Though the writer says that Samuel never again saw Saul, the incident in 19.18-24 seems to indicate otherwise. Perhaps the stories are out of sequence. New International Version attempts to avoid the difficulty by saying that Samuel “did not go to see Saul again,” suggesting by the addition of the word “go” that, when Samuel did in fact see Saul again, it was because Saul was the one who had gone to see Samuel. New International Version goes against the clear statement of the Hebrew and should not be followed here.

The day of his death, that is, the day that Samuel died. The exact sense of these words is disputed. (1) They may mean that Samuel never ever saw Saul again (but see 19.18-24). New American Bible says “Never again, as long as he lived, did Samuel see Saul,” and Revised English Bible says “he never saw Saul again to his dying day.” (2) They may, however, mean that Samuel saw Saul again only on the day that Saul died (see 28.7-20). Compare New Jerusalem Bible, “Samuel did not see Saul again till his dying day.”

Grieved over: this does not mean that Samuel “mourned over” Saul when he died (New Jerusalem Bible). Rather he “felt sad about” the fact that Saul did not remain faithful to God and continue as king (Contemporary English Version). In 16.1 Samuel is grieving over Saul while Saul is still alive.

The LORD repented: see the comments on verse 11 above.

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 .