (vv. 11–12). Saul is unable to trust and obey the word of the Lord, so instead he responds to circumstances or relies on religious ritual to gain God’s favor (see 14:24 and the incident in 4:3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:13–14 Saul fails to acknowledge the prophet’s higher role as God’s messenger (compare 15:11, 13, 19, 22–23). He loses the kingship because of his disobedience.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:16 Geba is only a mile or two (1.6–3.2 km) from Michmash. The two are separated by a deep ravine, which is an important pass from the Jordan Valley into the Ephraimite hills. The Philistines were stationed at the hilltop that overlooks the ravine from the north, while Saul’s army was encamped to the south. See ch. 14.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:19–22 no blacksmith (in) Israel. The Philistines apparently had been able to take over the production of the kind of metal (probably iron) needed for swords and spears. This put the Israelites at a great disadvantage. Thus the Israelite victory at Michmash (ch. 14) was certainly the Lord’s doing.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:1–52 This chapter focuses on Saul’s son Jonathan, who will become a friend of David. Jonathan’s act of trust in this chapter is sandwiched between two examples of Saul’s disobedience (chs. 13 and 15).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:2–3 The outskirts of Gibeah may mean “the edge of the hill.” Migron may mean “threshing floor.” Court was often held under a tree (22:6; Judg. 4:5) or on threshing floors (1 Kings 22:10).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:4 Bozez means “the gleaming one,” and Seneh means “the thorny one.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:6 Jonathan’s trust contrasts with Saul’s concern about numbers (13:11, 15). Uncircumcised was a customary insult directed at the Philistines (see Judg. 14:3; 1 Sam. 17:26; 2 Sam. 1:20).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:10 if they say, “Come up to us.” This would give Jonathan and the armor-bearer the opportunity to get into the Philistine camp at what was probably its most thinly protected point, without raising an alarm. The guards’ words in v. 12 suggest that an attack by these two lone men was unexpected.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:14 The Hebrew “yoke” (esv footnote) was a unit for measuring area.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:15 A very great panic is literally “a panic of God” (see esv footnote), suggesting divine intervention.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:16 Saul was in Gibeah, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Michmash. His watchmen were probably stationed nearer, watching Michmash.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:18 The ark had apparently been brought from Kiriath-jearim to be with the army for some special reason. Saul wanted Ahijah, who carried the sacred lots in the ephod, to cast the lots before the ark.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:21–22 Some people called Hebrews had previously sided with the Philistines (compare 29:3) while others had hidden themselves during this time of war. Now that Israel is succeeding, both groups commit to fighting for Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:23 beyond Beth-aven. This battle seems to have driven the Philistines from the central mountain areas.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:24 so Saul had laid an oath. Jonathan, of course, had not been present at the time.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:27 His eyes became bright suggests renewed vitality (compare Ezra 9:8; Ps. 13:3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:28 this day. See v. 24 (“until it is evening”). The day began at sunset.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:32–33 When evening comes (v. 34) and the people are once again free to eat (see v. 24), they are in such a hurry that they do not drain the blood properly from the animals they kill (v. 33). Eating meat with blood is strictly prohibited in the law (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:10–14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:39 he shall surely die. Saul assumes that the Lord does not answer Saul’s prior question (v. 37) because of some unknown sin (v. 38). Just as it was Saul’s own poor decision to impose the ban on eating (v. 24), it is also his decision to kill the person, whoever it is, whose guilt has prevented the Lord from answering him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:41–42 give Urim. . . . give Thummim. . . . Cast the lot. The Urim and Thummim (or just Urim) are mentioned also in Ex. 28:30; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; and Ezra 2:63. They may have been two stones of two different colors, one representing a positive and the other a negative answer, that were kept in the “breastpiece of judgment” of the priest’s ephod (see Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8). They were the only legitimate means of directly seeking a “yes” or “no” answer from the Lord, apart from God’s speaking directly to people.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:45 Shall Jonathan die? . . . Far from it! As the LORD lives . . . The people use the same oath that Saul used in v. 39. They obviously think God spoke much more clearly in Jonathan’s victory than in Saul’s foolish oath (v. 24).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:49 It is possible, but not certain, that Ishvi is a variation of the name Ish-bosheth (2 Sam. 2:8; he is called “Eshbaal” in 1 Chron. 8:33).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:50–51 Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. Although it may not be clear from the text, Abner was Saul’s uncle.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:1–35 The Lord finally rejects Saul as king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:2 what Amalek did to Israel. The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe that inhabited the desert south of Judah (Num. 13:29). They attacked Israel at Rephidim (Ex. 17:8), and the Lord declared war on them (Ex. 17:14–16; Deut. 25:17–19). They joined other groups against Israel in Num. 14:41–45; Judg. 3:13; 6:3; 10:12. Later, they attacked David’s city of Ziklag (1 Samuel 30), and David subdued them in 2 Sam. 8:12.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:3 devote to destruction. This usually meant that all living things—men, women, children, and livestock—were to be killed (see notes on Deut. 20:16–18; Josh. 6:17–18). This was done partly to protect Israel from the influence of paganism.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:4 Although the army of Judah is mentioned separately (as also in 11:8), it seems that Judahites in general considered themselves part of the larger nation. Judah was near the Amalekites and must have been particularly affected by their raids (30:14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:6 Kenites. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was a Kenite (Judg. 1:16). He and his son had been helpful to the Israelites (Exodus 18; Num. 10:29–32). depart; . . . lest I destroy you with them. The Kenites had settled among the Amalekites. Saul’s action in this situation is admirable.
Why did Saul spare the Kenites? Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was a Kenite. Jethro and his son were helpful and kind to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. Because of this, David also showed favor to the Kenites when he became king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:9 Spared is in sharp contrast to Samuel’s instructions (“Do not spare,” v. 3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:11 I regret (also vv. 29, 35). Here, as in Gen. 6:6, the Lord “regrets” something. This means that God feels genuine sorrow when contemplating Saul’s sin. It does not mean that God thinks his decision to make Saul king was a mistake in his plans for history (see Isa. 46:9–10). For more on divine regret, see note on 1 Sam. 15:29.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:12 Carmel here is a town in Judah about 7 miles (11 km) south of Hebron. That Saul has gone there to set up a monument for himself raises further suspicions about his character.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:15 Saul’s excuse for his disobedience (the people spared) contrasts with the facts (“Saul and the people spared,” v. 9). to sacrifice to the LORD your God. They were probably also planning to share in eating the sacrifices, contrary to the order for destruction (see note on v. 3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:17 Samuel reminds Saul here again (see v. 1) that the LORD anointed you king over Israel. Why should Saul, as God’s anointed, yield to the people’s opinion over God’s directions? He became king because the people asked for a king; now he is rejected because he listened to them (compare Prov. 29:25) rather than leading them to obey God.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:20–21 I have obeyed . . . but the people. See note on v. 15.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:22 The Lord himself does not need sacrifices like the gods of other religions. Rather, the people need to bring sacrifices in order to approach the holy God (see Leviticus 1–5). Even the best sacrifice without obedience gains nothing.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:23 Rebellion (see 12:15) and presumption mean rejecting the Lord. The Hebrew word translated idolatry refers to either “household gods” (Gen. 31:19; Judg. 17:5; 1 Sam. 19:13) or “ancestor figurines” used as aids in divination (Ezek. 21:21; Hos. 3:4; Zech. 10:2). Saul is rejected as king here and also in 1 Sam. 15:26 (see 13:13–14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:24–26 Saul confesses, I have sinned. At least he admits the basic issue (I feared the people). Instead of being struck with the awfulness of his sin, Saul is more concerned with his reputation among the people (v. 30). the LORD has rejected you from being king. In 13:13, God rejected Saul’s dynasty. Here, Saul himself is rejected as king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:27 Saul seizes the skirt of Samuel’s robe as a final, humble plea for mercy.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:28 The term this day is used in a legal sense: the rejection is final and has already taken effect (see Ruth 4:9–10; Ps. 2:7). In God’s sight, the kingdom has already been torn from Saul and given to someone else (past tense), though the actual act is yet to come.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:29 Verses 11 and 35 say that God regretted making Saul king, while here Samuel denies that God will ever lie or have regret. The term for “have regret” can be translated “relent” or “change one’s mind” (e.g., Ex. 32:14; Num. 23:19; Ps. 106:45; Jonah 3:9–10) or “have pity or compassion” (Deut. 32:36; Judg. 2:18; Ps. 135:14) as well as “be sorry” or “have regret” (see Gen. 6:6–7). Thus the term as used in 1 Sam. 15:11, 35 describes God’s own feeling of sorrow that Saul had turned out as he did. In v. 29, God will not change his mind concerning a decision once he has made it. For further discussion of God’s “relenting” from sending good or disaster on a people, see note on Jonah 3:10.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:30 honor me now. What Saul wants most is now clearly seen (see vv. 24–25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:31 Samuel chooses to stay with Saul. This could be because of concern for Saul personally (v. 35) or for the peace of the nation.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:32–33 Bring here to me Agag. Samuel himself takes on the task that Saul failed to finish. Hacked . . . to pieces was not the normal means of putting to death. Usually slaying before the LORD involves sacrificing an animal (see Ex. 29:11; Lev. 1:5). In this case Agag himself is the sacrifice, justly put to death for his own sin (see note on 1 Sam. 15:3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:34 Ramah is only 2 miles (3.2 km) from Gibeah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:35 Formerly angry, Samuel now grieved over Saul. On the LORD regretted, see notes on vv. 11 and 29.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:1–31:13 The Story of Saul and David. Now that Saul has been completely rejected as king, David is introduced as his successor. God trains David, through suffering, to lead his people.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:1–13 God tells Samuel that David is his choice to replace Saul as king. After David’s anointing, before a limited audience, the Spirit of God empowers him for service.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:1 Jesse was a descendant of Perez, son of Judah and Tamar (Gen. 38:29), and a grandson of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 4:18–22). Bethlehem is in Judah, about 10 miles (16 km) from Ramah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:2 and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.” This was a true but incomplete statement of the reasons Samuel came to Bethlehem (see v. 1). Yet the Lord told him to say it, so it should not be considered morally wrong. It seems that telling only part of what one knows to be true is morally right in some situations.
