1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:1–15:35 Reign of Saul. Saul, though chosen directly by God and initially zealous for the Lord, is easily moved by circumstances. He is successful against the Philistines and Amalekites, but he also does things in his own way or—even worse—in the people’s way, against the word of the Lord. As a result, Samuel tells Saul that his kingdom (13:14) and even his own kingship (15:23) will be taken away. This difficult relationship between Saul and Samuel continues even after Samuel’s death (see ch. 28). The two incidents of Saul’s disobedience frame the great victory against the Philistines at Michmash (ch. 14). Even in the midst of victory, however, Saul almost manages to destroy his own house by cursing his son, through whom the battle was won. Chapters 13–15 are a buildup toward David’s being chosen as king (ch. 16).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:1–23 Saul and the Philistines—First Rejection of Saul. In preparing for battle, Saul disobeys God’s commands given through Samuel; God cannot endure such a king over Israel.
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 at a very early point in its transmission. (Most Septuagint manuscripts lack this verse completely.) Acts 13:21 says that Saul reigned for “forty years.” This has led some translations to say that Saul reigned “forty years” or else “forty-two years” (taking Acts 13:21 as a round number). Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 6.378, also has Saul reigning for 40 years, but the Latin text of that passage has 20 years, as does Josephus in Jewish Antiquities 10.143. The esv text attempts to make sense of the Hebrew as it stands, indicating the time gaps between the events. Another possibility is that the author is making a comment about the immature Saul (as if he were only a year old, after becoming “another man,” 10:6) and his ineffective reign (as if it were only two years), although this is only a speculative possibility.
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 thus 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 his standing army.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:3 defeated the garrison. The word translated as “garrison” here and in v. 4 is singular, while in 10:5 it is plural. (“Garrison” in 13:23 is a different word.) The trumpet also signals a revolt in Judg. 3:27 and 2 Sam. 15:10. For Hebrews, see note on 1 Sam. 4:6.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:5 Thirty thousand chariots seems very high, and perhaps the Syriac translation (and one tradition of the Septuagint) preserves the true reading, “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” (cf. note on 6:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:8–15 Saul had summoned the army to meet at Gilgal, the place where he had “waited” (10:8) and been crowned (11:15). Again, “waiting” at Gilgal seems to have a special religious meaning. After this period of time, however, Saul offers sacrifices and breaks the commandment of the Lord (13:13). Some interpreters take this to mean that he did not obey the Lord’s word through Samuel recorded in 10:8, to the effect that Saul should wait seven days for Samuel to come and offer burnt offerings and show Saul what to do. Others think the statement in 10:8 occurred several years earlier, and that Saul violates another (unrecorded) command from Samuel, or the command that only a priest should offer sacrifices (Num. 18:7), or the general principle that he should have waited to learn God’s will through the prophet. In any case, Saul knows he has done wrong, for he starts making excuses (1 Sam. 13:11–12). Apparently he had been told not to make any move until Samuel gave him the word of the Lord. Here Saul shows his tendency to be moved by circumstances and to rely on religious ritual to gain God’s favor (see 14:24 and the incident in 4:3) rather than to trust and obey the word of the Lord.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:13–14 Saul’s disobedience brings a serious result—the cessation of his kingdom—for in Israel the kingship itself is under the authority of the word of God (see 12:20–25). Saul fails to acknowledge the prophet’s higher role as the divine messenger and to listen to the word of God (cf. 15:11, 13, 19, 22–23).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:16 Geba is only a mile or two from Michmash, separated from it by a deep ravine, which is an important pass from the Jordan Valley into the Ephraimite hills (see map). 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.
As the Philistines strengthened their grip on the central hill country of Israel, they placed troops at Michmash and sent raiding parties into the countryside. After Saul’s son Jonathan captured the town of Geba, Saul mustered more Israelite forces at Gilgal and joined Jonathan. A daring raid by Jonathan across the ravine separating Michmash and Geba led to an Israelite victory over the Philistines, and the Israelites drove them from the hill country.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:17–18 The raiders’ division into three companies, going in different directions, recalls Saul’s own earlier tactics (see note on 11:11).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 13:19–22 no blacksmith (in) Israel. The Philistines apparently had been able to monopolize the production of the kind of metal (probably iron) needed for swords and spears, putting the Israelites at a great disadvantage. Thus the Israelite victory at Michmash (ch. 14) was indeed the Lord’s doing. (Iron plow points have been found, however, in Israelite contexts as early as the 11th century B.C. at the site of Gibeah.) As the esv footnote explains, the Hebrew text refers to a weight called a “pim” (taken to be two-thirds of a shekel). A number of weights marked “pim” have been found.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:1–52 Saul and Jonathan. Jonathan’s act of trust in this chapter is sandwiched between two instances of Saul’s disobedience in chs. 13 and 15. The narrator thus clearly contrasts Saul and Jonathan before dealing with Saul and David (chs. 16ff.).
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). For ephod, see note on 1 Sam. 2:27–28.
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 derogatory epithet used of the Philistines (cf. Judg. 14:3; 15:18; 1 Sam. 17:26; 31:4; 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 the last thing on their mind.
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 Though 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, and 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 These verses describe several groups who earlier distanced themselves from Israel. Some people called Hebrews had previously defected to the Philistines (cf. 29:3) while others had hidden themselves during this time of war. Now that the conflict goes favorably, 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 (cf. Ezra 9:8; Ps. 13:3; 19:8; 38:10; Prov. 29:13).
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 (cf. v. 24), they are in such a hurry that they do not put the animals they kill on a stone in order to drain the blood properly from them (v. 33). Eating meat with blood is strictly prohibited in the law (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26; 17:10–14; Deut. 12:16).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:39 he shall surely die. Saul assumes that the Lord’s silence regarding Saul’s prior question (v. 37) is due to some unknown sin (v. 38). Just as it was Saul’s own willful (and faulty) 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—a bright color and a dark color, perhaps—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 … ? … 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 rash oath (v. 24).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 14:47–48 These countries are mentioned in 2 Sam. 8:12 as having been subdued by David.
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’s father was Ner, his brother was Kish, and his nephew (Kish’s son) was Saul. When 9:1 says that Kish was the “son of Abiel,” it probably means “grandson of Abiel (Jeiel)” (cf. 1 Chron. 9:35).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:1–35 Saul and the Amalekites—Second Rejection of Saul. Here, finally, Saul is rejected completely.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:2 Thus says the LORD. See note on 2:27. what Amalek did to Israel. The Amalekites, a nomadic tribe that inhabited the desert south of Judah (Num. 13:29), are the archetypal plunderers in biblical tradition. 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. 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 practice, known also as “imposing the ban,” denotes setting aside something as the Lord’s share. Usually such a ban meant that all living things—men, women, children, and livestock—were to be killed (cf. Deut. 20:16–17; Josh. 6:17, 21; see also 1 Sam. 22:19, where Saul unjustly carries this out on the priestly town of Nob). One purpose of such total destruction was to stop the spread of the “abominable practices” of paganism (Deut. 20:16–18). The ban against Amalek is based on Deut. 25:19.
