UTN uW Translation Notes:

1 Samuel 13 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of King Saul by telling how, when he felt threatened by an invading Philistine army, he disobeyed a direct command from Yahweh. Samuel told him that as a consequence, Yahweh would not allow him to have a dynasty. That is, none of his descendants would succeed him as king. Instead, Yahweh would choose “a man according to his heart” to become the next king. So this chapter looks forward to the transition that the book later makes from King Saul to King David. But more immediately, it also begins an account that continues through the next chapter of a war between the Israelites and Philistines.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The name “Hebrews”

Verses such as 4:9, 13:19, and 14:11 show that the name “Hebrews” was a term of contempt that the Philistines used for the Israelites. So it seems strange that Saul would use it to describe his own people in 13:3 and that the author would use it for the Israelites in 13:7. It may be that when Saul says in 13:3 “Let the Hebrews hear!” in order to announce a preliminary victory against the Philistines, he is appropriating the term in order to give it a different significance. It is as if he is saying, “So we are ‘Hebrews,” are we? Well then, look what we can do!” In 13:7, when the author describes how some of the Israelite soldiers fled from the Philistine army, he says, “And Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.” He may be using the term there to suggest that soldiers who fled in this way deserved to be called by a contemptuous name. Whatever the explanation, since “Hebrews” is the actual term that a character and the author use in the biblical text, you should use that same term in your translation.

How many chariots did the Philistines have?

The traditional Hebrew text says in 13:5 that the Philistines invaded Israel with 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen. This statement is problematic because ancient armies always had more horsemen than chariots and because no armies in the ancient world, even those of great empires, are attested to have had nearly that many chariots. One plausible explanation for the reading is that during the process of transmission, the singular word “three” was copied in the plural, which meant “thirty” in Hebrew. Some ancient versions do read “3,000” here, suggesting that this was the original reading. An army of 3,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen would suit the cultural context. Many modern versions adopt that reading, and you may wish to do so in your own translation.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

A standard way of describing a king’s reign

The statement in 13:1, “Saul was a son of a year in his becoming king, and he reigned over Israel two years,” is the first instance of a standard description that occurs repeatedly in this history of Israel that extends through 1–2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings. At the start of the account of each king's reign, the history tells how old that man was when he became king and for how long he reigned. (There are problems with the numbers in 13:1; see the two discussions just below.) In your translation, be sure to translate this description consistently in each of its occurrences (here and in 2 Samuel 2:10, 2 Samuel 5:4, etc.) so that your readers will recognize how the history is using it.

How old was Saul when he became king?

A number appears to have dropped out of 13:1 during the process of the transmission of the traditional Hebrew text, since that verse says that Saul was one year old when he became king. In ancient manuscripts, scribes did not write out numbers. They used letters to represent them. There are other examples where it seems evident that a letter has dropped out of the traditional text, and since 13:1 does not make sense in its present form, that seems to be what has happened. While, as a result, we probably cannot be certain how old Saul was when he became king, some ancient versions say that he was 30 years old, and you may find that to be a reasonable number to use in your translation.

How long did Saul reign?

The traditional Hebrew text says in 13:1 that Saul “reigned over Israel two years.” However, the narrative in 1 Samuel describes extensive events of his reign, suggesting that it lasted much longer than that. There are further indications of this in Scripture. Paul says in Acts 13:21 that Saul reigned for 40 years. (This could be a round number, meaning about 40 years.) 2 Samuel 2:10 records that Saul’s son Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he began to reign. Since he is not listed in 1 Samuel 14:49 as one of the sons whom Saul had when he became king, many interpreters believe that he was born after the beginning of Saul’s reign, suggesting that his reign was at least 40 years long. All things considered, it seems probable that a number written as a single letter has dropped out from this verse and that it originally said that Saul reigned over Israel for 42 years. You may wish to use that number in your translation.