Said: this verb may be better translated “answered” as in Good News Translation, in view of the context.

In great distress: more literally “very cramped.” King James Version translates “in a great strait.” The meaning is very similar to the English idioms “to be in a tight spot” or “to be in a bind.” Knox attempts to convey this idea with “I am hard pressed on all sides.” And Moffatt says “I am in a terrible difficulty.” Revised English Bible translates “This is a desperate plight I am in.” Several versions focus on the result of being in such a difficult position: “I am very apprehensive” (New Jerusalem Bible). And instead of making this a part of a direct quotation from David, Contemporary English Version places this element outside the quotation marks, translating “David was really frightened.”

The words let us fall and let me not fall … reflect verb forms that show that David is expressing his decision in the face of the choices presented to him. He does not specifically state which of the three alternatives he prefers. Instead he says simply that his preference is to be punished by God rather than by human beings. Although the second option (running away from enemy forces) may be thought to be human punishment, clearly the first (famine) and third (pestilence) were seen as being of divine origin. The context indicates that it is indeed the third punishment that actually occurred. The pronoun us includes all of Israel, not just David and Gad.

Fall into the hand of the LORD … hand of man: the image of the hand may not be appropriate in certain languages. As in other contexts, this really refers to the punishment which God would bring and the punishment which human beings would bring upon Israel. Some interpreters have understood this whole statement to mean that David decided to leave it up to the LORD to decide which of the three alternatives to set in motion.

The ancient Greek version adds the words “So David chose the pestilence. It was the time of the wheat harvest.” Some interpreters consider this addition to be part of the original text, and it is included in some modern translations (for example, New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), but translators are not advised to follow such models in this case.

It may be better to say “I want the LORD himself be the one to decide how he will punish us” instead of Good News Translation‘s “let the LORD himself be the one to punish us,” since each of the possible punishments would have been from the LORD.

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 .