20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.
21And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have wput my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me.
22“Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
23But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.
24Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it.
25So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.
1 Samuel 29
The Philistines Reject David
1Then athe Philistines gathered together all their armies bat Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
2And the clords of the Philistines 1passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but dDavid and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.
3Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me ethese days, or these years? And to this day I have ffound no fault in him since he defected to me.”
4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, g“Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to hbattle, lest iin the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these jmen?
5“Is this not David, kof whom they sang to one another in dances, saying:
l‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
6Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and myour going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day nI have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you.
7“Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
8So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight oas an angel of God; nevertheless pthe princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
10“Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants qwho have come with 2you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”
11So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. rAnd the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1 Samuel 30
David’s Conflict with the Amalekites
1Now it happened, when David and his men came to aZiklag, on the third day, that the bAmalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire,
2and had taken captive the cwomen and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.
3So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5And David’s two dwives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive.
6Now David was greatly distressed, for ethe people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was 1grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. fBut David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7gThen David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And hAbiathar brought the ephod to David.
8iSo David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; jfor two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.
11Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water.
12And they gave him a piece of ka cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So lwhen he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.
13Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick.
14“We made an invasion of the southern area of mthe Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area nof Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my omaster, and I will take you down to this troop.”
16And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, peating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
19And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; qDavid recovered all.
20Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21Now David came to the rtwo hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he 2greeted them.
22Then all the wicked and sworthless3 men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.
24“For who will heed you in this matter? But tas his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.”
25So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the 4spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”—
27to those who were in Bethel, those who were in uRamoth of the South, those who were in vJattir,
28those who were in wAroer, those who were in xSiphmoth, those who were in yEshtemoa,
29those who were in Rach
al, those who were in the cities of zthe Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the aKenites,
30those who were in bHormah, those who were in 5Chorashan, those who were in Athach,
31those who were in cHebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to drove.
1 Samuel 31
The Tragic End of Saul and His Sons
(1 Chr. 10:1–14)
1Now athe Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount bGilboa.
2Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed cJonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.
3dThe battle became fierce against Saul. The archers 1hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
4eThen Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest fthese uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and 2abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, gfor he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and hfell on it.
5And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.
6So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.
7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to iproclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.
10jThen they put his armor in the temple of the kAshtoreths, and lthey fastened his body to the wall of mBeth3 Shan.
11nNow when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12oall the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and pburned them there.
13Then they took their bones and qburied them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, rand fasted seven days.
1 Samuel Commentaries
1 Samuel 1
1:1—7:17 This first major division of the book begins and ends in Samuel’s home town of Ramah (1:1; 7:17). The focus of these chapters is on the life and ministry of Samuel. First Samuel 1:1–4:1a concentrates on Samuel as a prophet of the Lord (see the concluding statement of 4:1a, “and the word of Samuel came to all Israel”). The text in 4:1b–7:17 emphasizes Samuel as judge (see 7:17, “there he judged Israel”).
1:1 a certain man. This verse resembles the introduction to the birth of Samson in Judg. 13:2. The strong comparison highlights similarities between Samson and Samuel: Both men were judges over Israel, fighters of the Philistines, and lifelong Nazirites. Ramathaim. Possibly meaning “two heights,” the name occurs only here in the OT. Elsewhere, the town is simply called Ramah. It was located about 5 mi. N of Jerusalem. Elkanah. Meaning “God has created,” he was the father of Samuel. of Zuph. “Zuph” is both a place (9:5) and a personal name (1 Chr. 6:35), as here. Ephraimite. First Chronicles 6:27 identifies Elkanah as a member of the Kohathite branch of the tribe of Levi. The Levites lived among the other tribes (Josh. 21:20–22). Ephraim was the tribal area where this Levite lived.
1:2 two wives. Although polygamy was not God’s intention for mankind (Gen. 2:24), it was tolerated, but never endorsed in Israel (see Deut. 21:15–17). Elkanah probably married Peninnah because Hannah was barren. Hannah. Meaning “grace,” she was probably Elkanah’s first wife. Peninnah. Meaning “ruby,” she was Elkanah’s second wife and the first bearer of his children.
1:3 This man went up…yearly. All Israelite men were required to attend 3 annual feasts at the central sanctuary (Deut. 16:1–17). Elkanah regularly attended these festivals with his wives. The festival referred to here was probably the Feast of Tabernacles (Sept./Oct.) because of the feasting mentioned in 1:9. the LORD of hosts. This is the first OT occurrence of “hosts” being added to the divine name. “Hosts” can refer to human armies (Ex. 7:4), celestial bodies (Deut. 4:19), or heavenly creatures (Josh. 5:14). This title emphasizes the Lord as sovereign over all of the powers in heaven and on earth, especially over the armies of Israel. Shiloh. Located about 20 mi. N of Jerusalem in Ephraim, the tabernacle and ark of the covenant resided here (Josh. 18:1; Judg. 18:31). Eli. Meaning “exalted is the LORD.” He was the High-Priest at Shiloh. Hophni and Phinehas. Each of Eli’s two priestly sons had an Egyptian name: Hophni (“tadpole”) and Phinehas (“nubian”).
1:4 an offering. A peace offering since the worshipers ate a portion of the offering (see Lev. 7:11–18).
1:5 the LORD had closed her womb. Hannah’s barrenness was the result of divine providence like Sarah’s (Gen. 16:2) and Rachel’s (Gen. 30:2).
1:6 her rival. The other wife was an adversary. provoked her. Lit. “to thunder against” her; see 2:10 for the same word.
