Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 15:29

The Glory of Israel refers to God. The word rendered Glory is not the Hebrew word normally translated “glory.” It is a word usually used in adverbial expressions meaning “continually,” “for ever,” or “enduring.” The same word is used for one of the characteristics of God in 1 Chr 29.11. The difficulty in translating the term here is illustrated by the wide variety of translations ranging from “He who wins victories for Israel” (Knox) to “the Vigour of Israel” (Chouraqui). But a number of recent versions have attempted to translate the basic idea of the word: “Israel’s Everlasting One” (Anchor Bible); “the eternal God of Israel” (Contemporary English Version); “the Eternal One of Israel” (New Century Version and Fox). This type of solution has much to commend it.

Will not lie or repent: this is not a promise of something that will only be the case in the future, as the tense of Revised Standard Version may lead the reader to believe. Rather it is a general principle. In some languages it will be better translated by a verb form indicating habitual or repeated action.

He is not a man: the contrast is not between male and female but between human beings and divine beings. So it will be better in many languages to say “he is not a human being.” Others may have to say “he is not a person like us.”

Repent: see the comments on verse 11. The verb in this context expresses the sense of having regret for or concerning what one has done and then changing one’s mind. New Revised Standard Version says “for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind,” and Revised English Bible similarly says “nor does he change his mind, as a mortal might do.” New Jerusalem Bible says that God “does not go back on his word.”

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 .

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