Now translates the common Hebrew conjunction. The events of verses 8 and 9 are not later than the time that David lived among the Philistines (verse 7). Good News Translation therefore correctly says “During that time.”
The verb went up is commonly used to designate the beginning of a military campaign (see 7.7; 1 Kgs 20.22). Both the context and the form of the verb suggest that this was something that happened repeatedly and not just once. In languages that have habitual verb forms, it will be appropriate to use such a form here.
Geshurites: a nomadic tribe that lived near the Philistines (Deut 3.14; Josh 13.2).
Girzites: this group of people is not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, and there are problems identifying them. The Septuagint, followed by Anchor Bible and Klein, does not have this name. According to this verse they lived somewhere between Philistia and Egypt. The margin of the Masoretic Text corrects Girzites to “Gizrites” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Revised English Bible) or “Gezrites” (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Gezer, however, was located too far north to fit this context. It is very possible that the Masoretic Text is corrupt here and that a group called the Girzites never even existed. It seems best to follow the Masoretic Text, but translators may follow either the reading in the text or the reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text.
Amalekites: see the comments on 14.48.
The words from of old translate one word in Hebrew. Some consider this to be an error in the Masoretic Text. New Revised Standard Version says “for these were the landed settlements from Telam on the way to Shur and on to the land of Egypt” (similarly Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation, Contemporary English Version, La Bible Pléiade). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament suggests that the Hebrew text should be corrected to read “from Telam,” finding some evidence for this text in the manuscripts of the Septuagint tradition. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} reading to this corrected text. Translators should follow the model of New Revised Standard Version rather than either Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation. Telam is a settlement in southern Judah (Josh 15.24; and see the comments on 15.4 and 2 Sam 3.12). The spelling “Telaim” in Revised English Bible is a variant spelling of the same location.
Shur: its location is discussed at 15.7.
Several modern versions take the last half of this verse as a digression that explains the geographical location of the ethnic groups involved. It is therefore enclosed in parentheses by New International Version and New Century Version and set off by dashes in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh.
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 .