The truth of the claims made to Nabal may be verified by his questioning his own men. Another way of saying this may be “If you ask your own people, they will confirm it for you.”

Therefore: the transition word used here links the previous peaceful coexistence of David and Nabal’s men to the request about to be made. But the underlying Hebrew has only the ordinary conjunction, which is frequently translated “and” or left untranslated. This explains the absence of any transition word in Good News Translation and several other modern English versions. A stronger transition word, translated for in Revised Standard Version, joins the request with the statement that David’s men have come on a festive occasion.

Find favor in your eyes: see the comments on 1.18.

A feast day: literally “a good day.” The same idiom occurs in Est 8.17; 9.19, 22 for a time of celebrating and festival. New American Bible renders this “a festival time.” New Jerusalem Bible says “coming as we do on a festival.” While “a good day” is probably an idiom here, it is possible to understand these words in a nonidiomatic way. Revised English Bible, for example, reads “this is an auspicious [favorable] day with us.” Most likely the reference is not to one of the fixed religious festivals. Rather, this was a time of celebration as Nabal had prepared a special meal for his sheep shearers (verse 11). Anchor Bible translates this “since we have come at a special time.”

Pray, give: in Hebrew a particle of entreaty or urgency follows the verb give. See the comments on 2.36. Here the element of politeness may be reflected in translation by using a word like “please” (New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version).

To your servants and to your son David: David’s messengers speak about themselves in the third person. As a sign of courtesy and respect to Nabal, who is wealthy and probably older than David, David is referred to as the son of Nabal. The words “your dear friend David” in Good News Translation seem to suggest intimacy of relationship rather than respect.

The following is suggested as a possible model for the last part of this verse, showing proper respect and avoiding the dangers of a literal rendering:

• “… Please give whatever you can afford to us and to our master David, since we are all your servants.”

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 .