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Judges 16:23-31
New English Translation

Samson’s Death and Burial

23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.” 24 When the people saw him,[a] they praised their god, saying, “Our god has handed our enemy over to us, the one who ruined our land and killed so many of us!”[b]

25 When they really started celebrating,[c] they said, “Call for Samson so he can entertain us!” So they summoned Samson from the prison and he entertained them.[d] They made him stand between two pillars. 26 Samson said to the young man who held his hand, “Position me so I can touch the pillars that support the temple.[e] Then I can lean on them.” 27 Now the temple[f] was filled with men and women, and all the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were 3,000 men and women on the roof watching Samson entertain. 28 Samson called to the Lord, “O Sovereign Lord,[g] remember me! Strengthen me just one more time, O God, so I can get swift revenge[h] against the Philistines for my two eyes!” 29 Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple[i] and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard,[j] and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. He killed many more people in his death than he had killed during his life.[k] 31 His brothers and all his family[l] went down and brought him back.[m] They buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led[n] Israel for twenty years.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 16:24 tn Most interpret this as a reference to Samson, but this seems premature, since v. 25 suggests he was not yet standing before them. Consequently some prefer to see this statement as displaced and move it to v. 25 (see C. F. Burney, Judges, 387). It seems more likely that the pronoun refers to an image of Dagon.
  2. Judges 16:24 tn Heb “multiplied our dead.”
  3. Judges 16:25 tn Heb “When their heart was good.”
  4. Judges 16:25 tn Heb “before them.”
  5. Judges 16:26 tn Heb “the pillars upon which the house is founded.”
  6. Judges 16:27 tn Heb “house.”
  7. Judges 16:28 tn The Hebrew has אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה (ʾadonay yehovih, “Lord Yahweh”).
  8. Judges 16:28 tn Heb “so I can get revenge with one act of vengeance.”
  9. Judges 16:29 tn Heb “the pillars upon which the house was founded.”
  10. Judges 16:30 tn Heb “he stretched out with strength.”
  11. Judges 16:30 tn Heb “And the ones whom he killed in his death were many more than he killed in his life.”
  12. Judges 16:31 tn Heb “and all the house of his father.”
  13. Judges 16:31 tn Heb “and lifted him up and brought up.”
  14. Judges 16:31 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
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1 Samuel 2:22-5:12
New English Translation

22 Eli was very old. And he would hear about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel[a] and[b] how they used to go to bed with[c] the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do these things, these evil things that I hear about from all these people?[d] 24 No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating[e] among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf.[f] But if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons[g] would not listen to their father.[h] Indeed[i] the Lord had decided[j] to kill them. 26 However, the boy[k] Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.[l]

The Lord Judges the House of Eli

27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘I plainly[m] revealed[n] myself to your ancestor’s house when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh in Egypt.[o] 28 I chose[p] your ancestor[q] from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear[r] the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 29 Why are you[s] scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place?[t] You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’

30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say[u] that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve[v] me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be![w] For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength[x] and the strength[y] of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place![z] Israel will experience blessings,[aa] but there will not be an old man in your[ab] house for all time.[ac] 33 Any man of yours that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause his[ad] eyes to fail[ae] and will cause him grief.[af] All those born to your family[ag] will die by the sword of man.[ah] 34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons,[ai] Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a lasting dynasty,[aj] and he will serve my chosen one for all time.[ak] 36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money[al] and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, “Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.”’”

The Call of Samuel

3 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision.[am] Receiving a message from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.

2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place, 3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord as well; the ark of God was also there. 4 The Lord called to Samuel, and he replied, “Here I am!” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli[an] said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down. 6 The Lord again called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli[ao] said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the Lord’s messages had not yet been revealed to him. 8 Then the Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.

10 Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel;[ap] when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle. 12 On that day I will carry out[aq] against Eli everything that I spoke about his house—from start to finish! 13 You[ar] should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of[as] the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,[at] and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”

15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 16 However, Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” 17 Eli[au] said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely[av] if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli[aw] said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.”[ax] 19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled.[ay] 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel[az] through a message from the Lord.[ba] 4 1 Samuel revealed the word of the Lord[bb] to all Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant is Lost to the Philistines

Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.[bc] They camped at Ebenezer,[bd] and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight[be] Israel. As the battle spread out,[bf] Israel was defeated by[bg] the Philistines, who[bh] killed about 4,000 men in the battle line in the field.

3 When the army[bi] came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by[bj] the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us[bk] from the hand of our enemies.”

4 So the army[bl] sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly[bm] that the ground shook.

6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said, “What is this loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp. 7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp.[bn] They said, “Woe to us! We’ve never seen anything like this! 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert! 9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home.[bo] The slaughter was very great; 30,000 foot soldiers from Israel fell in battle. 11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.

Eli Dies

12 On that day[bp] a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head. 13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair on the lookout[bq] by the side of[br] the road, for he was very worried[bs] about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report,[bt] the whole city cried out.

14 When Eli heard the outcry,[bu] he said, “What’s this commotion?”[bv] The man quickly came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead;[bw] he was unable to see.

16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli[bx] asked, “How did things go, my son?” 17 The messenger replied, “Israel has fled from[by] the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!”

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli[bz] fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he[ca] was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains were too much for her. 20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention.[cb]

21 She named the boy Ichabod,[cc] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.”

God Sends Trouble for the Philistines Who Have the Ark

5 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, where they positioned it beside Dagon. 3 When the residents of Ashdod got up early the next day,[cd] Dagon was lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place. 4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact.[ce] 5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon’s temple steps on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)

6 The Lord attacked[cf] the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of[cg] both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores.[ch] 7 When the people[ci] of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked[cj] both us and our god Dagon!”

8 So they assembled[ck] all the leaders of the Philistines and asked, “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied, “The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