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 nation. This is suggested by David (a Judahite) going to serve Saul (16:14–23), the presence of David’s brothers in Saul’s army (ch. 17), and Saul’s search for David in the Judahite region of Ziph (23:14–29; 26:1–4). It is not surprising that Judah was heavily involved in the battle against Amalek, since the territory of Judah was near the Amalekites and therefore must have been particularly subject to their raids (30:14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:6 Kenites. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was a Kenite (Judg. 1:16), and 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. David likewise spared them during his time in Ziklag (1 Sam. 27:8–10; 30:29). Saul’s action in this situation is commendable.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:9 Spared is in sharp contrast to Samuel’s instructions (“Do not spare,” v. 3). Saul and the people places most of the responsibility for this disobedience on Saul himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:11 I regret (also vv. 29, 35). Here, as in Gen. 6:6, the Lord “regrets” a decision. This means that God feels genuine sorrow when contemplating Saul’s sin. But it does not mean that God thinks his decision to make Saul king was a mistake in the overall course of his plans for history (cf. 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. It is the setting for ch. 25. 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 probably did intend to sacrifice the animals, or there would have been no reason to go to Gilgal. But they were probably also planning to share in eating the sacrifices, contrary to the decree of 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? He became king because the people asked for a king; now he is rejected because he listened to them (cf. Prov. 29:25) rather than leading them to obey God.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:20–21 I have obeyed … but the people. Cf. note on v. 15.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:22 The Lord himself does not need sacrifices like gods in 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 (cf. 12:15) and presumption mean rejecting the Lord, equivalent to apostasy. The Hebrew word terapim, here translated idolatry, refers to either “household gods” (Gen. 31:19; Judg. 17:5; 1 Sam. 19:13) or “ancestor figurines” used as aids to 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 in v. 24 (I feared the people); but instead of being struck with the awfulness of his sin, the guilt of which can be taken away by God alone, Saul is more concerned with his standing with the people and the elders (v. 30). the LORD has rejected you from being king. In 13:13 Saul’s dynasty was rejected, while here he himself is rejected as king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:27 Saul seizes the skirt of Samuel’s robe as a final, deferential 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, God has already torn and given (past tense), though the actual realization is yet to come.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:29 The term “regret” poses a difficulty, since vv. 11 and 35 say that God did regret making Saul king, while here Samuel denies that God will ever lie or have regret (cf. Num. 23:19). The term for “have regret” (Hb. nakham) can be translated “relent” or “change one’s mind” (e.g., Ex. 32:12, 14; Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 24:16 [1 Chron. 21:15]; Ps. 106:45; Jer. 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3, 13, 19; 42:10; Ezek. 24:14; Joel 2:13–14; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9–10; 4:2) or “have pity or compassion” (Deut. 32:36; Judg. 2:18; Ps. 90:13; 135:14) as well as “be sorry” or “have regret” (cf. Gen. 6:6–7). Thus the term as used in 1 Sam. 15:11, 35 describes God’s own feeling of sorrow or regret that Saul had turned out as he did (and does not even address the question whether God knew of it beforehand), while in v. 29 God will not regret or 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 (cf. vv. 24–25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 15:31 Samuel, who is a man (cf. “is not a man,” v. 29), changes his mind and stays with Saul, whether out 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 (cf. Ex. 29:11; Lev. 1:5), but 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 disqualified as king, David is introduced as his successor, and God trains David, through suffering, to lead his people.
View this chart online at http://kindle.esvsb.org/c75
| 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 16:1–23 Introduction of David. In chs. 13 and 15, Saul was told that he and his dynasty had been rejected and that the kingdom had been given to a neighbor, a man after the Lord’s heart (cf. 13:14; 15:28). It is now revealed that this neighbor is a son of Jesse of Bethlehem—but his name is not stated until the middle of ch. 16. In the second half of the chapter, the Lord uses the words of one of Saul’s attendants to bring David to court. The Lord is with David, while his Spirit has left Saul and has been replaced by a spirit that does harm and turns him against David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:1–13 Anointing of David. God indicates to Samuel that of all the sons of Jesse, David, the least likely, is his choice. After David’s anointing (which is done with 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 for Samuel to come to Bethlehem (see v. 1), and yet the Lord told him to say it, so it should not be considered morally wrong. It seems that telling part of what one knows to be true, in order to conceal other information, is morally right in some situations, particularly adversarial situations such as this one. Moreover, the Lord had the right to hide his intentions from Saul, who had proved himself faithless.
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; 11:18). As in 1 Sam. 9:22, the feast seems to have a selective guest list.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:7 man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Outward appearance cannot predict whether someone will faithfully obey the Lord, for a person’s actions flow from his heart (cf. 2 Chron. 16:9; Ps. 51:10; Prov. 4:23; Mark 7:21–23; Luke 6:45; 1 Thess. 2:4). 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 not clear 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? David is listed as “seventh” in 1 Chron. 2:15, but this may represent a “telescoping” of a genealogy to give David the number of perfection (see notes on 1 Chron. 2:9–17; Matt. 1:17). Other interpreters suggest that David may have had an additional brother who died childless and was omitted from the genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2 (1 Sam. 17:12 also says that Jesse had eight sons).
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. The narrator does not say who among those present knew what the anointing was for.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:14–23 David at Saul’s Court. 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 to anoint him for kingship (see v. 13). This statement is not relevant to the issue of whether people can lose their salvation; it is not describing the Holy Spirit’s role in individual regeneration in a NT sense. Rather, in light of v. 13, it should be seen as being about gaining or losing the Spirit’s empowering for the role of king (see 10:1, 6, 10; 11:6; 16:13; and perhaps Ps. 51:11). From this point to the end of his life, Saul will continually make futile attempts to govern without the empowering of the Holy Spirit. A harmful spirit sent by the Lord tormented Saul as a form of judgment for his sin of turning against the Lord (1 Sam. 15:22–29). Though God himself never does evil, he sometimes sends evil agents to accomplish his purposes (such as the Babylonians coming to punish Israel, cf. Jer. 20:4–6; or sinful people crucifying Christ, cf. notes on Gen. 50:18–21; Mark 14:21; Acts 2:23; 4:27; 4:28; see also 1 Kings 22:20–23).
