Was king in Hebron over the house of Judah: some languages will require a restructuring of this clause and the addition of a classifier term indicating what kind of geographical entity Hebron was. Possibly also the expression was king should be replaced by the verb “ruled” or “governed.” One possible model is “While living in the city of Hebron, David ruled over the tribe of Judah…” or possibly “David governed [or, led] the people of the tribe of Judah, making his home in the city of Hebron.”

Seven years and six months: it may be more natural in a number of languages to say “seven and a half years,” as in Good News Translation and certain other modern versions.

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 .