The focusing particle behold is used twice in this verse. The first merely directs attention to the human king that had been requested by the people. The second seems to highlight the fact that it was the LORD who established this king.

For whom you have asked: these words are not in the Septuagint, which is followed by New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Osty-Trinquet. But translators are encouraged to translate the full Hebrew text at this point as it is in 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 .

The charge: literally “the sharpening” or “the file.” The price for doing this work was determined by which implement was being sharpened. This may be expressed in a variety of ways: “the Philistines … charged” (New Century Version) or “the Israelites had to pay….” Or simply “the price was….”

Pim is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament. Archaeologists, however, have discovered ancient weights with the word pim written on them, so the meaning of this Hebrew term is now clear. Bible en français courant says “two-thirds of a silver coin,” and New Living Translation says “a quarter of an ounce of silver.” New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible all translate pim according to its value as “two thirds of a shekel” (New International Version). Good News Translation does not use the term shekel, since this term is unknown to most readers today, and where it is known the value is quite different today. Good News Translation does, however, maintain the distinction that the cost for sharpening plowshares and mattocks was twice the cost (“two coins”) of sharpening the other tools (“one small coin”). Virtually all versions leave uncertainty in the minds of the reader as to whether the charges of the Philistines were reasonable or exorbitant. This would not have been a question to the original readers and hearers. They would have known that the prices were unreasonably high. For this reason Contemporary English Version translates the meaning of the text by saying “the Philistines charged high prices,” providing a footnote that gives a more literal rendering of the Hebrew.

Goads were sharp instruments used to control oxen. The Hebrew noun “sharpening,” rendered charge in Revised Standard Version, takes the nouns plowshares, mattocks, and axes as objects. The noun goads, however, is the object of a verb meaning “to erect” or “to set up.” New International Version renders this “for repointing goads,” and New Jerusalem Bible and Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel say “straightening goads.”Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente uses a general verb “to repair the goads.”

As the footnotes in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation state, the Hebrew of this verse is difficult to understand. A literal translation of the Hebrew reads “and was the sharpening a pim for the plows and for the mattocks and a third of a fork [a three pronged fork?] and for the axes and for setting the goads.” Some interpreters consider the words “and a third of a fork” too difficult to make any sense. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible simply places three dots in the text rather than attempt to make sense of these words.

Other interpreters, looking to the Septuagint for help, suggest that the Hebrew text originally read “a third of a shekel.” This is the basis for the translation “a third of a shekel” found in Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and La Bible Pléiade in place of “a third of a fork.”

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and proposes a translation such as “The charge for sharpening was two-thirds of a shekel for the plows, for the mattocks, and for the three-pronged instrument and the axes and for straightening [or repointing] the goads.” Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Bible en français courant, Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Fox follow the Hebrew text. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente provides a good model: “[to the Philistines] who made them pay dearly: two-thirds of a piece of silver to sharpen the blade of a plow or a hoe or a three-pronged fork or a goad.”

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 subject of the verb is indefinite, since the writer has no one in particular in mind. This indefiniteness is captured in Good News Translation by the use of a passive construction. French versions use the indefinite pronoun on, “one,” to accomplish the same purpose (Bible en français courant, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, La Bible du Semeur, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In other languages translators may have to say “someone told Saul” (Revised English Bible).

Behold: see the comments on page 18 and following.

Eating with the blood, as explained in the comment on verse 32, was forbidden by the law.

Some manuscript evidence has “and Saul said” where the Hebrew text has And he said. But the presence of the pronoun or the proper noun will have to be determined by what is natural and clearly understood in the receptor language.

You have dealt treacherously is an accusation that the soldiers had acted in a deceitful and unfaithful way. But in some languages it will be impossible to convey this meaning without saying what they had betrayed. Contemporary English Version makes this quite clear by speaking of their “being unfaithful to the LORD.” Knox takes a different approach but conveys the same essential meaning, “you have broken the law.”

Here: in place of the word “today” in the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint reads “here.” The Septuagint is the basis for many translations (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible as well as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and suggests that the word “today” here means “during daytime.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates literally “Roll a large stone over to me today.” Since then a contrast would arise between “daytime” and nighttime (see verse 34), it may be better to say “roll a large stone to me right away!” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; so also Revised English Bible and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

The stone was to be used as an altar (see verse 35). By killing the animals on the stone instead of on the ground (verse 32), the people could ensure that the blood would run out of the meat.

If translators need to avoid direct quotation, a possible model for the verse may be as follows:

• Someone reported to Saul that the soldiers were sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it. So Saul called them traitors against the LORD and ordered them to roll a big stone over to him immediately.

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 .

Here, as again in verses 21 and 24, Saul blames his troops for the failure to completely destroy everything. The vague pronoun they may be translated more specifically as “my men” (Good News Translation) or “the troops” (Revised English Bible). By using this pronoun Saul is excusing himself from guilt in the matter of sparing the best animals. He goes on to say even more specifically that it was the people (that is, the troops) who were responsible.

