f Lit. “watchmen.”
g Some Septuagint mss. read “Edomites.”
a So Targum and other ancient versions. Meaning of Heb: uncertain.
b I.e., “weepers.”
c Some mss. read “Timnath-serah”; cf. Josh. 24.30.
d Canaanite female deities.
e Lit. “plunderers.”
f-f Lit. “their fathers.”
a The sentence structure of vv. 1–2 is uncertain.
b-b Lit. “them formerly.”
c Lit. “lords.”
d See note at Num. 13.21.
e Heb. “his.”
f Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
g-g Or “the Beth-anathite.”
a-a Lit. “at his feet.”
b-b Lit. “from Cain”; cf. 1.16.
c-c Lit. “at the edge of the sword before Barak.”
a In many parts of this poem the meaning is uncertain.
b-b Apparently an expression of dedication; cf. Num. 6.5.
c Taking nazelu as a by-form of nazollu; cf. Targum.
d-d Or “the Beth-anathite.”
e Or “roads.”
f Heb. qamti, archaic second-person singular feminine.
g-g Meaning of Heb. uncertain; others “then was war in the gates.”
h-h Or “thunder peals”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
i Reading ‘am (with pathah) Adonai; so many Heb. mss.
j-j Or “at Onioth,” a presumed designation of Dan’s region.
k-k Lit. “belittled its life to die.”
l I.e., the kings of Canaan (v. 19).
m-m Lit. “From the gallopings, the gallopings of his steeds.”
n Or “against.”
o Or “gazed”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b I.e., by grazing their livestock.
c-c I.e., “My lord, ‘All-is-well.”’
d I.e., Gideon.
e Heb. “them.”
a Or “the Spring of Harod.”
b Or “the Hill of Moreh.”
c-c Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
d Lit. “smelt.”
e-e Actually, using their hands as a dog uses its tongue; see v. 6.
f Lit. “descend upon”; so in vv. 10 and 11.
g The loaf of bread symbolizes the agricultural Israelites; the tent, the nomadic Midianites.
h-h Emendation yields “He sounded the horn and smashed the jar that he had with him.”
i Meaning of rest of verse uncertain.
a-a Lit. “Is the palm of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand.”
b I.e., throw them naked in a bed of thorns and trample them; but exact meaning uncertain.
c Lit. “men who drew the sword.”
d Heb. “him.”
e Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “threshed”; cf. v. 7.
f-f Others “Where are they?”
g I.e., the Midianites. The author explains that the Midianites wore earrings like the Ishmaelites, who were better known to his contemporaries.
h-h Heb. “it.”
a-a Lit. “bone and flesh.”
b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c Septuagint reads “I.”
d Called “Arumah” in v. 41.
e Cf. “Tormah” in v. 31.
f Heb. “columns.”
g Perhaps identical with Beth-millo of vv. 6 and 20.
h Cf. 1 Sam. 13.6; others “citadel.”
i Called “Baal-berith” in v. 4.
j Heb. plural.
a Imitating the pun in the Heb., which employs ‘ayarim first in the sense of “donkeys” and then in the sense of “towns.”
b I.e., “the villages of Jair”; cf. Num. 32.41.
c Meaning of Heb. uncertain; perhaps “enough for” or “continuing for.”
d Septuagint reads “Midian.”
a Lit. “another woman.”
b-b Lit. “opened my mouth.”
c Lit. “descend,” i.e., with weeping; cf. Isa. 15.3.
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b I.e., Bethlehem in Zebulun; cf. Josh. 19.15.
a Lit. “in the day.”
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a Heb. “my.”
b Heb. “they.”
c I.e., the people of Timnah.
d Septuagint and Syriac read “fourth.”
e Reading halom, with some Heb. mss. and Targum.
a So Targum.
b Heb. “his.”
c Many mss. read “her father’s household”; cf. 14.15.
d-d Lit. “He smote them leg as well as thigh, a great smiting.”
e I.e., “Jawbone Heights.”
f Understood as “The Spring of the Caller.”
a Meaning of parts of verse uncertain.
b Septuagint reads “were told.”
c For use as bowstrings.
d Septuagint adds “and pin it with a peg to the wall, I shall become as weak as an ordinary man. So Delilah put him to sleep and wove the seven locks of his head into the web.”
e Septuagint adds “to the wall.”
f Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
g Taking wattahel as equivalent to wattahal; cf. vv. 7, 11, and 17.
h This verse would read well after v. 25.
a “Micaihu” here and in v. 4.
b Cursing anyone who knew the whereabouts of the silver and did not disclose it; cf. Lev. 5.1; 1 Kings 8.31.
c In order to nullify the imprecation.
d-d Force of Heb. uncertain.
a Lit. “voice.” The men could tell by his dialect that he came from Judah and was therefore a former neighbor of the Danites; cf. vv. 11–12.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c-c Lit. “the sculptured image of the ephod, and the household gods, and the molten image.”
d Heb. with suspended, indicating an earlier reading “Moses”; cf. Exod. 2.22.
a Lit. “played the harlot.”
b-b Emendation yields “and his attendant.”
c-c Lit. “in the field.”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “to my home”; cf. v. 29.
e I.e., the concubine.
f-f I.e., “with us.”
a This sentence is continued at v. 14 below.
b-b Emendation yields “for those who go to requite Gibeah.”
c Heb. plural.
d Meaning of parts of vv. 15 and 16 uncertain.
e Emendation yields “west of Gibeah.”
f So many Heb. mss. and Targum; most mss. and the editions read “opposite.”
g This sentence is continued by v. 45.
h-h Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “in the town” (i.e., Gibeah).
i Meaning of verse uncertain.
a I.e., west of the Jordan, while Jabesh-gilead is east of the Jordan.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
I Samuel
1 There was a man from a-Ramathaim of the Zuphites,-a in the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. 3This man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to offer sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at Shiloh.—Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD there.
4One such day, Elkanah offered a sacrifice. He used to give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; 5but to Hannah he would give one portion -bonly—though-b Hannah was his favorite—for the LORD had closed her womb. 6Moreover, her rival, to make her miserable, would taunt her that the LORD had closed her womb. 7c-This happened-c year after year: Every time she went up to the House of the LORD, the other would taunt her, so that she wept and would not eat. 8Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why aren’t you eating? Why are you so sad? Am I not more devoted to you than ten sons?”
9After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose.d—The priest Eli was sitting on the seat near the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.— 10In her wretchedness, she prayed to the LORD, weeping all the while. 11And she made this vow: “O LORD of Hosts, if You will look upon the suffering of Your maidservant and will remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and if You will grant Your maidservant a male child, I will dedicate him to the LORD for all the days of his life; and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
12As she kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. 13Now Hannah was praying in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? e-Sober up!”-e 15And Hannah replied, “Oh no, my lord! I am a very unhappy woman. I have drunk no wine or other strong drink, but I have been pouring out my heart to the LORD. 16Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; I have only been speaking all this time out of my great anguish and distress.” 17“Then go in peace,” said Eli, “and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of Him.” 18She answered, “You are most kind to your handmaid.” So the woman left, and she ate, and was no longer downcast. 19Early next morning they bowed low before the LORD, and they went back home to Ramah.
Elkanah knewf his wife Hannah and the LORD remembered her. 20Hannah conceived, and at the turn of the year bore a son. She named him Samuel,g meaning, “I asked the LORD for him.” 21And when the man Elkanah and all his household were going up to offer to the LORD the annual sacrifice and his votive sacrifice, 22Hannah did not go up. She said to her husband, “When the child is weaned, I will bring him. For when he has appeared before the LORD, he must remain there for good.” 23Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do as you think best. Stay home until you have weaned him. May the LORD fulfill h-His word.”-h So the woman stayed home and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with i- three bulls,-i one ephah of flour, and a jar of wine. And b-though the boy was still very young,-b she brought him to the House of the LORD at Shiloh. 25After slaughtering the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26She said, “Please, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you and prayed to the LORD. 27It was this boy I prayed for; and the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him. 28I, in turn, hereby lendj him to the LORD. For as long as he lives he is lent to the LORD.” And theyk bowed low there before the LORD.
2 And Hannah prayed:
My heart exults in the LORD;
a-I have triumphed-a through the LORD.
b-I gloat-b over my enemies;
I rejoice in Your deliverance.
2There is no holy one like the LORD,
Truly, there is none beside You;
There is no rock like our God.
3Talk no more with lofty pride,
Let no arrogance cross your lips!
For the LORD is an all-knowing God;
By Him