9 But after it had been moved the Lord attacked[cl] that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city[cm] with sores.[cn] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here[co] to kill our[cp] people!” 11 So they assembled[cq] all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us[cr] and our[cs] people!” The terror[ct] of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there.[cu] 12 The people[cv] who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 2:22 tn Heb “to all Israel.”
  2. 1 Samuel 2:22 tc The latter half of the verse is absent in the LXX. It also appears to be absent from 4QSama, as judged by the lack of adequate space between the remaining text.
  3. 1 Samuel 2:22 tn Heb “lie down with,” a euphemism for sexual relations.
  4. 1 Samuel 2:23 tn The MT reads, “Why do you act according to these things which I am hearing—evil things—from all these people?”tc The LXX ends “from all the people of the Lord” (κυρίου, kuriou). Perhaps the final phrase of v. 24 (“the people of the Lord”) influenced the LXX. Somewhat less likely is the view that the MT reading is due to a distorted dittography of the first word of v. 24. The Vulgate lacks the word.
  5. 1 Samuel 2:24 tn The verb is a Hiphil participle from עָבַר (ʿabar). The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew (p. 309) understands it to mean “spread[ing] about” in this context. The term can also mean “causing to transgress.”tc The LXX reads “the report…is not good, so that the people do not serve God.”
  6. 1 Samuel 2:25 tc MT “God may arbitrate [for] him.” LXX “they shall pray for him to the Lord.” Auld suggests that אֶל יהוה (ʾel YHWH; “to the Lord”), attested in 4QSama, may have been corrupted into אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim; “God”) (Graeme Auld, I & II Samuel [Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011] 46).
  7. 1 Samuel 2:25 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Eli’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 1 Samuel 2:25 tn Heb “the voice of their father.”
  9. 1 Samuel 2:25 tn Or “Indeed.”
  10. 1 Samuel 2:25 tn Heb “desired” or “had become willing to.”
  11. 1 Samuel 2:26 tn The term נַעַר (naʿar), here translated “boy,” often refers to a servant or apprentice in line for a position of authority. A decade or more has probably passed since Hannah brought him to Eli.
  12. 1 Samuel 2:26 sn This is a parenthetic remark in which Samuel is again contrasted with Hophni and Phinehas (cf. 2:11b-12; 2:17-18).
  13. 1 Samuel 2:27 tn Or “certainly.” The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb to emphasize its modality, here the indicative mode.
  14. 1 Samuel 2:27 tc The MT poses as a question “Did I actually reveal myself…?” The LXX records as a statement “I revealed myself…” The syntax of the Hebrew can either ask for information that is not known or be used as a rhetorical question which expects the answer “no.” In this context the expected answer would be “yes.” One approach is to leave the question as in the Hebrew, probably expecting the reader to still think the answer should be “yes,” even though it is the not the syntax for it (ESV, KJV). Another is to add a missing negative “did I not reveal myself…” so that the question expects the answer “yes” (NIV, NAS, NKJV). More likely the interrogative הֲ (ha) is a case of dittography, as the previous word ends with the same letter ה (he) (NRSV, NLT).
  15. 1 Samuel 2:27 tc Reading with 4QSama and the LXX “when they were in the land of Egypt, slaves to the house of Pharaoh.” The MT omits “slaves,” probably lost due to homoioteleuton.
  16. 1 Samuel 2:28 tn Heb “even choosing.” The finite verb shortens the sentence for better English style.
  17. 1 Samuel 2:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  18. 1 Samuel 2:28 tn The verb נָשָׁא (nasaʾ) normally means “to carry” or “to bear” and refers to an ephod three times. The issue is whether the context here views the ephod more as a piece of clothing or as a cultic object. Exodus 28:4 classifies the ephod as a garment, which is made of linen (Exod 39:2). But a different verb is used in 1 Sam 2:18 and elsewhere to describe wearing an ephod. The ephod also includes stones with cultic significance as a memorial (Exod 28:12; 39:7). An ephod is associated with or appears as a cultic object (Judg 8:27 and possibly 17:5 and 18:14-20) and can be “in the hand” (1 Sam 23:6) or brought as an object (1 Sam 30:7). David uses an ephod, brought by Abiathar the priest, to consult the Lord’s will (1 Sam 23:9-10; 30:7-8). In keeping with the other infinitives in this verse that refer to priestly activities and functions, the translation “bear the ephod” reflects carrying the ephod which was used for divine consultation.
  19. 1 Samuel 2:29 tc The MT has a plural “you” here, but the LXX and a Qumran ms have the singular. The singular may be the correct reading; the verb “you have honored” later in the verse is singular even in the MT. However, it is more probable that the Lord here refers to Eli and his sons. Note the plural in the second half of the verse (“you have made yourselves fat”).
  20. 1 Samuel 2:29 tn Heb “which I commanded, dwelling place.” The noun is functioning as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb. Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation.tc The LXX reads “Why did you look at my incense and my sacrifice with a shameless eye?” The LXX may have read the first verb as being from the root נָבַט (nabat) “to look at” rather than the rare בָּעַט (baʿat) “to kick.” And the final consonants of מָעוֹן (maʿon) are easily confused with עַיִן (ʿayin). But the rest of the variation appears inexplicable as a copying error from either direction.
