Very well, you shall know: the Septuagint says “Therefore you shall now know.” The Masoretic Text may be rendered “Very well [or, Assuredly], it is you who will know.” The pronoun you is emphatic and gives a strong contrast. In verse 1 Achish tells David “You know of course that you and your men are to go out with me in the army” and in verse 2 David replies, “Well, it is you who will know.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text.

Your servant: that is, David, since he is speaking of himself. This will be better translated “I am your servant.” Regarding the use of third person when speaking about oneself, see page 12 and following.

Bodyguard: literally “keeper of my head.” Compare 29.4, where the Philistine soldiers express fear that David, the “keeper of my head,” may turn against them and cut off their heads. A different Hebrew term is the basis for this same English word in the Revised Standard Version rendering of 22.14 and in 2 Sam 23.23. In those cases the Hebrew word refers to a group of people who would protect the king. In this verse the pronoun you is singular, showing that the reference is to an individual. According to Contemporary English Version, David and all of his men will be the bodyguards for Achish: “you and your men will always be my bodyguards.” Possibly this is the intended meaning, but since the Hebrew is singular, it is better to understand the permanent bodyguard as a reference to David alone. Surely Achish had other bodyguards, so the meaning may be that Achish made David his “chief bodyguard” (Fox).

For life: literally “all the days.” The meaning of this Hebrew idiom is correctly translated in English as “for life” (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version) and “permanent [bodyguard]” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible).

For life is literally “all the days.” The idea is translated “permanently” by New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation. In other languages it may be rendered in a way very similar to the Hebrew or by saying “all the time,” or by simply using the habitual form of the verb. Still others may say “as long as I live.”

The stage having been set for a battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, the scene now shifts to Saul’s exchange with the ghost of Samuel. The actual military confrontation is picked up again in chapter 29.

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 .