Now translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Here this conjunction serves to introduce a new episode in the story concerning Saul’s attempts to capture David. There is no specific indication of how much time has passed between the events of verses 5 and 6. Good News Translation therefore uses the general words “One day.” New Revised Standard Version does not even translate this conjunction, but rather begins abruptly with the words “Saul heard.” But it is probably a good idea in most languages to find some way of indicating the passage of a certain amount of time between the events described in verse 5 and those of verse 6. Contemporary English Version actually adds a section heading between these two verses (“Saul Kills the Priests of the LORD”).
For reasons of English style and logic, the information about the discovery of David is shifted to the end of this verse in Good News Translation. By so doing, the writer of the story moves quickly from the locating of David to Saul’s action against his perceived enemies in the following verses.
The passive expression that David was discovered may be made active by saying “that some of his men had seen David” or something similar.
Gibe-ah: see the comments on 10.5.
The preposition under will be more naturally rendered “in the shade of” in certain languages.
Tamarisk tree: this kind of tree seldom loses its greenness and is a good shade tree. Very possibly this tree was regarded as a sacred tree (see also 31.13; Gen 21.33). Hebrew contains a definite article, that is, the tamarisk tree, apparently referring to a specific tree.
On the height: this translates the Hebrew word ramah, which means “hill-top” (so Revised English Bible). Some would change the first letter of ramah to b, creating the word for “high place” (so Klein, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). “High place” is the traditional rendering of a Hebrew word that refers to shrines or cultic worship places (see the comments on 9.12). But there seems to be no valid reason for altering the Hebrew text at this point. Translators should translate “on top of the hill.”
With his spear in his hand: see the comments on 18.10.
Servants: or “officials” (New International Version). See the comments on 8.14.
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 .