No man saw it, or knew it: that is, none of Saul’s soldiers were aware of what had happened. There is no pronoun it in the Hebrew. Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation supply it after both verbs, and it is clear from the context that what no one saw or knew was the entire event of David and Abishai being in the camp of Saul and taking the spear and water container. In some cases the best translation may be “there were no witnesses and no one was even aware of what had happened.”

That God causes people to sleep in a deep sleep is expressed elsewhere in the Old Testament (see, for example, Gen 2.21; 15.12; Isa 29.10). But the idea may be worded differently in this context in certain languages. For example, some may say “the LORD caused them to sleep deeply” or “the LORD made them all continue to sleep soundly.”

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 .