Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 20:14

Sheba: the traditional Hebrew text has only the pronoun “he” (King James Version and New American Standard Bible) at this point, but it will be essential to use the name in most languages, as has been done in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other modern translations. This is all the more important in versions that begin a new section at this point (New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible, for example). Most interpreters have understood the pronoun as referring to Sheba and make this name explicit (so, for example, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation). But, as below, the pronoun “he” in this verse should be understood as referring to Joab (so Bible en français courant), not to Sheba.

Passed through all the tribes of Israel: if the subject is Sheba, then the idea is that, in his effort to gain support for his revolt against David, Sheba went from one tribe to another proclaiming his message. There is no clear indication, however, that he was accompanied by large groups of men. But if, as seems more likely, the subject is Joab, the sense is that Joab sent from one tribe to another enlisting support against Sheba. In some languages it will be more natural to say “passed through the land of all the tribes of Israel.” Here, of course, Israel refers again specifically to the northern tribes, and for this reason Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “the territory of the tribes of the north.”

Abel of Beth-maacah: the wording of Revised Standard Version suggests that the name of the town was Abel and that it was in a region called Beth-maacah. The text here says literally “to Abel and to Beth-maacah,” but in verse 15 it says “Abel of Beth-maacah.” And it is almost certain that the two refer to the same place. The more usual form “Abel-beth-maacah” is found in 1 Kgs 15.20. It is probably best to take it as a single place name composed of three parts rather than understanding it as containing a reference to a region that is otherwise unknown in the Old Testament. In verse 18 it is referred to as simply “Abel.” It was a fortified city very near to Dan in the extreme northern part of Israel, about forty kilometers (or twenty-five miles) north of the Lake of Galilee.

The Bichrites: the traditional Hebrew text has “the Berites” at this point, and this is followed by Goldman, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New Century Version, New American Standard Bible, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. But this name is unknown elsewhere in the Old Testament, and many interpreters think it makes much better sense to understand it as a reference to other descendants of Bichri who were the natural allies of Sheba (see verse 1). And, in fact, this is the solution followed in most modern translations. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project acknowledges that the text is corrupt at this point, and in the preliminary report it recommends the reading “all the chosen ones.” This proposed correction of the Masoretic Text requires small changes in the Hebrew noun and finds support in the reading of the Vulgate. This seems to be what Contemporary English Version follows when it translates “All of his best soldiers.”

In the final report, however, Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends a different correction of the Masoretic Text, and this is the recommendation of this Handbook also. The initial consonant he is corrected to cheth and the vowels are changed, resulting in a change from the Bichrites to the participle “those joining.” The subject of the following verbs is then those who joined with Joab.

Followed him in: that is, into the town of Abel-beth-maacah. In many cases it will be necessary to translate “followed him into the town,” as Contemporary English Version has done.

Following the correction of the Hebrew text recommended by Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, the following translation of verses 14 and 15a may serve as a model:

• And Joab passed through all the territory of the northern tribes to the city of Abel Beth Maacah. And all the people of this territory joined him. And they assembled and followed Joab to the town. And they came and besieged the city….

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:22

This verse constitutes a summary statement about the four cases detailed in the previous verses. For this reason it should probably stand as a separate paragraph. And some languages may have a special term that is used to introduce such summary accounts.

It may be helpful in many languages to be more precise by identifying These four as “These four Philistines” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) or “These four Philistine soldiers” (Bible en français courant).

Descended from the giants: see the comments on this expression earlier, and compare verses 16, 18, and 20.

Fell: this euphemistic verb may be replaced by a more direct statement in most languages. Many translators will say simply “died.” Or it will be possible to turn the whole sentence around and say “David and his men killed….”

The word hand is used twice in this verse in the sense of “power,” but it will probably be more natural to avoid a literal rendering in this case. In many cases the most natural equivalent may be something like “They were all killed by David and his men” (New Century Version) or avoiding the passive “David and his soldiers killed these four men” (Contemporary English Version).

His servants: or as elsewhere in such contexts, “his soldiers” or “his men” (Revised English Bible). Compare, for example, verse 15 above.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 22:45 - 22:46

For the verb tenses, see the comment at verse 38.

The two lines of verse 45 are reversed in the Psa 18 parallel. The order of the lines here in 2 Samuel may be more acceptable in many languages because it makes the subject Foreigners come first and gives a clearer meaning to the words that follow. Foreigners is literally “sons of a foreign land”; but the word “sons of” is an idiom meaning “belonging to a certain class [or group] of beings,” and the meaning is simply “foreigners.”

