The beginning of this verse contains yet another quotation within a quotation. Good News Translation restructures and makes the first quotation Thus shall you say to David an indirect quotation. This will be a helpful model in many other languages.
Saul’s message is in direct response to David’s objection that he was not rich enough to marry into the royal family. Normally the dowry required to marry a king’s daughter consisted of a great deal of money. But here Saul asks only proof that David had defeated and killed a hundred of the enemies of Israel.
Marriage present: many languages will have a technical term such as “bride price” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Fox) to translate this term. The fiancé was required to pay something to the father of the bride (see Gen 34.12; Exo 22.16).
A hundred foreskins of the Philistines: see the comment on 14.6. Unlike the Israelites, the Philistines were not circumcised. Good News Translation makes explicit that Saul wanted David to kill the Philistines: “the foreskins of a hundred dead Philistines.” On the word foreskins compare Gen 17.11; Exo 4.25; Lev 12.3. In languages where circumcision is not known, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente may provide a useful model: “Go tell David that I do not demand the traditional payment in use for the marriage; I only want the proof of the death of a hundred Philistines” (see also the Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente translation of verse 27, quoted below).
That he may be avenged of the king’s enemies: literally, “to be avenged of the enemies of the king.” Revised Standard Version adds the pronoun he, referring to Saul, for reasons of English style. Revised English Bible says “by way of vengeance on his enemies.” The meaning of avenged is clearly expressed in Contemporary English Version: “He only wants to get even with his enemies.” Another possible model is “he will be content with a hundred Philistine foreskins, to extract vengeance from his enemies” (Bible en français courant). In some languages the idea of vengeance or revenge may be more naturally expressed as “he will return to his enemies the evil which they have done.”
Fall by the hand of the Philistines: by the hand of is a Hebrew expression indicating agency (see the comments on the same expression in 11.7). Saul devises a plan that is supposed to result in David being killed by the Philistines. To make … fall in this context clearly means “to cause someone to die” or simply “to kill.” See also 2 Kgs 19.7, where God says that he will “cause him [the Assyrian emperor] to fall by the sword.”
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 .