The first part of this verse is absent from the Septuagint, As they … the Philistine, but textual scholars generally agree that it should be translated. It is, however, omitted by Klein.
As they were coming home: literally “And it happened when they were returning.” Neither Revised Standard Version nor Today’s English Version translate the discourse marker, which is traditionally rendered “and it came to pass.” But the marker may be important because it seems to introduce a kind of flash-back to something that happened prior to the events recorded in 18.1-5. The pronoun they may be ambiguous if translated literally. Revised English Bible restructures as follows: “At the homecoming of the army and the return of David from slaying the Philistine….” The Philistine refers, of course, to Goliath, whom David killed in 17.50. Today’s English Version names him but omits the information that he was a Philistine. Compare Bible en français courant, “After David had killed the Philistine Goliath.” See also Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “When the troops returned from the battle against the Philistines, in which David had killed Goliath.”
Timbrels: the word timbrels in Revised Standard Version translates the same Hebrew word rendered “tambourine” in 10.5 (see the comment on that verse). There is no reason to use different terms for the two occurrences, so New Revised Standard Version has “tambourines” in both cases.
Songs of joy translates a singular noun in Hebrew, meaning “the expression of joy.” Some versions call these “cries of joy” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, and Osty-Trinquet). It is possible also to connect this noun more closely with the nouns preceding and following, indicating the manner in which the musical instruments were played, as in Revised English Bible, “rejoicing with tambourines and three-stringed instruments.” Because the context states that the women were singing and dancing, it seems justified to state that these were “songs of joy” (Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New Revised Standard Version, and New American Bible). Some translators may find it more natural to translate the idea of singing only once, and shift the notion of joy to a different place in the verse. For example, one may say “singing joyfully and dancing.”
The Hebrew noun rendered instruments of music occurs only here in the Old Testament, and the exact meaning is unknown. It is not even certain that the word refers to a musical instrument. It is often assumed that this noun is based on the consonants of the Hebrew word “three,” which explains the renderings “triangles” and “three-stringed instruments” in the Revised Standard Version footnote. Revised English Bible renders “three-stringed instruments,” and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Fox, and Chouraqui say “triangles.”
The Septuagint calls these “cymbals” (so also Maredsous). Some translations (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Osty-Trinquet, La Bible Pléiade, and Nueva Biblia Española) follow the Vulgate in calling these instruments “sistrums,” that is, thin metal frames with numerous metal rods or loops that jingle when shaken.
Since the meaning of this word is so uncertain, translators may prefer to follow the interpretation in the version most often used in their language area. Or they may choose to use a general expression such as “musical instruments” (so New Revised Standard Version and Bible en français courant).
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 .