From there: that is, from the region of the Maon Desert, described in verses 24 and 25.

Strongholds: see the comments on verse 14.

En-gedi: located on the west shore of the Dead Sea about twenty-nine kilometers (eighteen miles) southeast of Hebron, En-gedi was an oasis with fresh water and hot springs. The name En-gedi means “fountain [en] of the kid [baby goat].” Nueva Biblia Española translates the name here and elsewhere as “Fuentelchivo,” that is, “Fountain of the kid.” See 24.2, which mentions a place in En-gedi called “Wildgoats’ Rocks.”

The verse numbering of the Hebrew is different from Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation here. This verse is the beginning of chapter 24 in Hebrew. The numbering of verses in chapter 24 will therefore differ in various translations, depending on which system has been followed. See the discussion “Verse numbering problems in 1 and 2 Samuel” in the introductory section of this Handbook, which is entitled “Translating the Books of Samuel,” pages 10 and following.

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 .