The Glory of Israel refers to God. The word rendered Glory is not the Hebrew word normally translated “glory.” It is a word usually used in adverbial expressions meaning “continually,” “for ever,” or “enduring.” The same word is used for one of the characteristics of God in 1 Chr 29.11. The difficulty in translating the term here is illustrated by the wide variety of translations ranging from “He who wins victories for Israel” (Knox) to “the Vigour of Israel” (Chouraqui). But a number of recent versions have attempted to translate the basic idea of the word: “Israel’s Everlasting One” (Anchor Bible); “the eternal God of Israel” (Contemporary English Version); “the Eternal One of Israel” (New Century Version and Fox). This type of solution has much to commend it.

Will not lie or repent: this is not a promise of something that will only be the case in the future, as the tense of Revised Standard Version may lead the reader to believe. Rather it is a general principle. In some languages it will be better translated by a verb form indicating habitual or repeated action.

He is not a man: the contrast is not between male and female but between human beings and divine beings. So it will be better in many languages to say “he is not a human being.” Others may have to say “he is not a person like us.”

Repent: see the comments on verse 11. The verb in this context expresses the sense of having regret for or concerning what one has done and then changing one’s mind. New Revised Standard Version says “for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind,” and Revised English Bible similarly says “nor does he change his mind, as a mortal might do.” New Jerusalem Bible says that God “does not go back on his word.”

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 .

By stating Goliath’s name at the beginning of the first sentence and breaking this verse down into two sentences, Good News Translation has restructured the order to read more naturally in English style. Similar restructuring in other languages may sound more normal.

Goliath, of Gath: it may be helpful to add a qualifier, indicating that Gath is a city (see the comments on 5.8). The Hebrew word translated champion in Revised Standard Version (and for some unknown reason left untranslated in Good News Translation) occurs only here and in verse 23 below in all the Old Testament. The word comes from a preposition meaning “in between.” It is often understood to mean a champion in the sense of one who steps out between two opposing armies to do single combat. It is questionable, however, whether the word itself means champion, though Goliath surely was. This same word appears in one of the writings from Qumran, where it means “an infantryman,” who fights between the battle lines. It is better to translate this as “an infantryman” (so Anchor Bible). See also Bible en français courant, “A Philistine soldier.”

Six cubits and a span: a cubit is about forty-five centimeters (eighteen inches). It is based of the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger of an adult male. A span (the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when a man’s hand is spread out) is nearly half a cubit, that is, about eight inches or about twenty-two centimeters. The height of Goliath will need to be expressed in an understandable form in the receptor language. But it need not be expressed in precise terms. Good News Translation says “over nine feet tall.” New Century Version is probably too specific: “about nine feet and four inches tall.” Where the metric system is used, the equivalent will be “nearly 3 meters” (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

As the note in Good News Translation indicates, there is a textual problem in this verse. The Septuagint and a Hebrew manuscript from Qumran state that Goliath was four cubits and a span, which equals “six and a half feet tall” (New American Bible). But the failure to mention this problem in Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests that the Masoretic Text should be followed here.

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 .

Clothed: literally “caused to put on.” It may be misleading to say “Saul dressed David” (New International Version), since he probably did not perform the action himself. Contemporary English Version says “Saul had his own military clothes … put on David.”

With his armor: that is, with Saul’s own armor. The Hebrew word rendered armor usually refers to a garment made of cloth. It may have been a tunic worn under the coat of mail. Revised English Bible and New American Bible call this “his own tunic.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “in his own garment.” The same word occurs in 18.4.

On the expression a helmet … on his head, see verse 5 above. And on the word bronze, compare verses 5 and 6.

A coat of mail: see verse 5 above.

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 use of the pronoun he in this verse may be confusing in some languages if the form of the Hebrew is followed. The first he refers to David, and the second he refers to Saul.

In a manner similar to the previous verse, the words had great success may be translated “won all his battles” or “triumphed in war.”

Stood in awe: the range of meanings of this verb in Hebrew includes both “fear” and awe. (A different Hebrew verb is translated “was afraid” in verse 12 above.) In this context either meaning makes good sense. Some translations choose the meaning “awe” (Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version), but most agree with the interpretation found in Good News Translation. Revised English Bible, for example, says “he was more afraid of him than ever.”

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 .

David had escaped from Saul and went to Ramah, the town where Samuel lived (see 7.17; 15.34). Contemporary English Version begins a new section at this point with the heading “Samuel Helps David Escape.” Both Contemporary English Version and Revised English Bible start this verse with the word “Meanwhile,” showing that the events described here were happening at the same time as Saul was questioning Michal about David’s disappearance.