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 (cf. 17:13, 33); perhaps some knew of how he single-handedly defeated both lions and bears (cf. 17:36). The LORD is with him is a continual theme in David’s story (17:37; 18:12; 20:13; 2 Sam. 5:10; 7:3, 9; see also Gen. 21:22; 26:3; 28:15; 31:3; 39:2; Ex. 3:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:20 donkey laden. Some scholars think this was a specific amount, similar to the Assyrian unit “donkey,” which was about 80–160 liters, or 2 1/2 to 5 bushels.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:21 An armor-bearer was a close personal attendant. Both Jonathan’s armor-bearer (14:1) and Saul’s (31:4–5) had a close relationship with their masters.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:22 As was his custom (see 14:52), Saul attached the valiant David to himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 16:23 and the harmful spirit departed from him. David is referred to as “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1) and as the author of several songs (2 Sam. 1:17–27; 22:1–51; 1 Chron. 16:7–36; see also Amos 6:5) and many psalms. He is also credited with establishing the temple musicians (1 Chron. 6:31). The music that David habitually played in Saul’s presence was not merely beautiful, but music of worship to the Lord, causing Saul to be refreshed and the harmful spirit to flee (cf. 2 Chron. 5:13–14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:1–54 David and Goliath: Battle at the Valley of Elah. The story of David and Goliath, one of the best-known in the Bible, tells how David trusted God and God delivered David and his people. It is the means by which young David, already chosen and anointed privately and taken up by Saul as a court musician, comes onto the public stage. 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, who should be the “champion” (v. 4) of God’s people in battle and in the life of faith.
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; and map). 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. Socoh is about 14 miles (22 km) west of Bethlehem toward the Philistine territory. Azekah, about 2–3 miles (3.2–4.8 km) northwest of Socoh, controlled the main road across the Valley of Elah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:4–11 A champion in biblical, ancient Near Eastern, and Homeric literature is a man who steps out to fight between the two battle lines. Here Goliath offers to fight, on behalf of his side, against any champion that Israel will put forward; the victor’s side then, would partake of his victory (vv. 8–10). Goliath’s armament was the best that the highly skilled Philistines could obtain, either by manufacture or by trade. The shield (Hb. tsinnah) was a large standing shield that covered the whole body. Most of his armament was bronze, except his spear’s head of iron—this was just the beginning of the Iron Age. It weighed 600 shekels (about 15 lb. or 6.6 kg). His coat of mail weighed 5,000 shekels (about 125 lb. or 55 kg). It is not surprising that the Israelites were dismayed. Six cubits and a span is about 9 feet 9 inches (3 m). At the site of Gath (Tel es-Safi), an early Philistine inscription has been found that dates to the tenth or early ninth century B.C. It is an ostracon, i.e., an inscription scratched on a piece of pottery. It seems that the name “Goliath” is written on the shard. Whether this is the Goliath of the biblical account is uncertain.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:11 It was Saul’s job to accept the challenge on behalf of Israel; instead he was greatly afraid (cf. 15:24) along with everyone else.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:12 An Ephrathite refers to a man from the Judean Ephrathah, around Bethlehem (cf. Ruth 1:2; 4:11; Mic. 5:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:18 their thousand. The Hebrew term ’elep usually means “thousand,” but in the present context it probably refers to a military unit of undetermined size. See note on 1 Chron. 12:23–37.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:25–26 Have you seen? “You” is plural; the question is not directed toward David. What shall be done? By faith, David grasps Goliath’s challenge as directed toward the armies of the living God, hence toward the unseen God himself. To David, this battle is fundamentally spiritual in nature (see vv. 45–47; cf. 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 17:28 Eliab the eldest brother (see v. 12; 20:29) is annoyed with the conduct of his youngest brother at this crucial time. David seemed to him to be just a show-off.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:34 a lion, or a bear. Both lions and bears were common in the Palestine of the Israelite period.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:36 for he has defied the armies of the living God. See note on vv. 25–26. David is confident that God will defend his own honor and defeat Goliath.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:37–39 The LORD … will deliver me. Because of his faith in God, David shows more willingness to do battle on behalf of God’s people, and to defend God’s honor, than the seasoned warrior Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:43 sticks. Goliath sees David’s staff (v. 40) but not the true weapon, the sling. Slings were known as weapons in Egypt from at least the beginning of the second millennium B.C., and slingers are pictured on the reliefs at Nineveh. See also Judg. 20:16. Goliath’s gods are probably Dagon (1 Sam. 5:2) and Ashtaroth (31:10).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:44, 46 In Israel, being deprived of burial and exposed to birds and beasts was considered worse than death itself (see 31:8–13; 2 Samuel 21; Ps. 79:2–3; Jer. 7:33; 8:1–2).
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). “Gai” (esv footnote) seems to refer to the valley that leads to Gath. For Ekron, see 1 Sam. 5:10.
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 Saul, Jonathan, and David. At first everyone loves David. Saul takes him into his service; all of Saul’s officials (his potential rivals) love him; even members of Saul’s own family love him. Jonathan, who had relied on the Lord in his own victory at Michmash, has an especially close relationship with David, despite realizing at some point that David will supplant him as king.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 17:55–58 whose son is this youth? Even though Saul knew David from before, he would not remember the name of David’s father. Saul is asking about David’s background—his family and hence his social status or pedigree—so that he may ask his father to let him keep David permanently (see 18:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:2 Saul took him—according to “the ways of the king” (8:11). His father’s house refers to David’s extended family (see 17:25–26).