  21. 1 Samuel 2:30 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  22. 1 Samuel 2:30 tn Heb “walk about before.”
  23. 1 Samuel 2:30 tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”
  24. 1 Samuel 2:31 tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.
  25. 1 Samuel 2:31 tn Heb “arm.”
  26. 1 Samuel 2:32 tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).
  27. 1 Samuel 2:32 tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”
  28. 1 Samuel 2:32 tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.
  29. 1 Samuel 2:32 tn Heb “all the days.”
  30. 1 Samuel 2:33 tc The MT reads “your eyes.” The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss read “his eyes.”
  31. 1 Samuel 2:33 tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).
  32. 1 Samuel 2:33 tn The MT reads “and to cause your soul grief.” The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss read “his soul.”
  33. 1 Samuel 2:33 tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”
  34. 1 Samuel 2:33 tc The MT says “all the increase of your house will die men.” The LXX and a Qumran ms, read “all…will die by the sword of men.” This reading (cf. ESV, NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) makes sense syntactically. Some translations take “men” adverbially, “die as men,” and then understand it to mean something like “all…will die in the prime of life” (cf. NASB, NIV, KJV). However, the proposed syntax is very odd and such an adverbial function for “men” is otherwise unattested.
  35. 1 Samuel 2:34 tn Heb “and this to you [is] the sign which will come to both of your sons.”
  36. 1 Samuel 2:35 tn Heb “house.”
  37. 1 Samuel 2:35 tn Heb “and he will walk about before my anointed one all the days.”
  38. 1 Samuel 2:36 tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  39. 1 Samuel 3:1 tn Heb “before Eli.”
  40. 1 Samuel 3:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  41. 1 Samuel 3:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  42. 1 Samuel 3:11 tn The Hebrew text adds “so that” here, formally connecting this clause with the next.
  43. 1 Samuel 3:12 tn Or “fulfill.”
  44. 1 Samuel 3:13 tc The MT has וְהִגַּדְתִּי לוֹ (vehiggadti lo). The verb is Hiphil perfect first person common singular, and apparently the conjunction should be understood as vav consecutive (“I will say to him”). But the future reference makes more sense if Samuel is the subject. This would require dropping the final י (yod) and reading the second person masculine singular וְהִגַּדְתָּ (vehiggadta). Although there is no external evidence to support it, this reading has been adopted in the present translation. The alternative is to understand the MT to mean “I said to him,” but for this we would expect the preterite with vav consecutive.
  45. 1 Samuel 3:13 tn The translation understands the preposition to have a causal sense. However, the preposition could also be understood as the beth pretii, indicating in a broad sense the price attached to this action. So GKC 380 §119.p.
  46. 1 Samuel 3:13 tc The translation follows the LXX θεόν (theon, “God”) rather than the MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”). The MT seems to mean “they were bringing a curse on themselves” (cf. ASV, NASB). But this meaning is problematic in part because the verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to curse,” not “to bring a curse on,” and in part because it takes an accusative object rather than the equivalent of a dative. This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” Why would the ancient copyists alter the original statement about Eli’s sons cursing God to the less objectionable statement that they brought a curse on themselves? Some argue that the scribes were concerned that such a direct and blasphemous affront against God could occur without an immediate response of judgment from God. Therefore they changed the text by deleting two letters א and י (alef and yod) from the word for “God,” with the result that the text then read “to them.” If this ancient scribal claim is accepted as accurate, it implies that the MT here is secondary. The present translation follows the LXX (κακολογοῦντες θεόν, kakologountes theon) and a few mss of the Old Latin in reading “God” rather than the MT “to them.” Cf. also NAB, NRSV, NLT.
  47. 1 Samuel 3:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  48. 1 Samuel 3:17 tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”
  49. 1 Samuel 3:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  50. 1 Samuel 3:18 tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”
  51. 1 Samuel 3:19 tn Heb “and he did not cause to fall from all his words to the ground.”
  52. 1 Samuel 3:21 tc The LXX has a lengthy addition here: “And Samuel was acknowledged to be a prophet of the Lord in all Israel, from one end to the other. Eli was very old and, as for his sons, their way kept getting worse and worse before the Lord.” The Hebraic nature of the Greek syntax used here suggests that the LXX translator was accurately rendering a Hebrew variant and not simply expanding the text on his own initiative.
  53. 1 Samuel 3:21 tn The chapter division at this point is inappropriate. 1 Sam 4:1a is best understood as the conclusion to chap. 3 rather than the beginning of chap. 4.
  54. 1 Samuel 4:1 tn Heb “and the word of Samuel was.” The present translation understands Samuel to be the speaker of the divine word (“Samuel” is a subjective genitive in this case), although the statement could mean that he was the recipient of the divine word (“Samuel” is an objective genitive in this case) who in turn reported it to Israel.