| Saul | David |
|---|---|
| Holy Spirit removed; evil spirit given (16:14–23) | Anointed with Holy Spirit (16:1–13) |
| Jealous and treacherous (ch. 18) | Faithful friend (ch. 20) |
| Attempts to kill David (ch. 19) | Protects Saul’s life (chs. 24; 26) |
| Failed holy warrior (ch. 15) | Mighty holy warrior (ch. 17) |
| Kingdom torn away (13:13–14; 15:11, 26) | Kingdom promised forever (2 Sam. 7:1–17) |
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:5 Consecrate yourselves. They would probably wash themselves and perhaps also wash their clothes (Ex. 19:10; Num. 8:21).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:7 man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. The “heart” in Scripture refers to a person’s inward moral and spiritual life, including the emotions, will, and reason.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:8–9 And he said. It is unclear whether the Lord is speaking to Samuel or Samuel is speaking to Jesse.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:10 seven of his sons. Was David the seventh son or the eighth? Jesse had eight sons according to 17:12. David is listed as “seventh” in 1 Chron. 2:15, but this may represent the “telescoping” of a genealogy to give David the number of perfection (see notes on 1 Chron. 2:9–17; Matt. 1:17).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:13 David’s name is mentioned here for the first time. the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. See note on 10:6.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:14–23 Saul and David become acquainted when David begins serving Saul. As the story develops, David will become Saul’s most successful servant.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:14 The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul as soon as the Lord’s Spirit came upon David (see v. 13). A harmful spirit sent by the Lord tormented Saul as a form of judgment for his turning against the Lord (15:22–29). Though God himself never does evil, he sometimes uses evil agents to accomplish his purposes (such as the Babylonians conquering Israel, or sinful people crucifying Christ).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:16–18 David was already skillful in playing the lyre, but a man of valor, a man of war probably refers to his ability and not his experience (see 17:13, 33). Perhaps some of Saul’s men knew of how David had single-handedly defeated both lions and bears (see 17:36).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:21 An armor-bearer was a close personal attendant.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:22 As was his custom (see 14:52) with brave men, Saul kept David nearby.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:1–54 David has been chosen by the Lord, anointed as king privately, and has been serving in Saul’s court. Now, he defeats Goliath and, as a result, becomes publicly known. David’s victory leads to Saul’s jealousy, which drives the plot of the rest of the book. David shows himself better qualified than Saul to serve as the king of Israel.
Sometime after being anointed as the next king of Israel, David was sent from Bethlehem by his father to take food to his brothers serving in the Israelite army near Socoh and Azekah. When David arrived, he learned of the Philistines’ challenge to the Israelites to send a champion to fight their warrior Goliath from Gath. David took up the challenge and killed Goliath, leading the Israelites to rout the Philistines and chase them all the way to Gath and Ekron.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:1–2 The Valley of Elah runs westward from Bethlehem, from the hill country of Judah toward Gath and Ekron (see v. 52). It is immediately south of and parallel to the Sorek Valley (see note on 6:12). Control of this valley would give the Philistines entry into the hill country of Judah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:4–11 A champion in ancient Near Eastern literature is a man who steps out to fight between two battle lines. Here Goliath offers to fight, on behalf of his side, against any champion that Israel will put forward. A champion’s personal victory would amount to victory for his side (vv. 8–10). Six cubits and a span is about 9 feet 9 inches (3 m).
A battle of champions. To save lives, the outcomes of battles were at times decided by one-on-one combat (17:4). A champion was selected from the opposing armies to fight each other. Both sides assumed that the gods had thereby determined the winning side.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:11 It was Saul’s job to accept the challenge on behalf of Israel. Instead he was greatly afraid (see 15:24), along with everyone else.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:12 Ephrathite refers to a man from Judean Ephrathah, around Bethlehem (see Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Mic. 5:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:18 their thousand. The Hebrew term usually means “thousand,” but in the present context it probably refers to a military unit of undetermined size.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:25–26 Have you seen? “You” is plural; the question is not directed toward David. armies of the living God. To David, this battle is fundamentally spiritual (see vv. 45–47; see Eph. 6:12). His father’s house refers to a person’s extended family, smaller than a tribe or clan, with 50 to 100 persons. Free means exempt from taxes and other obligations to the palace.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:34 a lion, or a bear. Both lions and bears were common in the land during this time.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:43 sticks. Goliath sees David’s staff (v. 40) but not the true weapon, the sling. Goliath’s gods are probably Dagon (5:2) and Ashtaroth (31:10).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:44, 46 In Israel, being unburied and exposed to birds and beasts was considered worse than death itself (see 31:8–13; 2 Samuel 21; Ps. 79:2–3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:52 men of Israel and Judah. There were divisions between Judah and the rest of Israel from the earliest time of the Davidic monarchy (see 11:8; 15:4; 2 Sam. 19:41–43).
Fed to the birds and beasts. In Israel, being killed and left for scavenger birds, like vultures, was considered shameful (17:46). It deprived a person of a meaningful burial where family members could properly mourn.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:54 Jerusalem refers to a suburb in the area around Jerusalem, not the Jebusite walled city that David captured later (see 2 Sam. 5:6–9).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:55–18:5 Immediately after his defeat of Goliath, everyone loves David. Saul takes him into his service. All of Saul’s officials love David, even though they are potentially his rivals. Even members of Saul’s own family welcome David into the royal court. Jonathan becomes an especially close friend of David, even though he realizes that David will eventually receive the crown that by hereditary right should be his.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:55–58 whose son is this youth? Even though Saul knew David, he would not remember the name of David’s father. He wants to ask his father to let him keep David permanently (see 18:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:2 Saul took David into his service and would not let him return to his father’s house. This was an example of the “ways of the king” that Samuel had warned of (“he will take your sons”; 8:11).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:3–4 he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan would eventually give up any claim to the throne for David’s sake (23:17) and would even risk his life for David (20:30–33); see note on 2 Sam. 1:26. Jonathan . . . gave his robe and other symbols of royal power to David. Perhaps unintentionally, Jonathan’s actions foreshadowed the transfer of the kingship to David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:6–30 As David’s success increases, Saul’s jealousy also increases.
