"Obama" in the straight text of scripture!
The text, in the well known King James Version:
1 Samuel 14:38
38 And Saul said, Draw ye near hither, all the chief of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day.
"And
see wherein" [ur'u bamah] is the first place where "Obama" is in the
straight text. 'ubamah' complete with vowel points, except for "u"
instead of "o," is phonetically sounded when this verse is read. The straight Hebrew phrase 'O Bamah would mean "desiring a high place" and is not found anywhere in and of itself. The noun 'bamah" appears often. The prepositional form seen here is a form of "bam0" meaning "with."
In this case asked-for king Saul (=Sheol, "Hell") declares the
death penalty to anyone who goes against his "vow." The whole passage
gives the context of this evil statement:
23 So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.
24
¶ And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured
the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until
evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people
tasted any food.
25 And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
26
And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped;
but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
27
But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the
oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand,
and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his
eyes were enlightened.
28 Then answered one of the people, and
said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying,
Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were
faint.
29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land:
see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted
a little of this honey.
30 How much more, if haply the people had
eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for
had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?
31 And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.
32
And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and
calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with
the blood.
33 Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin
against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have
transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.
34 And Saul
said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me
hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here,
and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all
the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them
there.
35 And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.
36
¶ And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and
spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.
And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the
priest, Let us draw near hither unto God.
37 And Saul asked counsel
of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them
into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.
38 And Saul said, Draw ye near hither, all the chief of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day.
39
For, as the LORD liveth, which saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan
my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the
people that answered him.
40 Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on
one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the
people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee.
41 Therefore
Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. And Saul and
Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.
42 And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.
43
Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan
told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the
rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.
44 And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
45
And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought
this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there
shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought
with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.
The
army had heard the rash vow, and as a result ended up sinning when they
slaughtered and ate the meat with the blood. Their hunger overwhelmed
them.
Saul was so intent on being vindicated, he swore to
have the "cause" of this sin killed. He used a lottery to ferret out
the sinner. The "sin" was Johathan's unwitting breaking of his
father's rash vow. It was only the "people" (army) that saved the
prince. Jonathan means "Yah has given," a righteous son who ends up
dying along side his father in battle. YHWH gives, YHWH takes away.