And he slew, that is, Yahweh, or the God of Israel. The archaic-sounding verb slew really means “killed” (New Revised Standard Version) and should be translated by an ordinary verb.

Beth-shemesh: see verse 9. Although New Revised Standard Version says “people of Beth-shemesh,” most versions don’t consider it necessary to use inclusive language at this point.

The Hebrew says that God slew some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked into the ark of the LORD. The Septuagint, however, says that the sons [meaning descendants] of Jeconiah were killed because they did not rejoice with the [other] people of Beth Shemesh when they looked at the ark. The Septuagint is the basis for a number of translations (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Osty-Trinquet), including New Revised Standard Version, which says “The descendants of Jeconiah did not rejoice with the people of Beth-shemesh when they greeted the ark of the LORD; and he killed seventy men of them.” Nothing more is known about the sons of Jeconiah. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that translators follow the Masoretic Text here, though it gives only a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text and admits that there is considerable doubt about whether the text should read “and he slew some of the men of Beth Shemesh” or “and the sons of Jeconiah did not rejoice among the men of Beth Shemesh.”

They looked into the ark: the Septuagint says only that these men “looked at the ark,” and this reading is the basis for the translation of Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, which, however, follows the Masoretic Text at the beginning of this verse. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, that is, “they looked into the ark.”

Seventy men: the translation in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation is a conjecture. Most Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint say “of the people seventy men, fifty thousand men,” which may be interpreted as meaning 50,070 men, but the Hebrew text is awkward. Such a large number is highly improbable, since the total population of Beth Shemesh was very likely much smaller than this number. Most translations, including New International Version (which usually follows the Masoretic Text), follow the few Hebrew manuscripts that say seventy men.

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text and proposes the following translation: “and he struck, among the people, seventy men of [or, out of] fifty thousand men,” which is in fact the rendering in La Bible Pléiade.

Modern versions attempting to follow the traditional Hebrew text are New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New American Standard Bible, and Fox. But none of these accept the interpretation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. Fox, for example, has “he struck-down of the people seventy men and fifty thousand men.” Translators are advised to follow Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation at this point.

The people who mourned are the people of Beth-shemesh. Contemporary English Version makes this clear: “This made the people of Beth-Shemesh very sad.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .