Hushai said moreover: literally “and Hushai said.” Revised Standard Version adds the word moreover to indicate that Hushai continues his answer. Compare also “Hushai continued” (New Revised Standard Version) and “ ‘You know,’ he went on, ‘that…’ ” (Revised English Bible). These words interrupt the discourse of Hushai and may be considered unnecessary or even distracting in certain languages. If this is the case they may be omitted, since they add nothing to the meaning of the text. In languages where this is done, Hushai’s speech will begin in the middle of verse 7 and continue to the end of verse 13.
The next two clauses are rarely translated literally. In Hebrew the third person masculine plural pronoun comes at the end of each clause: “mighty men, they; and bitter of soul, they.” The following translations attempt to capture the rhetorical character of the Hebrew: “They are warriors, yes they are; and they are enraged, yes they are,” or “They are warriors, they are; and they are enraged, they are.”
Mighty men: see the comments on this term at 10.7 and 16.6. In this context this is a description of the fighting ability of the men who were with David.
They are enraged: literally “bitter of soul” (compare Fox, “bitter of feelings”). This same idiom is used of Hannah in 1 Sam 1.10, where Revised Standard Version translates “she was deeply distressed.” It occurs again in 1 Sam 22.2, where Revised Standard Version translates it “discontented.” This idiom may indicate a wide range of emotions, including “sadness,” “hopelessness,” and “anger.” Because David had been deprived of what his fighting men considered his rightful place, they were “furious” (Anderson), “angry” (New Jerusalem Bible), “thoroughly aroused” (An American Translation), or “desperate” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Hushai goes on to compare these soldiers, saying that they are like a bear robbed of her cubs (literally “like a bear bereaved”). This comparison will be problematic in languages where bears are unknown. To use a borrowed term will unnecessarily distract the reader, and to substitute the name of another animal may present other problems. In many languages the best solution will be to use a more general expression such as “like a large, fierce animal whose children have been taken away.” Of course, in those languages that have problems with the passive form, a restructuring will also be necessary: “like a big mean animal when someone has taken away her young ones.” The adjective translated robbed means “bereaved,” and for this reason, presumably, Contemporary English Version indicates that the cubs “have just been killed.” It may be best, however, to say something more in line with Osty-Trinquet and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, “like a bear whose young ones someone has seized,” without stating that they have been killed.
In the field: this detail is really irrelevant to the main point and may be left implicit if it distracts from the argument given. One manuscript of the Septuagint has the additional words “and a wild boar of the plain,” and Anchor Bible includes these additional words, claiming that they were accidentally omitted from the Masoretic Text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, does not even consider this textual problem, and most modern translations do not include the additional element.
Besides: this is a translation of the common Hebrew conjunction, but here it introduces a second reason why the advice of Ahithophel was not sound. Some translate it “moreover” (New American Bible and Anderson), but in certain languages “also” will be quite adequate.
Expert in war: literally, “a man of war” (King James Version). David had a great deal of experience in fighting battles, and Hushai was trying to emphasize this fact in order to discourage Absalom from following the advice of Ahithophel. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “an experienced soldier,” while Knox has simply “a fighting man.”
Spend the night: the verb usually translated in this way in English may be rendered in other languages as “pass the night,” “lodge,” or simply “sleep.” New Century Version has “stay all night.”
With the people: that is, with the rest of the army. Some may prefer to translate “with the other soldiers.”
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 .