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 even risk his life (20:30–33) for David; see note on 2 Sam. 1:26. Jonathan … gave it to David. Primogeniture, whereby the firstborn son received the primary leadership role and a double portion of the family inheritance, was a tradition but not an absolute rule. Nevertheless, as the popular eldest son, Jonathan would have been accepted as Saul’s heir (1 Sam. 20:31; 23:17; 2 Sam. 1:4). Since to all appearances the dynasty had just begun, however, David was considered even more of a threat to Jonathan than to Saul. No one seems to have viewed Jonathan’s gifts to David as a sign of abdication, but Jonathan’s actions (perhaps unwittingly) foreshadowed the transfer of the kingship to David. It is not recorded at what point Jonathan realized that David was God’s chosen.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:6–30 Saul Becomes David’s Enemy. As David’s success increases, Saul’s jealousy also increases.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:6 Women in Israel celebrated a victory with singing and dancing and instruments, especially with tambourines (Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34; see note on 1 Sam. 10:5). Many clay figurines or plaques depicting women playing tambourines have been discovered in Israel, Phoenicia, and Transjordan. They may have had a connection with prayers or praises for victory.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:7–9 sang to one another. I.e., antiphonally or responsively. Because thousands/ten thousands is a common parallelism, the general meaning of the song is, “Saul and David have killed many thousands.” Yet naming two distinct people in a number parallelism is unusual, and Saul interpreted it in the worst possible light. Hearing David even mentioned together with him in the same song, Saul begins to grow suspicious of David. The rest of the book is a description of Saul’s attempts, more and more openly, to get rid of David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:12 Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him. Cf. v. 14 and 16:18. Saul’s primary concern was not the Lord’s honor or the people’s welfare but himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:17 fight the LORD’s battles. See 17:47. Saul tried to make ill use of David’s zeal for God, hoping that very zeal would lead to his death by the hand of 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. For Merab’s children, see 2 Sam. 21:8.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 18:20–21 that she may be a snare for him. Saul again tries to make ill use of someone’s love (cf. v. 17)—this time, his daughter’s—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 graciously let him display his valor instead. The Philistines had foreskins because they were “uncircumcised” (see 14:6 and note).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:1–20:42 Saul’s Attempts to Kill David. Saul moves from trying to use the Philistines to kill David to actually ordering him killed. Jonathan brings about one reconciliation (and there may have been another one after ch. 19), 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—NOTE ON 19:5 took his life in his hand. I.e., risked his life (see also 28:21; Judg. 12:3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:9 harmful spirit from the LORD. See note on 16:14.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:10 he struck the spear into the wall. David came close to losing his life, but “the LORD was with him” (see 18:12). David fled and escaped also in 19:12, 18. See note on Acts 9:25.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:13 The image (Hb. terapim) 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 was apparently a lie, since David had fled. The biblical historians often record such actions without any explicit moral evaluation.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:18 Naioth may refer to a shepherds’ camp. The prophetic fraternities of Israel lived in such settlements.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:20–21 They also prophesied (twice in these verses) probably implies that Saul’s messengers uttered words of prayer and praise to God as well as admonition and rebuke to each other, under the influence of the Spirit of God. Their aggressive intent was humbled before the Lord’s anointed king. See also 2 Kings 1:9–15, where another king sends messengers three times in vain. Some interpreters also see parallels in 1 Kings 8:10–11 and 2 Chron. 5:14.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 19:23–24 he too prophesied before Samuel. The earlier question of 10:12, “Who is their father?” is answered by Samuel’s presence as “head” over the prophets (cf. 19:20). As three groups of messengers sent by Saul to take David succumb to prophesying (vv. 20–21), 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, against whom he vainly strives. For the second time, background is provided for the old proverb (see note on 10:11–12), “Is Saul also among the prophets?” In the earlier context (10:11–12) Saul was being established as king. In ch. 19, he openly seeks to kill the Lord’s anointed (v. 1), and the throne, like his clothes, is beginning to be stripped from him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:1 It seems that before Saul had arrived in Naioth, David had come there. After that David fled from Naioth and went back to Gibeah, and things settled down. Then he came … before Jonathan. Hence, it could be interpreted: “Now David had fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said. …”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:3 David vowed again. Perhaps a reference to v. 1, since the triplet of rhetorical questions in v. 1 (“What … ? What … ? What … ?”) may resemble an oath. Another possibility is that David’s earlier oath is unrecorded.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:5 The new moon was the day of the new 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 the principal festivals (see Num. 10:10; 1 Chron. 23:31; Isa. 1:14; Ezek. 46:3; etc.). It seems that the king, as head of the clan, presided over his household’s celebration of the festival. It was often impossible to 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.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:13 The LORD do so to Jonathan and more also is an oath formula (see note on 3:17). as he has been with my father. The past tense may show that Jonathan recognizes that the Lord has left Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:15 my house. I.e., “my offspring”; see v. 42 and 2 Samuel 9, where David fulfills his “kindness” to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:22 if I say to the youth, “Look, the arrows are beyond you.” To any other observer, Jonathan would appear to be shouting to the young man who had run to retrieve the arrows. But David, in hiding, would also hear the words and know they had another meaning, a warning to flee from Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:26 Because the feast involved sacrifices, one had to be clean in order to participate.
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; cf. Laban’s role in Gen. 24:50).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:30 to the shame of your mother’s nakedness. The emphasis is on the disgrace or shame that Saul thinks Jonathan has brought to himself and his family.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:31 neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. This was true, but Jonathan had already come to terms with it (vv. 14–15). Saul took for granted that kingship was hereditary, though there was no divine justification for his doing so.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:37–38 Is not the arrow beyond you? See note on v. 22. Hurry! Be quick! Jonathan seeks to indicate to David the urgency of his warning.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 20:40–41 as soon as the boy had gone. Jonathan had presumably arranged the signal of the arrow (vv. 20–22) so that David would not be seen, but now he seems to decide that it was safe enough to risk the farewell meeting he longed to have.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:1–26:25 David’s Escape from Saul. 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, sometimes acting as a protector, sometimes fleeing Saul. Saul, on the other hand, 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.
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 21:1–23:29 David’s Escapes. Chapter 21 tells of David’s visit to the shrine at Nob, and ch. 22 tells of the disastrous consequences of that visit. Interspersed 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 (see note on 2:27–28). Jesus refers to this incident as being “in the time of Abiathar the high priest” (Mark 2:26). Though Ahimelech’s son Abiathar was not yet high priest at that time, the phrase identified him for Jesus’ audience by the title he later held. (See note on Mark 2:25–26.)
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, however, resulted in the deaths of Ahimelech and the priests at Nob (22:9–19; cf. 22:22). Though David normally acted as an upright man, the Bible does not hesitate to record honestly his instances of 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). The “holy bread” was the bread of the Presence of Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5–9; etc. 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 putting mercy before ceremonial law.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:7 Doeg. Cf. 22:9–19.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:9 ephod. See note on 2:27–28.
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 be speaking ironically, mocking David. Or perhaps the Philistines used the word in a somewhat different sense from the Hebrew term; thus here Achish is called “king,” though Gath is just a city, not a nation. “Achish” may have been a title or a common name for a Philistine ruler, like “Pharaoh” for an Egyptian king (see 27:2). Psalms 34 and 56 were in response to this occasion.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 21:14 you see the man is mad. God’s protection of David continues, as Achish is convinced by David’s pretended insanity.
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 Jesse’s grandmother Ruth had come from. It must have been a very difficult journey, presumably involving a descent of about 3,000 feet (914 m) to the Dead Sea, followed by a similar ascent back up to the plateau of Moab.