  55. 1 Samuel 4:1 tn Heb “and Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle.”
  56. 1 Samuel 4:1 tn Heb “the stone, the help.” The second noun is in apposition to the first one and apparently is the name by which the stone was known. Contrast the expression used in 5:1 and 7:12, where the first word lacks the definite article, unlike 4:1.
  57. 1 Samuel 4:2 tn Heb “to meet.”
  58. 1 Samuel 4:2 tn The MT has וַתִּטֹּשׁ (vattittosh), from the root נָטַשׁ (natash). This verb normally means “to leave,” “to forsake,” or “to permit,” but such an idea does not fit this context very well. Many scholars have suspected that the text originally read either וַתֵּט (vattet, “and it spread out”), from the root נָטָה (natah), or וַתִּקֶשׁ (vattiqesh, “and it grew fierce”), from the root קָשַׂה (qasah). The former suggestion is apparently supported by the LXX ἔκλινεν (eklinen, “it inclined”) and is adopted in the translation.
  59. 1 Samuel 4:2 tn Heb “before.”
  60. 1 Samuel 4:2 tn Heb “the Philistines, and they killed.” The pronoun “they” has been translated as a relative pronoun (“who”) to make it clear to the English reader that the Philistines were the ones who did the killing.
  61. 1 Samuel 4:3 tn Or “people.”
  62. 1 Samuel 4:3 tn Heb “before.”
  63. 1 Samuel 4:3 tn Heb “and it will come in our midst and it will save.” After the cohortative (see “let’s take”), the prefixed verbal forms with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose or result. The translation understands the ark to be the subject of the third masculine singular verbs, although it is possible to understand the Lord as the subject. In the latter case, one should translate, “when he is with us, he will save us.”
  64. 1 Samuel 4:4 tn Or “people.”
  65. 1 Samuel 4:5 tn Heb “shouted [with] a great shout.”
  66. 1 Samuel 4:7 tn The Hebrew text has a direct quote, “because they said, ‘Gods have come to the camp.’” Even though the verb translated “have come” is singular, the following subject should be taken as plural (“gods”), as v. 8 indicates. Some emend the verb to a plural form.
  67. 1 Samuel 4:10 tn Heb “and they fled, each to his tents.”
  68. 1 Samuel 4:12 tn Or perhaps, “the same day.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.f.
  69. 1 Samuel 4:13 tn The Qal of this verb, צָפָה (tsafah), means “to look.” (The more common word for “to see” is רָאָה, raʾah). Here the ptc. is Piel, which means “to be on the lookout for, look” (HALOT 1045 s.v. I צָפָה). Since we are told later that Eli could not see (which may mean that his eyesight was poor), the important part of using this verb is that Eli positioned himself to get the news as soon as it arrived.
  70. 1 Samuel 4:13 tc Read with many medieval Hebrew mss, the Qere, and much versional evidence יַד (yad, “hand”) rather than MT יַךְ (yakh).
  71. 1 Samuel 4:13 tn Heb “his heart was trembling.”
  72. 1 Samuel 4:13 tn Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”
  73. 1 Samuel 4:14 tn Heb “the sound of the cry.”
  74. 1 Samuel 4:14 tn Heb “the sound of this commotion.”
  75. 1 Samuel 4:15 tn Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.
  76. 1 Samuel 4:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  77. 1 Samuel 4:17 tn Heb “before.”
  78. 1 Samuel 4:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  79. 1 Samuel 4:18 tn Heb “the man.”
  80. 1 Samuel 4:20 tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”
  81. 1 Samuel 4:21 sn The name Ichabod (אִי־כָבוֹד) may mean, “Where is the glory?”
  82. 1 Samuel 5:3 tc The LXX adds “they entered the temple of Dagon and saw.”
  83. 1 Samuel 5:4 tc Heb “only Dagon was left.” We should probably read the word גֵּו (gev, “back”) before Dagon, understanding it to have the sense of the similar word גְּוִיָּה (geviyyah, “body”). This variant is supported by the following evidence: The LXX has ἡ ῥάχις (hē hrachis, “the back” or “trunk”); the Syriac Peshitta has wegusmeh (“and the body of”); the Targum has gupyeh (“the body of”); the Vulgate has truncus (“the trunk of,” cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). On the strength of this evidence the present translation employs the phrase “Dagon’s body.”
  84. 1 Samuel 5:6 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was heavy upon.”
  85. 1 Samuel 5:6 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  86. 1 Samuel 5:6 tc The LXX and Vulgate add the following: “And mice multiplied in their land, and the terror of death was throughout the entire city.”tn Or “tumors” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “growths on their skin”; KJV “emerods”; NAB “hemorrhoids.”
  87. 1 Samuel 5:7 tn Heb “men.”
  88. 1 Samuel 5:7 tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”
  89. 1 Samuel 5:8 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
  90. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord was against the city.”
  91. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn Heb “and he struck the men of the city from small and to great.”
  92. 1 Samuel 5:9 tn See the note on this term in v. 6. Cf. KJV “and they had emerods in their secret parts.”
  93. 1 Samuel 5:10 tn Heb “to me.”
  94. 1 Samuel 5:10 tn Heb “my.”
  95. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
  96. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “me.”
  97. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “my.”
  98. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Or “panic.”
  99. 1 Samuel 5:11 tn Heb “the hand of God was very heavy there.”
  100. 1 Samuel 5:12 tn Heb “men.”
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