The other side: see verse 3. A valley separates David from Saul’s camp.

With a great space between them: that is, between David and the camp where Saul and his soldiers were sleeping. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “There was a great distance between him and the camp.” New American Bible translates “at a great distance from Abner, son of Ner, and the troops,” shifting certain information forward from the following verse. The expression implies that David will be in a place where it will be safe for him to speak out without fear of immediate danger. This implicit information is made explicit in Good News Translation, which says that David was “a safe distance away.”

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 .