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 (cf. 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. It took faith to go back to Judah despite the danger (23:3).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:6–23 This episode must have occurred soon after 21:1–9, since Ahimelech knows nothing about the break between Saul and David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:6 Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree. See note on 14:2–3.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:7–8 David apparently retains his popularity even with Saul’s servants (i.e., officials; see 18:5, 22), who, though they remain with Saul, make no attempt to help him against David. As Samuel had predicted (8:12–14), Saul made men commanders and gave them fields and vineyards.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:8 Despite Saul’s claims, there is no evidence that Jonathan, who had tried to calm things down, had stirred up David, or that David was lying in wait for Saul. all of you have conspired against me. Saul does not trust in the Lord, and now he trusts no one else either, fearing even his own servants. Saul’s jealousy has distorted his vision. Trying to rule without help from the Holy Spirit (see note on 16:14), he is alone.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:9 Doeg’s presence in Nob was mentioned in 21:7. He is called the Edomite three times in this episode (22:9, 18, 22; also 21:7), probably to point out that it was a foreigner who betrayed David and killed the priests, something that Saul’s Israelite servants refused to do.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:10 In 21:1–9 there is no reference to Ahimelech’s consulting the Lord; hence Doeg may be lying here. Saul’s suspicions were inflamed by the fact that Doeg referred to an inquiry (often used in military situations), called the bread provisions, and mentioned Goliath’s sword. Whom but Saul could David be planning to fight?
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:19 Saul treats Nob like some enemy city that has been “devoted to destruction” (cf. 15:3). Thus, Saul completely destroys the priests’ city, though he failed to carry out the ban against the Amalekites (ch. 15). He is destroying part of his own kingdom.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 22:20 Abiathar, the one priest who escaped the massacre at Nob, will bring the ephod (see note on 21:9) with him when he comes to David (23:6). Thus the true priesthood and priestly counsel move from Saul to David. Abiathar will remain with David as his priest until David’s death (2 Sam. 20:25), helping him against Absalom (2 Sam. 15:27–29; 17:15; 19:11). Solomon will eventually banish him (1 Sam. 2:33; 1 Kings 2:26–27).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:1 Keilah was probably a site 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Adullam and east of Gath, and was apparently closer to Philistine territory than Hereth was.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:2 It is not clear how David inquired of the LORD, since Abiathar did not come until David was already in Keilah (v. 6). Perhaps he inquired through the prophet Gad (cf. 22:5), or directly in prayer.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:5 Perhaps the Philistines brought their livestock to forage on the “threshing floors” at Keilah.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:7 God has given him into my hand. Saul apparently still believes that the Lord is on his side instead of seriously considering whether he himself is on the Lord’s side. A town that has gates and bars could be a protection, but it could also be a trap (see Judg. 16:2).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:12–13 Will the men of Keilah surrender me? Saul had destroyed Nob on a lesser pretext, so he was certainly willing and presumably able to destroy Keilah. From the standpoint of the men of Keilah, David had brought more trouble than relief for them. The Philistines, after all, had gone after only grain. See the similar situation in 2 Sam. 20:14–22. They will surrender you. Accepting the answer from God, David acted accordingly. Arose and departed suggests immediate action. They went wherever they could go, trusting in divine guidance each step of the way.
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. God did not give him into his hand. Saul’s greater authority and army cannot triumph over God’s protection of David.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:16–18 Jonathan visits David during this difficult time. You shall be king over Israel. Though David’s position is much worse than in ch. 20, Jonathan sees even more clearly than before that David will be king. Jonathan’s trust in the Lord makes him able to accept anything the Lord has in store for him, so he can encourage David in God. They again make a covenant before the LORD (see 20:8, 16). Next to you is second in rank, but not an heir, as with Mordecai (Est. 10:3), or Elkanah, “the next in authority to the king” (2 Chron. 28:7).
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. Psalm 54 was in response to this occasion.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:21 for you have had compassion on me. Saul’s only interest continues to be himself (see note on 18:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 23:24–28 Maon was about 5 miles (8 km) south of Ziph. The mountain was probably the one now called Mount Kholed. Apparently David was on the eastern slope trying to escape toward the Dead Sea, while Saul on the other slope 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 Philistines have made a raid. The raid was undoubtedly caused by the Lord in order to save David at the last minute, when Saul and his men “were closing in on David and his men” (v. 26).
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 but let the Lord act for him. He has already thought through the matter regarding Saul, but in ch. 25 the same issue comes up unexpectedly, and he is about to act in a purely natural way when God sends Abigail to save him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:1–25:1 David Spares Saul at Engedi. David has an opportunity to kill Saul, but shows his respect for God’s appointment of Saul and his patience to wait for God’s timing.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:2 Three thousand chosen men is five times as many as David’s men (23:13) and suggests Saul’s paranoia.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:4 The corner of Saul’s robe proves that David could have killed Saul if he had so chosen (see v. 11). The robe was symbolic of royal authority (cf. 18:4).
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. The Lord had previously anointed Saul as king (10:1), and in David’s eyes Saul still retains that status. The anointed of the Lord should not be killed or even cursed (cf. 26:9; Ex. 22:28; 2 Sam. 1:14; 19:21).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:12 May the LORD judge. David believes that Saul should be punished for his wrongdoing, but he is willing to let the Lord avenge him (cf. Deut. 32:35).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:13 Out of the wicked comes wickedness. That is, if David were indeed as wicked as Saul believed him to be, he would certainly have killed Saul.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:18 you have dealt well with me. Saul’s only concern continues to be himself (cf. v. 21; also 23:21; and note on 18:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:20 I know that you shall surely be king. Saul acknowledges that David is right, but as with the reconciliation in 19:7, his calming down will only be temporary.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 24:22 but David and his men went up to the stronghold. Despite Saul’s acknowledgment in v. 20, David does not trust him.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:1 When Samuel died, all Israel assembled and mourned for him. Scripture nowhere suggests that one should not mourn (see note on 1 Thess. 4:13). in his house. Burial in a house was common in some cultures of that day, though it was 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 25:2–44 David Marries Abigail. Although Nabal’s rudeness provokes David to anger, Nabal’s wife Abigail manages to persuade David not to take vengeance. After Nabal dies, David takes Abigail as his wife.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:2–3 “The wilderness of Paran” (v. 1) usually refers to the northeast part of the Sinai peninsula (Num. 10:12). If the “stronghold” of 1 Sam. 24:22 is Masada (see note on 22:5), it would not have been very distant. Apparently David came back soon to the wilderness of Maon, south of Ziph, where he had been previously (23:24). Carmel is not the mountain in the north of Israel but a Judahite town between Ziph and Maon (cf. 15:12).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:3 The name Nabal means “foolish” or “boorish” (see v. 25). It appears to be his real name, but since it is unlikely that someone would be given a name with that meaning, its origin may have been 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). Thus it would mean that Nabal was prominent both by wealth and by descent. Nabal’s wife Abigail is a different woman from David’s sister Abigail (1 Chron. 2:16–17), who married a different man, Ithra (Jether) the Ishmaelite (2 Sam. 17:25; 1 Chron. 2:17). David will later marry Nabal’s wife Abigail (1 Sam. 25:42).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:4–8 Sheepshearing was a time of festivity (v. 8) as well as work. David addresses Nabal very politely and respectfully. David’s sending ten young men suggests that he was asking for a substantial handout, but hardly enough to feed 600 men. David’s claim that his men had caused Nabal no problem (v. 7) is backed up by Nabal’s servant in vv. 15–16, who even adds that they were helpful. It may be that David is hoping to develop this spontaneous helpfulness into a regular relationship.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:10 Nabal answers David’s polite request not just with refusal (which might have been justifiable) but with contempt. Like Saul and Doeg (20:27, 30; 22:8, 9, 13), Nabal seems to use the son of Jesse as a belittling term.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:18 The list of Abigail’s gifts resembles (in items and quantity) a list of the food supplied to an Egyptian expeditionary force to Palestine during the reign of Ramses II.
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). Male (lit., “one who urinates at a wall”) is a stereotyped formula that always refers to the killing of all males of a group (see 1 Kings 14:10; 16:11; 21:21; 2 Kings 9:8).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:23–31 Abigail first calms David’s anger. She says, On me alone … be the guilt, i.e., “If you kill anybody, kill me,” but then explains why he should not kill her: he can hardly kill a woman traveling alone who humbly presents him with provisions! Then she reasons with him, assuming that he has already agreed with her (the LORD has restrained you; v. 26). In this speech your servant is feminine, i.e., “your maidservant, Abigail.” The concern about bloodguilt (v. 26) also appears in vv. 31 (shed blood) and 33, as well as 2 Sam. 16:7–8 and 21:1. The avoidance of bloodguilt should have been of supreme importance even to Saul as the ruler of Israel (see 1 Sam. 19:5), and this was the key issue to David in his relationship with Saul. Whether David spares or kills Nabal has a symbolic aspect, since David is preparing for his future kingship. The bundle of the living (25:29), or “the document of the living,” is probably equivalent to “the book of the living” in Ps. 69:28. Like David’s men (1 Sam. 24:4), Abigail in 25:30 seems to refer to a promise made by the Lord to David, though there is no explicit reference to it, so it is unknown when or to what audience it was made. There are also suggestions of it in 2 Sam. 3:9–10 and 5:2.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:32–35 David, having calmed down, agrees with Abigail completely and thanks the Lord and her. In his restraint about shedding the blood of fellow Israelites, David shows himself more qualified than Saul to be king. Giving up vengeance meant breaking the vow made in v. 22. If one vows to sin, however, it is better in the eyes of the Lord to break the vow than to commit the sin vowed, a principle that Jephthah (Judg. 11:29–40) and Herod the tetrarch (Matt. 14:7–9) should have heeded. (Of course, making a rash oath in the first place was a sin that needed to be compensated for, as Lev. 5:4–6 requires.)
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:35 Go up in peace to your house. This is more than just a conventional greeting. David is telling Abigail that her household is safe.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:37–38 and his heart died within him. Abigail’s words had a devastating effect on Nabal. Whether he had a heart attack or a stroke (he became as a stone), ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 25:43 Ahinoam is from Jezreel in Judah, near Maon, Ziph, and Carmel. Because she is always mentioned first, David probably married her before he married Abigail. Ahinoam was the mother of David’s eldest son, Amnon (2 Sam. 3:2; 13:1–13), and 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 him in the later squabbles, he probably died young. These marriages were undoubtedly important in helping David become king at Hebron.
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, but he apparently still wanted her as his wife, and perhaps still loved her (cf. 2 Sam. 3:14–16).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:1–25 David Spares Saul at the Hill of Hachilah. This chapter resembles ch. 24, but there are too many differences to say that they are different versions of the same event. The location is different, and it is difficult to see how an encampment in the open air could be the same as one that occurred in a cave.
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 the family background, see note on 2 Sam. 2:13.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:8–9 God has given your enemy into your hand. Abishai uses the same arguments as David’s men in 24:4, and David again refuses, adding that God will surely strike Saul instead, a lesson he perhaps learned from the death of Nabal (25:39).
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 he was the one who ordered it to be taken. Similarly, Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests (22:21), although Doeg did the actual killing.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:16 you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord. The “you’s” are all plural here in Hebrew—David is accusing Saul’s men collectively.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 26:19–20 As in 10:1, heritage seems to refer both to Israel as the inherited land and to the people as the covenant community (see also 2 Sam. 14:16; 20:19; 21:3). Chasing David away from the Lord’s heritage so that he may have no share of it and trying to force him to serve other gods is a capital offense against the Lord of Israel, who owns the land of Israel and rules his people Israel through his representative, the king. Those who commit this sin should be cursed before the LORD. This is what David is conveying to Saul, the king of Israel (1 Sam. 26:20). David seems to be near the end of his endurance. “Serve other gods” reflects the common Near Eastern idea that a god could be worshiped only on its own soil (2 Kings 5:17) and also perhaps the idea that one worships the god of the people among whom one lives. This is not David’s own view, but his report of the views of others who were saying this. First and Second Samuel do not envisage a limitation to the power of the Lord. Certainly God is portrayed as being able to work in Philistia (1 Samuel 4–6), and God even seems to be directing the moves of the Philistine rulers (23:27; 29:4). When David is actually in Philistia, he does in fact worship the Lord (30:6–8; see also note on 29:6). Partridge is literally a “calling [bird].” Abner had asked who was “calling” the king (26:14), so David wryly compares himself to “the caller.”