1:7 did not eat. Hannah fasted because of the provocation of Peninnah. She did not eat of the peace offerings.
1:8 your heart grieved. The idiom used reflects anger, not sadness (see Deut. 15:10 for the same idiom).
1:9 tabernacle. See marginal note. The mention of sleeping quarters (3:2, 3) and doors (3:15) implies that at this time the tabernacle was part of a larger, more permanent building complex.
1:11 vow. Hannah pledged to give the Lord her son in return for God’s favor in giving her that son. A married woman’s vow could be confirmed or nullified by her husband according to Num. 30:6–15. Your maidservant. A humble, submissive way of referring to herself in the presence of her superior, sovereign God. remember me. Hannah requested special attention and care from the Lord. all the days of his life. A contrast to the normal Nazirite vow, which was only for a specified period of time (see Num. 6:4, 5, 8). no razor. Though not specified as such in this chapter, the Nazirite vow is certainly presupposed. The nonshaving of the hair on one’s head is one of the 3 requirements of the vow (Num. 6:5). This expression was used elsewhere only of the Nazirite Samson (Judg. 13:5; 16:17).
1:13 drunk. Public prayer in Israel was usually audible. However, Hannah was praying silently, leaving Eli to surmise that she was drunk.
1:16 wicked. See marginal note and cf. 2:12.
1:20 Samuel. The name lit. meant “name of God,” but sounded like “heard by God.” For Hannah the assonance was most important, because God had heard her prayer.
1:21 his vow. Elkanah supported and joined with his wife in her vow to the Lord. With the birth of Samuel he brought his votive offering to the Lord (Lev. 7:16).
1:22 weaned. As was customary in the ancient world, Samuel was probably breast fed for two to three years. Then he was left to serve the Lord at the tabernacle for the rest of his life.
1:23 His word. Probably an earlier word of the Lord not recorded in the text.
1:24 three bulls…ephah of flour…skin of wine. According to Num. 15:8–10, a bull, flour, and wine were to be sacrificed in fulfillment of a vow. Hannah brought all 3 in larger measure than required. An ephah was about .75 bu.
1:26 As your soul lives. Lit. “by the light of your soul,” a common oath formula.
1:27, 28 asked…lent. These terms are from the same Heb. root used 4 times in these two verses. Twice in v. 27 it has the usual meaning of “asked.” Twice in v. 28 it bears the derived meaning “lent on request.” The son Hannah requested God had given, and she gives her gift back to the Giver.
1 Samuel 2
2:1–10 In contrast to the prayer that came from her bitterness (1:10), Hannah prayed from joy in these verses. The prominent idea in Hannah’s prayer is that the Lord is a righteous judge. He had brought down the proud (Peninnah) and exalted the humble (Hannah). The prayer h
as four sections: 1) Hannah prays to the Lord for His salvation (vv. 1, 2); 2) Hannah warned the proud of the Lord’s humbling (vv. 3–8d); 3) Hannah affirmed the Lord’s faithful care for His saints (vv. 8e–9b); 4) Hannah petitioned the Lord to judge the world and to prosper His anointed king (vv. 9c–10e). This prayer has a number of striking verbal similarities with David’s song of 2 Sam. 22:2–51: “horn” (2:1; 22:3), “rock” (2:2; 22:2, 3), salvation/deliverance (2:1, 2; 22:2, 3), grave/Sheol (2:6; 22:6), “thunder” (2:10; 22:14), “king” (2:10; 22:51), and “anointed” (2:10; 22:51).
2:1 horn. A symbol of strength, power (see Deut. 33:17).
2:2 rock. A metaphor for God that emphasized His strength and the security of those who trust in Him (see Deut. 32:4; Ps. 18:1, 2).
2:3 proudly…arrogance. The majestic and powerful God humbles all those who vaunt themselves against Him. The idea of God’s humbling of the very proud is shown throughout 1, 2 Samuel, toward Peninnah, Eli’s sons, the Philistines, Goliath, Saul, Nabal, Absalom, Shimei, Sheba, and even David.
2:4–7 Seven contrasts are found in these 4 verses: 1) mighty and weak; 2) full and hungry; 3) barren and fertile; 4) dead and alive; 5) sick and well; 6) poor and rich; and 7) humbled and exalted.
2:5 has borne seven. This is not a personal testimony since Hannah bore only 6 children (2:21). “Seven” here is a general reference to women whom God blesses.
2:8 pillars of the earth. A figure of speech which pictures the earth’s stability (cf. Pss. 75:3; 82:5; 104:5).
2:10 The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. The Lord will impose His righteous rule upon all the nations and peoples (see Is. 2:2–4). His king. Moses had already predicted the coming of a king who would exercise God’s rule over all the nations of the earth (Gen. 49:8–12; Num. 24:7–9, 17–19). It was this future, victorious king whom Hannah anticipated and Saul and David prefigured. His anointed. Previously in the OT, both the tabernacle and its utensils along with the priests (Aaron and his sons) had been anointed with oil. This pictured their consecrated and holy status before the Lord (Ex. 30:26–30). In Samuel, first Saul (10:1), and then David (16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 5:3) were anointed as they were inaugurated for the kingship. From this point in the OT, it is usually the king who is referred as “the anointed (of the LORD)” (12:3; 24:6; 26:9, 11, 16; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16; 19:21). The kings of Israel, particularly David, foreshadowed the Lord’s ultimate anointed king. The English word “Messiah” represents the Heb. word used here meaning “anointed.” Thus, this ultimate King who would rule over the nations of the earth, came to be referred to as “the Messiah,” as here and 2:35; cf. 2 Sam. 22:51.
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