This verse begins with the word ky, which most translations take as the conjunction expressing a relationship of cause with the preceding verse. Usually this word is translated For (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or left untranslated (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). It is, however, possible to understand this as a demonstrative particle expressing a strong positive statement. Fox, for example, has “Indeed, (like) a sin of diviners is rebellion.”
Rebellion … and stubbornness: both of these nouns are verbal nouns with God as the implicit object. They express the opposite of the verbs “to obey” and “to hearken” in verse 22b. Rebellion is a voluntary rejection of God’s authority. Stubbornness is the translation of a Hebrew infinitive whose precise meaning is uncertain. Among the various renderings are “presumption” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Anchor Bible), “arrogance” (Good News Translation and Revised English Bible), “defiance” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and “self will” (Moffatt). In some languages it will be more natural to use verbs and make the implied object explicit. In languages where the nouns rebellion and stubbornness must be translated as verbal expressions, it will be possible to say “to rebel against God is just as bad as practicing witchcraft. When you are hard-headed it is just as bad as doing evil and worshiping idols.”
Divination was prohibited in the Law of Moses (for example, Num 23.23; Deut 18.10). The verb based on the same root as this noun occurs in 28.8. Unlike magic, which attempted to control future events, divination is an effort to learn what future events will be before they happen. In the Old Testament divination took various forms, including interpreting dreams and casting lots.
Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry: the text does not state the basis of the comparison between stubbornness and iniquity and idolatry. Good News Translation indicates that the basis of comparison is the wrong or evil committed. This is done by adding “as bad as” and “as sinful as.”
And idolatry: literally “and teraphim.” This word occurs fifteen times in the Old Testament. In Gen 31.19, 34-35 teraphim are Laban’s household idols and are small enough to be hidden under a saddle bag and sat on. They seem to have been used in seeking to determine the divine will (Ezek 21.21; Zech 10.2). Their use will be forbidden by Josiah (2 Kgs 23.24). Klein translates “the vanity of teraphim,” and Fox says “the iniquity of terafim,” but most modern versions speak rather of the “crime of idolatry” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) or something similar.
The word of the LORD does not here refer to the Bible but to the command in verse 3, so translators should avoid using an expression which may suggest that the Bible is intended. New American Bible speaks of “the command of the LORD.”
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 .