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:1–30:31 David in Philistia. David and his men finally gain some stability by going to Philistia and serving Achish of Gath, though they manage to avoid attacking Israel. Yet when the Philistines mobilize for a massive attack on Saul’s army in the Jezreel Valley, it seems that David must become an enemy of his own people. The Philistine lords do not trust him in battle, however, so he and his men go back to their city of Ziklag (30:1), only to find that it 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. Chapter 28, the story of Saul and the medium of En-dor, tells how Saul, faced with the Philistine invasion, seeks advice from Samuel through divination but receives only a prophecy of his own death.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:1–12 David and Achish. Here, as in 21:10, David goes to 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, presumably having first negotiated their status with Achish. As he said in 26:19, he has finally concluded that he can no longer stay in Israel. The difficulties experienced by the families of the men (27:3) are also probably an important reason for his move. Whether this Achish is the Achish of 21:10 is not certain; “Achish” may have been a title. But if it is the same person, he is probably more impressed by David’s resourcefulness than angry at the previous deception. While David stayed with the technically advanced Philistines, he may have learned some useful things (such as the military system). Though he is the rightful king, he must remain a while longer in exile from Israel.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:5 David does not mean a specific location with the term a place. Asking a lord for land was not an unusual practice. The feudal practice of giving land to the servants of the king was widespread in Israel (22:7) as well as among the Philistines. David probably pointed out to Achish that he and his men were uncultured Israelites; as fugitives, they were used to rough conditions and thus unsuited to life in the sophisticated and probably crowded capital. His real motive, however, was probably to get away from Gath so that he could act freely, without interference.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:6 The exact location of Ziklag, part of the Negeb (Josh. 15:31), is unknown (see note on 1 Sam. 30:9). The Negeb was comparatively distant from Gath, but the nearer cities probably belonged to other vassals of Achish, a fact that David must have been well aware of when he made his request. to this day. See Introduction: Date.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:8 The Geshurites are those mentioned as 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 of 1 Samuel 15 and 30 were located to the south, toward the Egyptian border.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:10 The Negeb corresponds to today’s northern Negev, i.e., the district 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. The Jerahmeelites and Kenites are mentioned in 30:29 and seem to have been friendly to Israel. For the Kenites, see note on 15:6.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 27:12 always be my servant. Lit., “be my eternal servant,” meaning a permanent servant or vassal. Cf. Deut. 15:17; Job 41:4.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:1–2 The Philistines Gather for War. After David has been with Achish for over a year, the Philistines decide on a major attack on Israel involving the forces of all five of their cities. The aim is apparently to gain control over the northern Jezreel Valley, a wide, agriculturally rich plain that goes as far east as the Jordan River. you and your men are to go out with me. David, as a vassal of Achish, is naturally expected to participate in the attack. Bodyguard is a specific position, while “my servant” (27:12) refers to David’s status as the king’s subject. The story of the Philistine attack on Israel resumes at 29:1.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:3–25 The Medium of En-dor. Saul faces overwhelming odds in the impending Philistine invasion. In his extremity he apparently decides that the only one who can guide him is the prophet who told him that he had been chosen by God as king to save Israel from its enemies (10:1). Contact with the dead was forbidden by the Lord (see note on 28:3–4), as Saul well knows (v. 3), but he goes ahead anyway. This passage should not be used as an argument for having séances. Though it suggests that in some circumstances a medium may be able to contact the dead, it stresses the wrongness of the practice. Furthermore, the only message from the dead Samuel, besides a repetition of the message of Saul’s rejection, was that Saul and his sons would die. The Chronicler specifically mentions this incident as one reason for Saul’s death: “So Saul died for his breach of faith … in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD” (1 Chron. 10:13–14).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:3–4 Verse 3 gives the information necessary to understand the rest of this chapter, reminding the reader that Samuel was dead (cf. 25:1) and stating that Saul had driven out mediums (cf. 28:9). Verse 4 jumps chronologically to a point following ch. 29; here, the Philistines are already at Shunem, a city on the opposite (north) side of the Jezreel Valley from Mount Gilboa. The Mosaic laws forbade as abominations mediums and necromancers, who consult the spirits of the dead, as well as other forms of divination (Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10–12; see also 1 Sam. 15:23). Necromancy and other forms of divination were common throughout the ancient Near East, and many divination texts have been discovered; biblical religion is the only one known to forbid it. Such religious practices were widespread in ancient Canaan (Deut. 18:10–12), and they continued to be a problem throughout the Israelite monarchy (e.g., 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; Isa. 8:19). By driving out the mediums, Saul was certainly trying to be faithful to the Lord, in his own way. The Hebrew word rendered “medium” in 1 Sam. 28:3, 9 (’ob) can mean (1) “the spirit of a dead person” in general (as in v. 8); (2) “necromancy,” i.e., divining by an ’ob; or (3) “a medium,” i.e., one who practices necromancy. In v. 7, “a woman who is a medium” is literally “a woman who has an ’ob.” The term “necromancers” (yidde ‘oni), which always appears with “mediums,” is literally “(all-) knowing”; it refers to the practice of necromancy or to its practitioner, but not to the spirit of the dead.
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 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.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:8 Night was the appropriate time for consulting the spirits of the dead. Saul’s fasting (v. 20) may also have been in preparation for the ceremony.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:11 There is no description of the wording used to call up Samuel from the dead. Perhaps the writer did not even want to mention the actual deed.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:12 she cried out with a loud voice. Perhaps Samuel’s appearance surprised the woman and she thought something was happening outside her control. Another possibility is that her previous activities had called up only deceptive demonic imitations of a dead person’s spirit, but this time she suddenly realized that something much more real was happening. Readers are not told how the woman realized who Saul was. Perhaps the spirit called his name as he came up.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:13–14 A god is literally “gods” with a plural verbal form, so not “God,” which is a plural noun but takes a singular verb. This term is used of the spirits of the dead in ancient Near Eastern texts. The Moabite “gods” may also have been the spirits of the dead (see Num. 25:2; Ps. 106:28). Saul, however, is interested in Samuel as a person and asks about his (singular) appearance. The robe was Samuel’s characteristic garment (1 Sam. 15:27).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:15–19 Then Samuel said to Saul. The character of this event has long been debated—whether the spirit was really Samuel, or how the medium could command the spirit of a holy prophet. As far as the narrator is concerned, this really is the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. He is called “Samuel” in vv. 15–16. He speaks much as he had spoken to Saul during his lifetime (cf. 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. It is hard to think that the narrator thought this was a deceptive illusion performed by the woman or some demonic spirit deceiving Saul. An evil spirit would not deliver a true prophecy or true words to Saul, as Samuel does in 28:16–19. That the woman’s actions brought Samuel up is implied by v. 15, Why have you disturbed me? So whatever the limits on a medium’s power normally were, in this case the Lord let her rouse the spirit of Samuel himself.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:19 Be with me may simply mean that Saul will die, but some think it implies more, that Saul’s spirit will join Samuel’s in the place of the dead (perhaps even among those whose sins are forgiven). In 2 Sam. 12:23, David says he will eventually go to his dead son. Sometimes the term “Sheol” refers to the place of the dead, which was pictured as being below the earth (the spirit of Samuel is “brought up”; cf. 1 Sam. 28:8, 13, 15). In such cases, no distinction is made between the pious and the wicked. In other cases, a distinction is crucial (see note on Ps. 49:15).
