Then: the common conjunction here merely serves to join the description of King David’s action to the preceding account.

Arose, and took his seat: this may sound very strange if the implied action of David’s going to the gate is not made explicit in the receptor language. It will be prudent to add something like “went to the city gate” between the two verbs describing his getting up and his sitting down. The words took his seat translate a verb meaning “he sat down.” The English should not be misunderstood to mean that he carried a chair or some other kind of seat to the gate. The gate refers, of course, to the city gate (see the comments on 18.24).

The people were all told: literally “all the people were told, saying.” The passive construction may be translated actively as “all the people learned [or, heard]” or possibly “the news spread to all the people.” And the actual news, which is given as a direct quotation in Revised Standard Version, may sound more natural if it is transformed into an indirect statement. New Century Version renders this whole verse as “The news spread that the king was sitting at the gate. So everyone came to see him there.” Here, as often in 1 and 2 Samuel, the people refers specifically to “the army” (Revised English Bible), or “the soldiers” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). All the people may be translated “the whole army” (New Jerusalem Bible).

The last part of this verse is included in the next section. So the new section heading comes in the middle of this verse in Good News Translation. Other versions and commentaries that divide the text similarly are New American Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Anchor Bible, and Anderson.

Now is appropriately translated as “Meanwhile” by Revised English Bible as well as Good News Translation. What follows is really a repetition of information given in 18.17, and the story is resumed here from that point and a different aspect taken up.

In this context the term Israel is again used to refer to the forces that had been loyal to Absalom. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente translates Israel as “the followers of Absalom,” and such a translation may avoid any possible confusion, since those who followed David were also Israelites.

As in 18.17 the word home translates the Hebrew word “tent,” but “home” is an appropriate translation in this context.

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 .