Jonathan was King Saul’s oldest son. He showed great trust in God at Michmash (14:6), where he led a daring raid that brought an Israelite victory over the Philistines. Jonathan became a close friend of David. The Bible says that he loved David “as his own soul” (18:1). When his father sought to kill David, Jonathan warned his friend and helped him escape. As Saul’s popular eldest son, Jonathan would have been easily accepted as Saul’s heir. He showed radical self-denial, however, in giving up any right to the throne of Israel. He gave his absolute support to David as the Lord’s choice to succeed Saul as king. Jonathan remained devoted to his father, dying alongside him at Mount Gilboa. (1 Samuel 18:1–4)
The sound of victory. The sight of women singing, dancing, and playing tambourines was very common following a military victory (18:6). Ancient clay figurines or plaques showing women playing tambourines have been found in Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:7–9 Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands could be seen as simply an example of Hebrew parallelism, meaning “Saul and David together have killed many thousands.” Yet naming two distinct people in a number parallelism was unusual, and Saul in his paranoia interpreted the song as saying that David was superior to him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:17 fight the LORD’s battles. See 17:47. Saul tried to use David’s commitment to God to get him killed by the Philistines. Saul’s plotting shows little faith in the Lord, for he thought the Philistines could defeat David even though “the LORD was with him” (18:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:18–19 Who am I? Saul used David’s humble reply as an excuse to give Merab to another man.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:20–21 that she may be a snare for him. Saul agrees to let his daughter Michal marry David. Saul hopes that he can use her to destroy David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:25 The bride-price was normally money, but since David could not afford what was due a king’s daughter, the king let him display his bravery instead. The Philistines had foreskins because they were “uncircumcised” (see 14:6 and note).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:1–20:42 Saul moves from trying to use the Philistines to kill David to actually ordering him killed. Jonathan brings about a reconciliation between Saul and David, but David finally flees the court permanently.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:4 Jonathan appeals to Saul the king on the basis of a king’s obligation to do justice (see 25:31).
| 1 Samuel | Incident | Psalm |
|---|---|---|
| 19:11 | David’s house surrounded | 59 |
| 21:10–11 | David seized by Achish | 56 |
| 21:12–22:1 | David escapes from Achish (called Abimelech in Psalm 34 title) | 34 |
| 22:1 (possibly also 24:3) | David in cave | 57; 142 |
| 22:9–19 | Doeg the Edomite | 52 |
| 23:14–15 (possibly) | Desert of Judah | 63 |
| 23:19 | David betrayed by Ziphites | 54 |
| 2 Samuel | Incident | Psalm |
|---|---|---|
| 8:1–14 | Victory over Transjordan | 60 |
| chs. 11–12 | Against house of Uriah | 51 |
| chs. 15–17 | Absalom’s revolt | 3 |
| chs. 15–17 (possibly) | Desert of Judah | 63 |
| ch. 22 | Victory over all enemies | 18 |
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:5 took his life in his hand. Jonathan reminds Saul that David has risked his life for Israel.
David’s growing reputation among the people as a warrior and leader incited Saul’s jealousy, and Saul began trying to kill David. David fled from Saul in Gibeah (1) and went to Samuel at Naioth in Ramah (2), but soon Saul sought him there, and David fled back to Jonathan in Gibeah (3). After Jonathan warned David of Saul’s determination to kill him, David fled to Ahimelech the priest at Nob (4), where he collected food and Goliath’s sword. David briefly sought refuge in the Philistine city of Gath (5) and then set up his headquarters at the cave of Adullam (6), where the ranks of his army swelled to 400 men. In order to protect his parents from harm, David left them in the care of the king of Moab at Mizpeh (7) and went to live in “the stronghold” (8). After some time, David went to the forest of Hereth (9) and then left to rescue nearby Keilah (10) from some Philistine raiding parties. When David heard that Saul was coming to Keilah, he and his growing army of 600 men relocated to the wilderness of Ziph (11). After the men of Ziph betrayed David to Saul, David and his men went to live in the wilderness of Maon (12) and narrowly escaped capture there by Saul. Fleeing the strongholds of Engedi (13), David again evaded capture by Saul and refused an opportunity to take Saul’s life. David returned to “the stronghold” (14) and then to the wilderness of Paran (15). While he was there, David was again betrayed to Saul by the men of Ziph and refused another opportunity to take Saul’s life. Finally, David and his men sought refuge with Achish, the king of Gath (16).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:9 harmful spirit from the LORD. See note on 16:14.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:10 David fled and escaped also in vv. 12, 18.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:13 The image here was of human size and shape; contrast Laban’s smaller household gods in Gen. 31:19, 34–35.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:14 He is sick. The author does not pass judgment on Michal’s apparently deceptive response (compare note on Josh. 2:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:19 Naioth may refer to a shepherds’ camp in Ramah, 10–15 miles (16–24 km) north of Bethlehem. It was common for groups of prophets to live in such settlements.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:20–21 They also prophesied (twice in these verses) probably means that Saul’s messengers uttered words of prayer and praise to God as well as correction for each other, under the influence of the Spirit of God.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:23–24 he too prophesied before Samuel. The earlier question, “Who is their father?” (10:12), is answered by Samuel’s presence as “head” over the prophets (see 19:20). The Spirit of God came on Saul to take away his self-control and turn his hostility to prophetic praise. Even the will of the king is subject to the Lord’s will. And he too stripped off his clothes. The aggressive, angry king is humbled, even comically humiliated, before the power of the Lord. Thus it is said. See note on 10:11–12.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:5 The new moon was the day of the first appearance of the crescent moon in the western sky at sunset, marking the beginning of the month in the lunar calendar. It was one of Israel’s main festivals (see Num. 10:10; 1 Chron. 23:31; Ezek. 46:3). One could not always predict the exact day when the new moon would become visible, so it may be that the feast was held on the first possible day, and if the moon did not appear on that day, the feast was held on the second day as well (1 Sam. 20:27). Hence, David proposed meeting on the third day (see also “or the third day”; v. 12).