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.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 28:25 Saul went away, back to Gilboa. Saul apparently accepted that his death was the unalterable word of the Lord; he does not try to escape the battle on the next day.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:1–11 The Philistine Rulers Reject David. Although Achish of Gath trusts David, the other Philistine commanders suspect that he would betray them, and they insist that he be sent home. In God’s providence, David is thus spared the occasion to shed Israelite blood.
As David and his men sought refuge in Philistia, the Philistines gathered their forces at Aphek to attack the Israelites. The Philistine commanders, skeptical of David’s loyalty in battle against his fellow Israelites, sent him to his home in Ziklag. When David arrived, he discovered that the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and burned Ziklag to the ground, carrying away many captives and belongings. David and his men pursued them, crossing the Besor Brook and attacking the Amalekites. He recovered all that had been taken, returned to Ziklag, and sent a portion of the spoils to the leaders of towns in the region (the locations of Bethel, Siphmoth, Racal, and Athach are unknown).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:1 The story backtracks to right after 28:2, partially repeating 28:1. Here the Philistines are still at their gathering point in Aphek, while in 28:4 they had already advanced to Shunem. Aphek was also where the Philistines had camped in 4:1 (see maps, The Ark’s Travels in 1 Samuel 3–7 and David Recovers Plunder from the Amalekites). Because it was at the northernmost point in the Philistine coastal plain, it was a strategic place to gather for a general attack on the Jezreel Valley. The spring is probably the spring of Harod, southeast of the city of Jezreel at the foot of Mount Gilboa; here Gideon encamped against the Midianites (Judg. 7:1).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:2–3 The lords of the Philistines are the rulers of the five Philistine cities (see 6:4, 16–18). These seranim (Hb.) in 29:2, 6, and 7 seem to be the same as the commanders, or “rulers” (Hb. sarim; plural of sar), in vv. 3, 4, and 9. An inscription from Ekron gives evidence that sar was the title of the ruler of a Philistine city.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:4 Unlike Achish, the other Philistine commanders mistrusted David, fearing that he would seek to regain the favor of Saul (his lord) by presenting to him 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 shut him off from being accepted by Israel as king (27:8–12) and would have been a terrible evil (see note on 25:32–35).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:6 It seems strange that Achish the Philistine ruler would say “as the LORD lives.” Yet to polytheistic people, to make an oath in the name of gods other than the gods they normally serve is not unthinkable. So this Philistine king may well have sworn to David by the God David worshiped.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:8 fight against the enemies of my lord the king. One can suspect ambiguity here as to the identity of “my lord the king.” 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, but the commanders may have been wise.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 29:11 From here, the action splits. Chapter 30 follows David’s actions, while ch. 31 is a continuation of Saul’s actions in 28:5–25 and the Philistines’ actions in ch. 29. The Philistines went up to Jezreel by way of Shunem (cf. 28:4, then ch. 31). Saul’s visit to the medium (28:5–25) occurred within this location. Jezreel is at the northwest foot of Mount Gilboa and guards the eastern entrance to the Jezreel Valley.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:1–31 Amalekite Raid on Ziklag and David’s Victory. David does the kingly work of delivering the people of Ziklag from their Amalekite captors, and of leading his own followers in dividing the spoil generously.
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 (v. 14) had gone to the battle in the north, and they took advantage of that fact.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:6 But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God, and God comforts and strengthens him. Rather than despairing, David turns to God in prayer and worship (cf. Ps. 56:3–4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:7 As in 23:9–10, David has Abiathar inquire of the Lord, using the sacred lots kept in the ephod. The Lord is still guiding David (30:8).
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, so that what they specifically gave the Egyptian is stated in the next sentence. The sugar of the dried fruit would have had an immediate effect.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:14 “Cherethites” seems to be a synonym for “Philistines” in Ezek. 25:16 and Zeph. 2:5. Since the Philistines are known to be of Aegean origin, the word probably derived from “Cretan.” So the Negeb of the Cherethites is probably southern Philistia. 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 also mean “dawn,” and the sense here is disputed. 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, and the battle continued during the daylight hours until sunset, which would be considered the start of the next day (see note on 14:28). The singular subject David in 30:17–20 stresses that this was David’s personal victory.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:19 Nothing was missing. Under God’s direction (vv. 8, 23), David, who would soon be king, rescued every one of the people who had sided with him, and for whom he was responsible.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:22 Worthless is also used variously to describe a supposedly drunken woman (1:16), Eli’s sons (2:12), the men who opposed Saul (10:27), Nabal (25:25), David as described by Shimei (2 Sam. 16:7), and the rebel Sheba (2 Sam. 20:1).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:24 They shall share alike. David, who will rule as a righteous king, generously distributes the spoils of victory to all who sided with him, and even gives gifts to others (vv. 26–31) who will soon be his subjects.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:25 Rule (Hb. mishpat) is translated elsewhere as “custom” (2:13), “ways” (8:11), and “rights and duties” (10:25).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 30:26–31 See note on v. 24. 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. The position of Hebron at the end of the list points toward David’s going to Hebron and being made king (2 Sam. 2:4).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:1–13 Deaths of Saul and Jonathan. 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. But the men of Jabesh-gilead, the city that Saul saved at the beginning of his reign, bravely rescue the bodies of Saul and his sons from dishonor.
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 (cf. 28:4; see map).
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 did not commit suicide but rather was killed by an Amalekite.
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:6 As Samuel’s spirit had said (cf. 28:19), the Lord gave Israel into the hands of the Philistines, and Saul and his sons joined the dead. Truly, “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!” (2 Sam. 1:19).
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 junction of the north-south road along the Jordan Valley and the road from Gilead to the Jezreel Valley. It was occupied almost continuously until the early Arab period. A temple of the eleventh century B.C. to the fertility goddess Anit has been discovered there. This may have been the temple referred to here, because Ashtaroth can refer to goddesses in general (see note on 7:3–4). During the Iron Age, Beth-shan was occupied by the Philistines. Excavations at the site have confirmed this settlement by the recovery of vast amounts of Philistine pottery, weapons, tools, and jewelry dating to the Iron I and II periods (1200–586 B.C.).
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 31:11–13 Saul had saved Jabesh-gilead at the beginning of his reign (ch. 11), a fact that 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).