translation_id: net-engnet

label: NET translator note

text: 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.


text: Heb “and Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle.”


text: 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 .


text: Heb “to meet.”


text: The MT has וַתִּטֹּשׁ ( vattittosh ), from the root נטשׁ ( ntsh ). 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 נטה ( nth) , or וַתִּקֶשׁ ( vattiqesh , “and it grew fierce”), from the root קשׂה ( qsh ). The former suggestion is apparently supported by the LXX ἔκλινεν ( eklinen , “it inclined”) and is adopted in the translation.


text: Heb “before.”


text: 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.


text: Or “people.”


text: 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.”


text: Heb “shouted [with] a great shout.”


text: 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.


text: Heb “and they fled, each to his tents.”


text: Or perhaps, “the same day.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.f.


label: NET textual note

text: Read with many medieval Hebrew mss , the Qere , and much versional evidence יַד ( yad , “hand”) rather than MT יַךְ ( yakh ) .


text: Heb “his heart was trembling.”


text: Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”


text: Heb “the sound of the cry.”


text: Heb “the sound of this commotion.”


text: Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.


text: Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “the man.”


text: Heb “and she did not set her heart.”