All the men of Israel: that is, all the Israelites who were present at the time.

In some languages the whole direct quotation will be better rendered indirectly. It is possible to say, for example, “Absalom and all the men of Israel with him agreed that the advice of Hushai was better than the advice of Ahithophel.” If the words of Absalom are kept as a direct quotation, it should be made clear, if possible, that the second part of this verse is the writer’s explanation to the reader and not the words of Absalom. This may be especially problematic in languages that have no written or spoken marker for the end of a quotation.

The counsel of Hushai … is better than the counsel of Ahithophel: Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Hushai’s right! His advice is better!” In certain languages it may be necessary to say something like “the words of Hushai … please us more than the words of Ahithophel.”

For: this introduces the writer’s explanation of why the people accepted Hushai’s advice instead of that of Ahithophel. This kind of transition marker may be translated in some languages as in Contemporary English Version, by beginning the sentence “This was because….”

The repetition of the LORD in this verse may be considered stylistically unnatural in some languages. If this is the case, it is acceptable to translate the second occurrence by the third person singular pronoun.

Ordained: the verb used here is elsewhere translated “command” (4.12 and 5.25) or “appoint” (6.21). Here it indicates Yahweh’s firm resolution to ensure that Absalom would be defeated. Some translations are “decided” (Contemporary English Version as well as Good News Translation), “planned” (New Century Version), “resolved” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “it was [the LORD’s] purpose….”

Bring evil: the idea here is not that of moral wrong but rather “bring disaster” (Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), “bring … to ruin” (New American Bible), or “cause trouble” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .