It was told Joab: this passive statement leaves open the question of who gave this information to Joab. It will be necessary to avoid the passive form in many languages without identifying the reporter, using something like “someone told Joab” or “they [indefinite] told Joab.” Others may prefer “Joab heard…” or “Joab learned….”

Instead of the words came to the king, the Septuagint and a manuscript from Qumran say “came to David.” This is the basis for the translation “came to David” in New American Bible. The ancient Syriac combines the two readings: “came to David the king.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, suggesting that the words were changed to read “to David” as in verses 20 and 21. For translation purposes, however, it may be advisable to say “to David” or “to King David.”

The direct quotation of Revised Standard Version may be better translated as indirect in a number of languages: “someone told Joab that Abner had visited the king and that the king had let him go back unharmed.”

The son of Ner: this information about Abner is often repeated in this chapter (here and in verses 25, 28, and 37). It was already said twice in the previous chapter (verses 8 and 12). According to Hebrew Old Testament Text Project the author refers to Abner as “the son of Ner” at the beginning and end of accounts and when someone speaks about him. But in the middle of an account, the writer says simply “Abner.” But translators need to take into account discourse considerations in the receptor language, and they may therefore prefer to leave it implicit in some of these cases.

The last part of this verse repeats the essential content of the end of the previous verse, but the repetition is intentional and should be retained if at all possible.

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 .