What was the significance of the new moon? The new moon was the day of the first appearance of the crescent moon in the western sky at sunset. This marked the beginning of the month in the lunar calendar. One of the main festivals in Israelite society was held at the time of the new moon.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:15 my house. That is, “my offspring”; see v. 42. See also 2 Samuel 9, where David shows “kindness” to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:26 Because the feast involved sacrifices, one had to be clean to participate (on the terms “clean” and “unclean,” see Introduction to Leviticus, Problems in Understanding Leviticus).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:29 My brother presumably refers to David’s eldest brother, Eliab (17:28). It reflects a system of family leadership passing to the eldest son; his father Jesse had already retired (see 17:12; compare Laban’s role in Gen. 24:50).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:31 neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Jonathan had already accepted this to be God’s will (vv. 14–15). Saul, on the other hand, assumed that kingship was hereditary, though there was no divine revelation to justify such an assumption.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:1–26:25 David begins his life as a fugitive. He moves around from place to place, gathering a group of 400 men, which later increases to 600. Saul is single-minded in his determination to kill David. He destroys the priests of Nob for innocently aiding David, and whenever he gets some firm news of David, he pursues him with his whole army. David continues to respect Saul as king and does not kill him, even when he apparently has God-sent opportunities to do so.
After the destruction of Shiloh, Nob apparently became the city where the priests and Levites lived. Although its exact location is unknown, it was probably a mile or two north of Jerusalem. After the building of the temple, Jerusalem became the nation’s official religious center.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:1–23:29 Chapter 21 tells of David’s visit to the shrine at Nob and ch. 22 tells of the disastrous consequences of that visit. Throughout these chapters are various other stories of David’s flight from Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:1 Nob, a city between Jerusalem and Gibeah, apparently became the priestly city after the destruction of Shiloh. Ahimelech was the great-grandson of Eli. Jesus refers to this incident as being “in the time of Abiathar the high priest” (Mark 2:26), identifying Abiathar by the title he later held.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:2 The king has charged me. David deceived Ahimelech the priest by implying that he (David) was on official business for the king. David’s deception would result in the deaths of Ahimelech and the priests at Nob (22:9–19; see 22:22). Though David normally acted in an upright way, the Bible does not hesitate to record his wrongdoing.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:4–5 Common bread, which might be eaten by anyone, is distinguished from holy bread, which, like sacrifices, could be eaten only by the “clean” (e.g., Lev. 10:10). Sexual contact was one source of uncleanness (Ex. 19:15; Lev. 15:18), especially on a military expedition (see 2 Sam. 11:9–11; on the terms “clean” and “unclean,” see Introduction to Leviticus, Problems in Understanding Leviticus). The “holy bread” was the bread of the Presence (Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5–9). Ahimelech was bending the rules, since only priests were allowed to eat the bread, and only in a holy place. However, Jesus endorsed Ahimelech’s judgment in responding with mercy rather than strict adherence to the ceremonial law.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:7 Doeg. See 22:9–19.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:10–15 David apparently had the idea of serving Achish (into my house, v. 15) as an anonymous mercenary, but he was recognized. It is not clear why they called David “king.” They may have been speaking ironically, mocking David. Or perhaps the Philistines used the word in a broader sense than it bore in Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:14 you see the man is mad. David pretended to be insane, and Achish was convinced of it. God was continuing to protect David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:1–4 Adullam is halfway between Gath and Bethlehem, and the cave is probably nearby. David’s family is in danger from Saul, so they join him. But because life in the wilderness would be too difficult for David’s aged parents, he takes them to Moab, where David’s great-grandmother Ruth had come from.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:2 everyone who was in distress. David was gathering the outcasts of Israel, but under his leadership they became an effective fighting force (see 23:5; 27:8), for “the LORD was with him” (18:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:5 The stronghold was probably not in Judah, since Gad told David to go into the land of Judah. It may have been Masada, the mesa on the western shore of the Dead Sea which would be the last holdout of the Jews in A.D. 73. The location of Hereth is unknown.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:6 Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree. Court was often held under a tree (Judg. 4:5).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:8–10 all of you have conspired against me. Saul does not trust in the Lord, and now he trusts no one else either, even his own servants. Doeg is called the Edomite three times in this episode (vv. 9, 18, 22; also 21:7), probably to point out that it was a foreigner who betrayed David and killed the priests. In 21:1–9 there is no reference to Ahimelech’s consulting the Lord, so Doeg may be lying here.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:19 Saul treats Nob like some enemy city that has been “devoted to destruction” (see note on 15:3), though previously he had failed to destroy the Amalekites (ch. 15).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:20 Through Abiathar, the benefit of true priestly counsel moves from Saul to David. Abiathar will remain with David as his priest until David’s death (2 Sam. 20:25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:1 Keilah was probably 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Adullam and east of Gath. It was apparently closer to Philistine territory than Hereth was.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:7 God has given him into my hand. Saul apparently still believes that the Lord is on his side.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:14–15 Ziph was about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Hebron, near where the land starts going down toward the Dead Sea. Horesh was probably a grove of trees nearby.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:16–18 Though David’s situation is much worse than in ch. 20, Jonathan sees even more clearly than before that David will be king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:19 The Ziphites were Judahites, but they apparently were not happy to have David and his men in the area. David composed Psalm 54 in response to this occasion.
Psalms of deliverance. Many of the psalms of David were composed during his time spent on the run from Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:24–28 Apparently David was on the eastern slope of a mountain trying to escape toward the Dead Sea, while Saul was on the western slope. Saul divided his force into two flanks and sent them around the mountain to the north and south to encircle David. Since the land to the east was open country, he could easily have captured him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:27 The raid by the Philistines was undoubtedly caused by the Lord to save David at the last minute.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:29 Engedi is an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, due east of Ziph.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:1–26:25 The three episodes in the next three chapters all have the same theme: David, who as a warrior has already killed many of the Lord’s enemies, should not kill for his own advantage. He should let the Lord act for him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:2 Three thousand chosen men is five times as many as David’s men (23:13). This suggests that Saul is very afraid of David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:6 David respects Saul as the LORD’s anointed because Saul is still on the royal throne as king over Israel, even though the Spirit of the Lord has already left him.
Why was David sorry after he had cut Saul’s robe? The cutting of another person’s clothes (24:5) was considered an act of humiliation and provocation. Thus, it could lead to war (2 Sam. 10:4–5). David realizes that doing this to the Lord’s anointed one is an offense against the Lord himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:12–13 May the LORD judge. David is willing to let the Lord defend him against his enemies (compare Deut. 32:35). Out of the wicked comes wickedness. That is, if David were as wicked as Saul believed him to be, he would certainly have killed Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:20 I know that you shall surely be king. As with the reconciliation in 19:7, this one will be temporary.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:22 but David and his men went up to the stronghold. Despite Saul’s acknowledgment of David’s right to the throne (v. 20), David does not trust him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:1 Samuel died and was buried in his house. Burial in a house was common in some ancient cultures, though unusual in Israel. Perhaps David went to Paran because he feared that Samuel’s death might turn Saul against him again.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:2 “The wilderness of Paran” (v. 1) usually refers to the northeastern part of the Sinai peninsula (Num. 10:12). If the “stronghold” of 1 Sam. 24:22 is Masada, David would not have had to travel very far. Carmel is not the mountain in the north of Israel but a Judahite town between Ziph and Maon (see 15:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:3 Nabal means “foolish” or “boorish” (see v. 25). Since it is unlikely that someone would be given a name with that meaning, it may have originated from another Hebrew word that is now unknown. Calebite may mean a descendant of Caleb, one of the scouts who was willing to enter Canaan (Num. 14:6–7) and who was given the land around Hebron (Josh. 14:6–14). Nabal’s wife Abigail should not be confused with David’s sister Abigail (1 Chron. 2:16–17).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:4–8 Sheepshearing was a time of festivity (v. 8) as well as work. David addresses Nabal politely and respectfully. Sending ten young men suggests that he was asking for a substantial handout, but hardly enough to feed 600 men.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:10 Nabal refuses David’s polite request (which might have been justifiable), and he treats David’s men with contempt. Like Saul and Doeg (20:27, 30; 22:8, 9, 13), Nabal seems to use the son of Jesse as an insult.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also is a common conditional curse formula (as in 3:17 and 14:44). The word male in this verse translates a Hebrew phrase that literally means “one who urinates at a wall.” In the Bible, the phrase always refers to the killing of all the males of a group (compare 1 Kings 14:10; 2 Kings 9:8).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:23–31 Abigail warns David not to shed innocent blood. It would not be good for the future king to have killed fellow Israelites. He must let God remove his enemies, not take vengeance himself. The bundle of the living (v. 29), or “the document of the living,” is probably equivalent to “the book of the living” in Ps. 69:28.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:32–35 For David to give up taking vengeance meant breaking the vow he made in v. 22. If one vows to sin, however, it is better to break the vow than to commit the sin vowed. Indeed, the very act of making a rash vow is a sin (Lev. 5:4–6). Jephthah (Judg. 11:29–40) and Herod the tetrarch (Matt. 14:7–9) should have broken their sinful vows.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:35 Go up in peace to your house is more than just a conventional greeting. David is telling Abigail that her household is safe.
Abigail was the wife of Nabal, a wealthy but extremely foolish man. Nabal insulted David by refusing to care for and feed David and his men. His rudeness made David very angry, but Abigail wisely convinced David not to take vengeance. She sent food to David and spoke humbly and respectfully to him. Abigail calmed David’s anger and persuaded him not to kill her wicked husband and his household. Impressed by Abigail’s wisdom and discernment, David blessed Abigail and sent her home in peace. When she told Nabal what had happened, his “heart died within him” (25:37). A few days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died. Following his death, David married Abigail. (1 Samuel 25:32–35)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:37–38 Abigail’s words had a devastating effect on Nabal. Whether he had a heart attack (his heart died within him) or a stroke (he became as a stone), ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:43 Because Ahinoam is always mentioned first, David probably married her before he married Abigail (v. 42). Ahinoam was the mother of David’s eldest son, Amnon (2 Sam. 3:2; 13:1–13). Abigail became the mother of David’s little-known second son Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3), also known as Daniel (1 Chron. 3:1). Since no mention is made of Chileab in the later family quarrels, he probably died young.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:44 David had probably not seen his first wife, Michal, since she helped him escape from Saul in 19:11–17.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:1–25 This chapter resembles ch. 24, but there are too many differences to think that they are simply different versions of the same event.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:1 The Ziphites are no happier to have David among them now than they were in 23:19.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:6 Ahimelech the Hittite is mentioned nowhere else in Scripture. He may have been a hired warrior. Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah. Zeruiah was David’s sister (1 Chron. 2:16–17), so Joab and Abishai were David’s nephews. For more on David’s family relationships, see note on 2 Sam. 2:13.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:11–12 “take now the spear. . . .” So David took the spear. The narrator can say that David “took the spear” because David was the one who ordered it to be taken (“take now the spear”).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:16 you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord. David uses the plural “you.” He is accusing Saul’s men as a group.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:19–20 they have driven me out this day. David has concluded that he can no longer stay in Israel. Partridge is literally a “calling [bird].” Abner had asked who was “calling” the king (v. 14), so, perhaps humorously, David compares himself to a partridge being hunted down by Saul.
“Go, serve other gods.” Telling a fellow Israelite to go and serve other gods (26:19) was a capital offense against the Lord. For non-Israelites, it was a commonly accepted practice to serve the gods of the nation where one lived, regardless of one’s own national gods.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:1–30:31 David and his men finally gain some stability by serving the Philistine king Achish of Gath. David pretends to be loyal to Achish by attacking various non-Israelite peoples in the area while giving the impression that he is attacking Israel itself (27:8–12). When the Philistines prepare to attack Saul’s army, however, it seems that David is in danger of becoming an enemy of his own people. But the Philistine leaders do not trust him in battle, so he and his men go back to their city of Ziklag (30:1). On arrival, they find that Ziklag has been destroyed by the Amalekites. David manages to pursue and destroy the raiders and gain much spoil, which he shares with the cities of Judah. Meanwhile in ch. 28, as the Philistines prepare to invade, Saul seeks advice from the deceased Samuel through divination but receives only a prophecy of his own death.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:1–12 Here, as in 21:10, David goes to the Philistine city of Gath as a mercenary. Whereas before he went anonymously and alone, here he goes in his own name, accompanied by his 600 men and their families. As he said in 26:19, he has finally concluded that he can no longer stay in Israel. Though he is the rightful king, he must remain a while longer in exile. To stay in good favor with the Philistines, David must pretend to be attacking Israel (27:8–12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:5 let a place be given me in one of the country towns. David probably wanted to get away from Gath so he could act freely, without interference.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:6 Ziklag may have been some distance from Gath, but the cities nearer to Gath probably belonged to other foreigners serving Achish, a fact that David must have been well aware of when he made his request.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:8 The Geshurites are those living near the Philistines (Josh. 13:2), not the Geshurites living near Bashan (Josh. 13:11). The Girzites are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. The Amalekites mentioned in these chapters lived in the south, toward the Egyptian border.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:10–12 The Negeb was the area east and west of Beersheba and north of Kadesh-barnea. David would tell Achish that he attacked Judahite, Jerahmeelite, or Kenite settlements in the area. This would leave the impression that he was attacking the outposts of Israel itself and thus was loyal to the Philistines. Achish trusted David. The deception worked.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:1–2 After David has been with Achish for over a year, the Philistines decide to attack Israel. Apparently they wanted to gain control over the northern Jezreel Valley, a wide, agriculturally rich plain. you and your men are to go out with me. David, as a paid soldier for Achish, is naturally expected to participate in the attack.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:3–25 The story now shifts to King Saul’s visit to the medium at En-dor and returns to David and the Philistines in 29:1. Saul faces overwhelming odds as the Philistines prepare to attack. In desperation he apparently decides that the only one who can guide him is the deceased prophet Samuel. This account shows that in some circumstances a medium may be able to contact the dead, but it stresses the wrongness of the practice. First Chronicles mentions this incident as one reason for Saul’s death (1 Chron. 10:13–14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:3–4 Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. Mosaic laws forbade mediums and necromancers, who consult the spirits of the dead, as well as other forms of divination (Lev. 19:31; 20:27). Saul’s action in banishing them shows that he knows this, yet now he will go ahead and consult a medium anyway.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:6 By dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets were the allowable means of determining the will of the Lord. The LORD did not answer because he had rejected Saul from being king (15:23).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:7–8 En-dor was 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of Shunem, where the Philistines were encamped, so it was on the other side of the enemy from Saul. He was risking his life by going there, so he disguised himself and went by night.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:12 she cried out with a loud voice. Perhaps Samuel’s appearance surprised the woman and she realized something was happening outside of her control. Readers are not told how the woman realized who Saul was.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:13–14 A god is a term used of the spirits of the dead in ancient Near Eastern texts.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:15–19 Then Samuel said to Saul. The Bible text assumes that the spirit raised by the medium really is Samuel. He is called “Samuel” in vv. 15–16. He speaks much as he had spoken to Saul during his lifetime (compare vv. 16–18 with 15:18, 26–28: in both places, Samuel describes David as Saul’s “neighbor”). He uses the name of the LORD seven times, and adds the true prophecy that Saul and his sons will die. An evil spirit would not deliver a true prophecy or true words to Saul, as Samuel does here. That the woman’s actions brought Samuel up is implied by 28:15, Why have you disturbed me? Therefore, whatever the limits on a medium’s power normally were, in this case the Lord let her raise the spirit of Samuel himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:19 Be with me may simply mean that Saul will die. Some think it implies that Saul’s spirit will join Samuel’s in the place of the dead, perhaps even among those whose sins are forgiven.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:24 A fattened calf is a stall-fed calf that was being prepared for eating, rather than a pasture-fed calf.
