In some languages it may be necessary to avoid confusion by using the names “Peninnah” and “Hannah,” as in Good News Translation.

So it went on is literally “Thus he [or, it] did.” In certain languages this will be better translated “these things happened [habitually].” And in some cases the words year by year will have to be shifted to the beginning of the sentence.

As … she went up: the Hebrew verb form here is feminine singular, which is reflected in many translations (Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The first occurrence of the pronoun she apparently refers to Hannah. Bible en français courant makes this explicit: “when Hannah went to the house of the Lord.” The second she (she used to provoke) refers to Peninnah. Some translations such as Good News Translation, New American Bible, and Revised English Bible translate the sense, that is, “they went,” since clearly both Hannah and Peninnah went to Shiloh each year. If there is any danger that the reader or hearer will think that Hannah went alone, then the Good News Translation model should be followed.

The house of the LORD (see the same phrase in 3.15) is called “the temple of the LORD” in verse 9. The ark was no longer kept in a tent as it had been during the years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. It was now kept in a building with a doorpost (verse 9) and at least two doors (3.15). The large temple in Jerusalem, however, was not yet in existence. It was not built until the reign of Solomon (1 Kgs 6).

Provoke: the same word as in verse 6.

Hannah wept is literally “she wept.” But for clarity it will probably be necessary to replace the pronoun with the name.

Though the Hebrew verb eat has no direct object, some languages require that one be supplied. In these cases it will be necessary to specify what was eaten, probably “the meat of the sacrifices,” although in some languages the more general expression “eat food” will be quite acceptable. This applies also to verses 8, 9, and 18.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Moreover: this single Hebrew adverb seems to support the interpretation found in Good News Translation. That is, in addition to (Moreover) the corrupt practice of Eli’s sons in verses 13-14, they also took the meat before the fat was burned. The transition word is extremely important. In other translations it has been rendered “In fact” (New American Bible and Moffatt). Others are content with the use of “Even,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “Even more,” which may be understood in the sense of “Even worse.”

Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, however, render this same Hebrew adverb “But now.” As already indicated, these translations suggest that what follows is not the continuation of wrong bhehavior but is rather the beginning of the description of wrong behavior by Eli’s sons.

Before the fat was burned: all of the fat belonged to God and was not to be eaten by the priests (see Lev 3.16-17; Num 18.17). For the sake of clarity some languages may have to say something like “before the fat was burned as an offering to God.”

Revised English Bible has been quoted above as an example of the interpretation that sees verses 13-14 as a statement of what the priestly practice should have been at Shiloh. This same interpretation is favored by Klein, whose translation of verses 13-15 is given here:
This is what was due the priest from the people: whenever someone was making a sacrifice, an attendant of the priest would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the caldron or cooking pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would get for himself, but this is what they did to all Israel who came there, at Shiloh: Before they had burned the fat, the attendant of the priest would come and say to the person sacrificing….

It is difficult to know which interpretation of verses 13-15 is correct. Both make good sense, and both are possible readings of the Hebrew text. But it is very important that translators not mix the two interpretations; that is, verses 13-15 should be taken as a unit. If translators find it difficult to make a decision on this matter, it may be best to follow the model of the majority of modern versions, which includes Good News Translation.

The man who was sacrificing: since there is no special emphasis on the maleness of the person offering the sacrifice, it will be better in most cases to translate “the person who was sacrificing” (Revised English Bible) or “the one who was sacrificing” (New Revised Standard Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Samuel lay is a literal translation. “Stayed in bed” (Good News Translation) is idiomatic English. The Septuagint says “Samuel lay in bed until morning and got up early in the morning.” Some scholars think it is more likely that a scribe accidentally omitted the words “and got up early in the morning” from the Hebrew rather than thinking that the Greek translator added them. Anchor Bible, New American Bible, and La Bible Pléiade follow the Septuagint. But the absence of any comment on this matter by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests that the traditional Hebrew text should be followed here. However, it is possible that the idea of “getting up” may be supplied for translation reasons, since it is clearly implied.

The house of the LORD: see the comments on this phrase in 1.7.

And: some languages may require a contrasting conjunction such as “but” (Revised English Bible) in this context, since it might be expected that Samuel would tell Eli about the vision. Receptor language usage will determine which kind of conjunction is used here. And in some cases there will be no conjunction at all.

Samuel was afraid: in English the repetition of the name Samuel, as in the Hebrew, is considered poor style; Good News Translation accordingly substitutes the pronoun “he” for the second occurrence of Samuel’s name in this verse.

The vision: the Hebrew word translated as vision in this verse is different from the Hebrew word translated by the same English word in verse 1. But no distinction in meaning is evident, and translators may use the same word or expression to translate these two different Hebrew terms.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The men of Ashdod: the Hebrew word translated men is probably not intended to exclude women. While some modern translations retain the translation men (Revised English Bible), others use an inclusive word such as “inhabitants” (New Revised Standard Version) or “the people of Ashdod” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version).