Furthermore, the action of sparing the animals is justified by saying that they were spared for a noble cause: in order that they might be sacrificed to Yahweh.

Amalekites: see the comments on 14.48.

The LORD your God: the fact that Saul says your (masculine second person singular pronoun) God instead of “our” God should not be understood to mean that Saul did not worship the same God as Samuel. Rather Saul’s words intend to please Samuel by stating that it is Samuel’s God who is to benefit. See also the comments on 12.19.

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 .

God’s choice of David to become king is recalled in Psa 78.70-71.

And he sent: that is, “Jesse sent” (so Good News Translation). Since Jesse’s actions are in response to Samuel’s command in verse 12, Good News Translation shows the logical connection between verses 11 and 12 with the word “so.” The verb sent may require an object in certain languages. Translators may say “sent someone” or “sent a messenger.” But if this is done, special care should be taken to show that the description given in the second sentence is of David and not of the person sent to bring him back.

Ruddy: the Hebrew word means “reddish” and probably refers to reddish hair (La Bible du Semeur) or skin (Moffatt). Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible say “with ruddy cheeks,” that is, he was healthy-looking. See also 17.42, where the same term occurs. In languages where healthiness is not described in terms of color, it is possible to translate more generally “healthy” (Contemporary English Version).

And had beautiful eyes: literally “with handsome eyes.” Some interpreters suggest that the preposition “with” should be corrected to read “a youth,” and that proposal seems to have been accepted by New American Bible (“a youth handsome to behold”).

Note also that New American Bible takes the words “handsome of eyes” to mean that David was handsome in the eyes of other people, rather than that David’s eyes were handsome. See also Anchor Bible, “handsome to the eye.” Most, however, do not follow the interpretation found in New American Bible and Anchor Bible. Revised English Bible says that David had “bright eyes,” and New Jerusalem Bible says “with fine eyes.” Translators will perhaps have some idiom in their language that is equivalent to “his eyes sparkled.”

Arise: this does not mean that Samuel had been sitting down. Rather it is a call to action. See the comments on this verb at 9.3.

Anoint: see the comments on 2.10. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “anoint him king.”

This is he: meaning “This is the person God has chosen to be king” or “He’s the one!” (Contemporary English Version). While this element comes last in the Hebrew text, it may be more natural to place it before the instructions to anoint David, as in Good News Translation.

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 .

Behold: on the function and translation of the Hebrew term, see page 18 and following. Here it focuses attention on the menacing enemy warrior. Some may translate it in this context as “suddenly.”

Goliath is again introduced as the champion and as the Philistine of Gath, as in verse 4 above. As in verse 4, Good News Translation does not translate the Hebrew term rendered champion here. Also as in verse 4, this term is more accurately rendered as “the infantryman.”

Spoke the same words as before: see his challenge in verses 8-10 above. New Jerusalem Bible translates “made his usual speech,” while Bible en français courant says “repeated his habitual challenge.”

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 .

And Saul said: it will be more natural in some languages to say that Saul “asked.” And where direct quotations are less common, it may be better to translate this as indirect discourse: “Saul asked the young man whose son he was.”

David refers to his father as your servant, but this should not be taken to mean that Jesse worked directly for Saul. Rather the meaning is that he was a faithful subject of King Saul. Contemporary English Version translates the meaning with “a loyal Israelite.”

Jesse the Bethlehemite: see verse 12. Other possible translations include “Jesse of Bethlehem” (Revised English Bible and New American Bible) or “Jesse, from the town of Bethlehem.”

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 text does not say so, but in light of verse 3, the events described in this and the following verses take place the next morning following Jonathan’s warning to David. In order to make this clear, some translators may have to make the implied information explicit by beginning this verse “The next morning,” as in Contemporary English Version.

As in verse 2, the Hebrew identifies Saul as Jonathan’s father. In accordance with natural English style, Good News Translation says simply “to Saul.”

Jonathan begins to address his father in the third person (Let not the king) and then changes to the second person (you). In most languages this will be more naturally rendered “Please, your Majesty, do not….” See “indirect reference” on page 12 and following.

The verbal expression sin against occurs twice in this verse, and in both cases it refers to doing something to harm another person.

His servant will become “your servant” if direct address is used as recommended above.

The conjunction because occurs twice in the last part of this verse. In both cases the word introduces reasons why Saul should not act against David. But the two reasons are essentially one, since the first is stated negatively and the second positively.

His deeds have been of good service to you is a rather awkward way of saying “[he] has helped you very much by his deeds” (New American Bible). The deeds, or “achievements” (Revised English Bible), are probably a reference to David’s exploits in battle. The following verse makes this clearer.

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 .