Fled and escaped: the first verb in this pair is a different Hebrew verb from that translated “fled” in verse 10 above. It expresses the idea of evading or fleeing from continuing unpleasant and dangerous circumstances.

Naioth: there are several difficulties in translating this Hebrew word. The consonants in the Hebrew text are n-w-y-th. A scribal note in the margin of the Masoretic Text, however, suggests that the word should be n-y-w-th, reversing the second and third letters. This marginal reading is followed by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. If this is a place name, it appears to be a location within the city of Ramah (see verses 19, 22, and 23).

Others, however, follow the Aramaic Targum and understand the word in the text to refer to a house of instruction where groups of prophets lived (see verse 20). Support for this interpretation comes from a similar word in Akkadian meaning “encampment.” This is the basis for the translations in New American Bible (“went to stay in the sheds”) and New Jerusalem Bible (“went and lived in the huts”). Similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje say “house of the prophets.” If one follows this interpretation, La Bible du Semeur provides a good model, “went to stay in the community of prophets.” See also Nueva Biblia Española, “the monastery in Ramah.”

Whichever solution is adopted in the text of the translation, the alternative interpretation should be placed in a footnote. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, for example, both translate this word as a name in the text but explain in a note that it may also be a noun meaning “huts [of prophets].” Contemporary English Version, on the other hand, translates “went to Prophet’s Village” in the text and in a footnote says “Or ‘Naioth.’ ”

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 .

Yet: the common Hebrew conjunction here marks contrast, since it is somewhat unexpected that Saul would not say anything publicly about David’s absence.

He thought: literally “he said” (see the comments on 18.11). But the meaning here is certainly that this was something that Saul said to himself, since the first part of the verse says plainly that Saul did not say anything.

Something has befallen him: the thought is that whatever has happened to David must be something that was unplanned by David. New American Bible says “He must have become unclean by accident.”

He is not clean: the New Moon Festival was a regular part of the religious celebrations for the Israelites (see verse 5), and the Law of Moses required that those who participated be ritually clean or undefiled (Lev 7.20-21). One could become unclean for various reasons, including contact with a dead body or by having a wet dream during the night (Deut 23.10; laws concerning uncleanness are in Lev 11–15). Since many readers will not know about the law found in Lev 7.20-21, it may be helpful to follow the model of Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “some inconvenience must have happened to David, and he must not be in a state of purity as required [by the Law]; certainly he is absent for that reason.”

Saul’s thoughts may be better rendered as indirect discourse in certain languages. In cases where this would be more appropriate, translators may consider the following model:

• Saul did not say anything that day because he was thinking that something had happened to David to make him ritually unfit to eat the sacred meal.

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 .

In distress: that is, “in trouble” (Contemporary English Version) or in affliction. The reason for their distress is not stated. And it is probably best to use as general a term as possible in this context. Some may say “all those who were in any kind of trouble.”

In debt: that is, “who owed money to other people.” It is quite possible that they owed their warlord Saul some kind of payment for his protection, but it is probably unwise to translate in such a precise manner, since the text does not definitely imply this.

Discontented translates two Hebrew words, “bitter of soul.” This expression is used elsewhere in the Old Testament in reference to persons who are bitter because they have suffered some kind of loss or because they are without something that they want or need. The same expression occurs in 1.10 and 2 Sam 17.8. The translation “dissatisfied” (Good News Translation) may be a little weak. The force of the Hebrew is more accurately expressed as “all those who had a grievance” (New Jerusalem Bible, similarly Revised English Bible), “who were embittered” (New American Bible), “every man of bitter feelings” (Fox), or “everyone who was desperate” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

Became captain over them: the word translated captain is a rather general term for a “leader,” which is how New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates this term. It is elsewhere rendered “commander” (12.9; 14.50) and “princes” in the plural (18.30). Revised English Bible here translates “became their chief.” The same idea may also be stated as “began to lead the group.”

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 verb said may be translated “asked,” since a question follows. And because this is the second time (verse 11) that David asks this question, some may prefer to translate “asked again” as in Good News Translation.

The men of Keilah translates the same word that occurs in verse 11.

Into the hand of Saul: see verses 4 and 11.

They will surrender you: literally “they will surrender.” But the clear implication is that the city leaders will give David and his men to Saul. There is a subtle difference in English between “they will” and “they would” (Contemporary English Version). God is not stating categorically that the people of Keilah will definitely hand David and his men over to Saul. The context indicates a condition, meaning that if David remained in the city, they would do so.

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 .