How is a fattened calf different from a regular calf? A fattened calf (28:24) was one that had been set aside for a special occasion. While most cattle simply grazed in fields, these select animals were fed in a stall. The extra food and the inability to roam freely meant that they would gain more weight.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:25 Saul went away, back to Gilboa. Saul apparently accepted that his death was the unchangeable will of the Lord. He does not try to escape the battle on the next day.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:1–11 The story backtracks to right after 28:2, partially repeating 28:1.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:4 Although Achish of Gath trusted David, the other Philistine commanders mistrusted him. They feared that he would seek to regain the favor of Saul (his lord) by betraying the Philistines and presenting him with the heads of the men here (probably meaning “our heads”). One can see the hand of the Lord working even through the Philistine commanders to keep David from fighting the Lord’s people, which he had managed to avoid doing so far. That would probably have prevented him from being accepted by Israel as king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:6 As the LORD lives. For polytheistic people, it was quite acceptable to make an oath in the name of a god other than the gods they normally served.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:8 fight against the enemies of my lord the king. The identity of “my lord the king” is perhaps deliberately unclear. On the surface the phrase refers to Achish, but it is possible David was actually referring to Saul, whose “enemies” were the Philistines. Readers are not told what David was thinking.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:11 From here, the action splits. Chapter 30 follows David’s actions as he is sent home to Ziklag, while ch. 31 continues Saul’s actions in 28:5–25 and the Philistines’ actions in ch. 29. The Philistines went up to Jezreel by way of Shunem (see 28:4, then ch. 31). Saul’s visit to the medium (28:5–25) occurred within this area. Jezreel is at the northwest foot of Mount Gilboa and guards the eastern entrance to the Jezreel Valley.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:1 the third day. It was about 50 miles (81 km) from Aphek to Ziklag. The Amalekites surely knew that the bulk of the armies of Philistia and Judah had gone to battle in the north, and they had taken advantage of the situation to raid Ziklag.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:6 But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. Rather than despairing over the destruction of Ziklag, David turns to God in prayer and worship (see Ps. 56:3–4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:9 If the hypothesis is correct that Ziklag was Tel esh-Sheriah and the brook Besor was Wadi Ghazzeh, this takes place about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Ziklag.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:11–12 Bread here may refer simply to bread, or it may be a general term for food.
Pressed fig cakes were a common food for travelers (30:12). The dried figs would not spoil, and their sugar content made them an ideal energy food.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:14 The Negeb of the Cherethites is probably southern Philistia (see Ezek. 25:16 and Zeph. 2:5, where “Cherethites” seems to be a synonym for “Philistines”). The Negeb of Caleb is the area south of Hebron.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:17 The word translated twilight usually means “dusk” but occasionally it can mean “dawn.” The meaning of the word here is not clear. If it means “dawn,” David and his men probably waited until morning to attack in order to avoid killing their own people or letting the Amalekites escape. The battle continued during the daylight hours until sunset, which would be considered the start of the next day.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:25 Rule is translated elsewhere as “custom” (2:13), “ways” (8:11), and “rights and duties” (10:25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:26–31 David generously distributes the spoils of victory to all who sided with him. He even gives gifts to others who will soon be his subjects. Hebron was the major city in the area. Bethel is not the famous Bethel (7:16; 10:3; 13:2) but an otherwise unknown city in Judah. Jattir and Eshtemoa are Levitical cities in the Judean hills (Josh. 15:48, 50; 21:14). Bor-ashan is probably Ashan in the Shephelah (Josh. 19:7). The locations of the other places are uncertain.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:1–13 The army of Israel is completely defeated, Saul’s sons are killed, Saul kills himself to avoid capture, and the Philistines take over the region.
c. 1010 B.C.
Philistine forces advanced to Shunem from Aphek and prepared to attack the Israelites near their camp in Jezreel. Saul, fearing the great army that faced him, slipped away during the night to consult a medium at En-dor in order to seek the counsel of the deceased Samuel. When the Philistines attacked the next morning, the Israelites retreated up the slopes of Mount Gilboa. Saul and three of his sons were killed, and the Philistines mocked Israel by hanging their bodies on the wall of Beth-shean. Later, men from Jabesh-gilead traveled through the night and recovered the bodies.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:1 The events of this chapter directly follow those of chs. 28 and 29. The Philistines have left their camp at Shunem and are attacking the Israelite army on Mount Gilboa (see 28:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:4 Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. See note on 2 Sam. 1:6–10 for the claim that Saul was killed by an Amalekite.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:7 The other side of the valley is the north side of the Jezreel Valley.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:10 Beth-shan is at the intersection of the north-south road along the Jordan Valley and the road from Gilead to the Jezreel Valley.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:11–13 Saul had saved Jabesh-gilead at the beginning of his reign (ch. 11), which the men of the city remembered. They cross the Jordan and go about 10 miles (16 km) to Beth-shan. The burning of bodies was usually considered desecration, but here the purpose may have been to keep them from further dishonor. bones. Even after lengthy burning, large bones would remain. David later reburied the bones (2 Sam. 21:12–14).