A thousand and seven hundred horsemen: the ancient Greek translation, as well as the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18.4, speaks of “a thousand chariots and seven thousand cavalry.” And this is followed by New International Version. The textual evidence for this reading, however, is so weak that the problem is not even treated by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project or Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament. Translators are therefore advised to translate the text as it stands, using the word horsemen rather than “chariots” and “cavalry.” This problem is treated more fully in the comments on 2 Sam 1.6.

Hamstrung: the Hebrew word used here literally means “to pluck up [by the roots]” in its base form. It is used in its more literal sense in Eccl 3.2; but in some other contexts, where the verb has a doubled consonant in the middle of the verb, it conveys the idea of a simple operation to cripple animals such as oxen (Gen 49.6) or horses (Josh 11.6, 9). Most English versions take it in this sense here (New American Bible, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, in addition to Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation). But this verb is also used in its base form in a figurative sense meaning to “uproot,” “exterminate,” or “destroy” as in Zeph 2.4. While Contemporary English Version takes it in this sense here, it is more likely that the reference is to the crippling operation, as the majority of versions indicate.

French versions say that David “cut the hocks” (Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “had the hocks cut” (La Bible du Semeur, Bible en français courant), using the rather technical term for the tendon that is cut to make an animal lame. If the name of this tendon is well known, then this may prove to be good translation model.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .