This verse contains a quotation within a quotation. In many languages it will be necessary to restructure as Good News Translation has done, making the embedded quotation indirect.

Go in peace: see the comments on Eli’s response to Hannah in 1.17, where the same words are used.

Forasmuch as: this wording is somewhat archaic and is not used in modern English. It has been replaced by “since” in New Revised Standard Version and is translated “for” by New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh. This transition word seems to establish a relationship between Jonathan’s wishing David well and the fact that they had made promises to each other in the sight of Yahweh. Other versions leave this relationship implicit.

We have sworn: see 18.3.

Be between me and you: as in verse 23, the Septuagint says “be a witness between me and you.” Osty-Trinquet and New Jerusalem Bible both include the word “witness,” and translators in other languages may do so also for reasons of translation, even if this is not justified on the basis of textual considerations.

And he rose and departed: the Septuagint names David as the subject of these two verbs. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, which has only third person verbs without a noun; but for reasons of translation, translators may follow the example of the Septuagint and use the noun “David” instead of the pronoun “he” in order to avoid ambiguity.

Into the city: this involved a return to the same city mentioned in verse 40.

As indicated in the Revised Standard Version footnote, the last sentence of this verse (following the direct quotation) is taken as the first verse of chapter 21 in the Hebrew text. This division of the text is followed by several modern versions, including New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. There is then a one-verse difference in the verse numbers in chapter 21 between these versions and those following the traditional English verse-numbering system (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New International Version, and others).

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 .