The battle was set against him both in front and in the rear: or “realized that he had to do battle in the front and behind at the same time,” or “became aware that the enemy was behind his troops as well as in front of them.”

Picked men: this expression is found in Judges 20 (verses 15, 16, and 34) and frequently in 1-2 Chronicles. It also occurs in Psa 78.31, where it is in parallel with “the strongest of them.” It refers to the very best of the fighting force of the people of Israel and is the equivalent of “special forces” in certain modern armies. Translators may wish to say “especially chosen fighters” or “the best warriors.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible speaks of “the elite of Israel.”

Arrayed them: that is, “arranged them,” “deployed them” (New International Version), or “drew up a battle formation.” The verb used is the same as the one describing the Ammonites in the previous verse. That is, as commander of the military force Joab attempted to organize his men in such a way as to enable them to defeat their enemy.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .