Young men: or “servants.” See the comments verse 5.

Behold: see the discussion of this focusing particle on page 18 and following.

In languages where indirect discourse is preferred over the direct quotation in this verse, translators may wish to say “Then she told her servants to go ahead, and she said she would come there later.”

Did not tell her husband: that is, she did not let her husband know what she was doing. The Good News Translation rendering “said nothing to her husband” should be understood to mean that she said nothing about her plans to placate David, not that she refused to speak to him at all. Some languages will have to say “said nothing to her husband about this matter.”

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 .