The word sheepfolds (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and New American Bible) is not contemporary American English. The Hebrew term refers to a fence-like enclosure made of stones. Some sheepfolds were permanent, consisting of stone walls and a roof; others were temporary constructions.

The words by the way mean that the sheep pens were near the route along which people walked, or “along the side of the road” (Contemporary English Version).

To relieve himself: Hebrew expresses this action by means of a euphemism, “to cover his feet” (so King James Version and also New Jerusalem Bible, which surprisingly translates this idiom literally). Fox keeps the Hebrew idiom, but places “cover his feet” in quotation marks to indicate that the words have a meaning different from the surface meaning. When a man squatted to relieve himself, his robe covered his feet. Various euphemisms are used to translate this in English, such as “to relieve himself” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “to ease nature” (New American Bible). The English euphemism “to go to the bathroom” is unacceptable because it implies the existence of a room that certainly did not exist in the cave where Saul was. The same Hebrew idiom occurs in Judges 3.24. While Living Bible uses the unacceptable modern euphemism, New Living Translation wisely reverts to the more appropriate expression, “to relieve himself.”

Innermost parts refers, not to the center of the cave, but to the area farthest away from the entrance, in the rear of the cave.

In some languages it may be advisable to restructure this verse as Revised English Bible has done, so that it speaks of David and his men hiding in the back of the cave before mentioning that Saul entered in order to answer the call of nature.

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 .