It may be wise to translate the pronoun he at the beginning of this verse by the name “David” in some languages, since a number of other persons have been talked about in the previous verse.

Gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites: that is, David turned the seven descendants of Saul over to the Gibeonites. Some other possible models for translating the verb here are “gave,” “delivered,” or “surrendered [them]” (New American Bible).

Hanged: see the comments on this verb at verse 6 above.

The mountain: if the textual problem of verse 6 is resolved in such a way as to do away with the reference to the mountain of the LORD, then the use of the definite article with the word mountain here is a problem. What specific mountain does this refer to? New Century Version takes it as a nonspecific reference and translates “a hill.” It is, however, more likely that the definite article designates a specific mountain located near a place where the people of Israel worshiped the LORD.

Before the LORD: see verse 6 above.

Perished: literally “fell.” Anchor Bible speaks of the seven “lying prostrate together.” But this verb is often used in the Old Testament as an euphemism for “died” (New Century Version), and this is the most likely meaning in this context.

In the first days of the harvest …: this whole phrase may be more literally rendered “in the days of harvest, during the first ones, at the beginning of the harvest of barley.” Barley was one of the first grain crops harvested (see the comments on 14.30); it was brought in during the month of April well before the wheat crop, which was harvested in early May in the Jordan valley. Compare Ruth 1.22. Some commentators see this timing as an attempt to show that the killing of these men was somehow related to the offering of the first fruits, but probably it is only a time reference that all readers were able to understand. The overall meaning of the phrase in question may be easily translated “at the very beginning of the harvest of barley,” or possibly by two separate sentences as in New Century Version, “They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season. (The barley harvest was just beginning.)”

This time reference is also related to the time mentioned in the following verse.

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 .