The verb they said may be better translated as a reciprocal form in some languages (“they said to each other”), since the content of this direct quotation is obviously something that was exchanged between the people of Ashdod.

The God of Israel: see the comments on 1.17.

For expresses the reason that the ark must not remain among the people of Ashdod. Good News Translation reverses the order of the clauses, stating the reason first. It also avoids wording that may give the impression that the ark acted on its own. So instead of “the ark … must not remain with us,” it will be better in some languages to say “we must not keep the ark … any longer.” It may also be more natural to transform the entire direct quotation into an indirect statement as follows:

• When they saw what was happening, they thought that the God of Israel was punishing them and their god Dagon. And they decided among themselves that they could no longer keep the Covenant Box.

On the meaning and translation of the words his hand is heavy upon us, see the comments on verse 6.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Since the people of Israel is the subject of the final sentence in the previous verse, it may be more natural to avoid the repetition of this phrase here and to continue the sentence begun in verse 7 as Good News Translation has done.

Do not cease to cry: this negative wording may be better rendered positively in some languages. The idea is “Continue to cry out” or “Keep on praying” (Good News Translation). But the rendering should retain the sense of urgency of the original. In some cases this may require the addition of a word like “please” or “we beg you.” To cry to the LORD is a common Old Testament expression (see Judges 3.9, 15; Joel 1.14). The verb expresses the idea of loud and agonizing or painful crying or shouting for help. New American Bible captures the urgency of the request while avoiding the negative wording: “Implore the LORD our God unceasingly.”

The pronouns our and us in this verse should probably be rendered inclusively in languages that make this distinction. Samuel’s prayers would include his own deliverance as well as that of the other Israelites.

The hand of the Philistines: on the metaphorical use of the hand of to indicate “power of,” see the comment on verse 3 as well as on 4.8.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The five names listed in this verse are linked in Hebrew with the word “son of.” The exact number of persons referred to is not clear, however. The Hebrew text contains the words “son of” (Hebrew, ben) five times, not just four times as in Revised Standard Version. According to Revised Standard Version there are five persons, but the Hebrew refers to six persons. The Hebrew text does not say son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite but “son of Aphiah, son of a man a Yiminite.” Aphiah is the fifth person in the list, and the Yiminite man is the sixth person.

Many interpreters assume that the word “Yiminite” is a shortened form of “Benjaminite” (so Revised Standard Version). If that is the case, the Hebrew still refers to an ancestor of Aphiah, that is, Aphiah is the son of a Benjaminite. Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Almeida, and Reina-Valera revisada say “son of Aphiah, son of a man of Benjamin.” Good News Translation avoids the problem by omitting the clan name for Aphiah, and this solution may be a good model for other languages.

In some languages it will be more natural to connect all of these names in their relationship to Kish by using terms such as “son,” “grandson,” “great-grandson,” rather than linking each person to the previous person by the words “son of.”

A man of Benjamin: it may be helpful to indicate that Benjamin is not a place name but is rather the name of a “tribe” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).

Son of Becorath: the relationship of Kish to Becorath may be expressed in various ways. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “his [Kish’s] great-grandfather was Becorath.” Another model may be “great-grandson of Becorath.” Good News Translation provides still another model, taking Becorath as representative of a larger family unit.

Becorath, son of Aphiah: the name Becorath is feminine in form, but here it is clearly a man’s name. The Septuagint has a masculine form of this name, and translations are unanimous in calling Becorath the son of Aphiah.

A literal translation, following the Hebrew structure of this verse as in Revised Standard Version, could incorrectly suggest that Aphiah was a man of wealth. By restructuring this verse Good News Translation correctly indicates that these words at the end of the verse refer to Kish (see also New International Version: “There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish”).

A Benjaminite is literally “son of a Yiminite man” (see the comments above).

A man of wealth is literally “strong of power [or, wealth].” The noun translated as of wealth has various meanings depending on the context: “power,” “ability,” “wealth,” “property.” Some understand the sense here to be “a brave man” or “a stalwart man” (New American Bible). Others take it to mean “a wealthy man” (Revised Standard Version). Still others agree with Good News Translation in taking the general sense to be that Kish was “a man of standing” (New International Version) or “a person of rank” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

They: the reference is to Saul and his servant, who has been traveling with him (see verse 14 below). If there is any danger that the meaning will be misunderstood, translators may wish to follow the Good News Translation model.

Gibe-ah: see the comment on verse 5. The Masoretic Text says “And they came there to Gibeah [or, the hill].” The Septuagint, however, says “When they [Saul and his servant] were going from there to the hill.” The Septuagint is the basis for the translations found in New Revised Standard Version (“When they were going from there to Gibeah”) and New American Bible. According to the Septuagint Saul does not arrive home in Gibeah until the end of verse 13 (see the comments on verse 13 below). If translators follow the Masoretic Text in verse 13, as Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends, then they should also follow the Masoretic Text here in verse 10.

A band of prophets: see the comments on verse 5.

The spirit of God: see the comments on verse 6.

Prophesied: see the comments on verse 5.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .