As in verse 9 above, this verse contains a quotation within a quotation. In some languages it may be more natural to change the second quotation into an indirect quotation. The problem is further complicated by the fact that the embedded quotation is a question. The overall sense of the whole quotation may be captured by saying something like “asked Samuel who were the people who had [earlier] questioned Saul’s ability to rule. They insisted that those men come forward so that they could kill them.”

Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ This almost certainly is an allusion to the people mentioned in 10.27.

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 .