Came cringing (Good News Translation “bow”) translates a verb that has the idea of forced, unwilling submission. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “cower”; also possible is “wince” or “flinch.” The whole expression came cringing to me must be expressed in some languages as “they squat on the ground in front of me,” “they hold my feet” or “they bend their heads down in my presence.”

As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me is more literally “At the hearing of the ear they obey me.” Some see this as a reference to an incident like the one related in 8.9-12, where King Toi of Hamath surrendered to King David. The meaning of the English expression they heard of me (Revised Standard Version) is that they heard he was a great and powerful king. This may be the meaning intended by the Hebrew, but Good News Translation “hear me” is also possible (similarly New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bible en français courant).

In verse 46 the verb phrase lost heart (Good News Translation “lose their courage”) translates a Hebrew verb that means to fade away, to wither (in Psa 1.3 it is used of leaves that do not wither). Here the verb is used in a figurative sense. Lost heart is sometimes expressed idiomatically as “the heart grows small,” “heart grows weak,” or “the stomach becomes white.”

The verb translated came trembling occurs only here in the Old Testament. The meaning found in Revised Standard Version is based on a different verb in Hebrew from that in the Masoretic Text, a verb with the same consonants but in a different order. But the precise meaning of the verb in the Masoretic Text is uncertain. It may mean “they gird themselves” or “they limp.” Here Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends the translation “they came limping” or “they came trembling.” New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy say “trembling.” New American Bible has “staggered forth.” Others define the verb simply “to come out, to emerge”; the ancient Greek version translates “they came out limping.”

The word translated fastnesses appears to have two different uses. (1) It may refer to the “rim” of a table or base. So in Exo 25.25, 27; 37.12, 14 it is translated “frame,” and seven times in 1 Kgs 7.28-36 it is translated “panels.” (2) It may also refer to a fortified, strongly held position, often a rocky refuge. It is not an elaborate “fortress” in the modern sense. This term is sometimes rendered “the place where people hide from their enemies” or “the place where people go to for protection from their enemies.” Holladay defines this noun as “dungeon” in this context, and KB defines it as “prison.”

Others, however, understand this Hebrew noun to mean “a collar worn around the neck.” Part of the support for this meaning rests on how one understands the sense of the same word in Psa 142.7. Anchor Bible, for example, has “they came fettered by their collars,” meaning that the conquered foreigners were like captured slaves held as prisoners with collars or stocks around their necks.

While the translation in Anchor Bible certainly fits the context well, it will probably be best to follow the majority of modern translations and say something like “they came trembling with fear out of their hiding places.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 24:5

They crossed the Jordan: that is, they crossed the Jordan River, moving from the west to the east.

The Masoretic Text here reads “They crossed the Jordan and encamped in Aroer on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley the Gad and to Jazer.” A number of modern translations follow the MT in reading “encamped” (New International Version, New Century Version, Fox, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, as well as Good News Translation). The Masoretic Text says “on the right side of the city,” which is taken to mean “on the south side of the city” (New Century Version) or “south of the city [or, town]” (New American Bible/New International Version). Fox translates the Masoretic Text as “encamped in Aroʾer, south of the town that is in the midst of the wadi of Gad toward Yaʾzer.”

The reading began from is based on a reconstruction of the Hebrew text which is based on the ancient Greek translation. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends “began,” giving this correction of the Masoretic Text a {B} rating, and this correction is followed by many translations (for example, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, An American Translation, and Contemporary English Version). According to the Greek text followed by Revised Standard Version, there were two separate cities that served as the starting point of the census: Aroer and another city that was located in the middle of the valley. The translation from the is based on a small correction of the Hebrew text in which the Hebrew word meaning “right” is changed to the Hebrew word meaning “and from.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends the reading “and from,” which is followed by Revised Standard Version and a number of other versions (New Jerusalem Bible, Anchor Bible, and Contemporary English Version). This seems to indicate a double starting point for the census taking. Other Old Testament passages also mention an unnamed city in the middle of a valley together with Aroer (see Deut 2.36; Josh 8.9, 16).

Aroer was a city on the north bank of the river Arnon. This river formed the southern border of the territory of Israel on that side of the Jordan.

Gad refers to an entire tribal territory (see 1 Sam 13.7), while Jazer was a small border town of the tribe of Gad that is mentioned in Josh 13.25 and Num 21.24, 32. In both cases it will be advisable to add classifier terms so that the readers know that Gad is a territory and Jazer is a town.

The idea of going north was probably implied for the original readers who knew the geography of the area, but for modern readers in other parts of the world, it will be a good idea to add this information as Good News Translation has done.

In view of the numerous difficulties in this verse, the following model is presented as a summary of what is recommended by the writers of this Handbook:

• They crossed over the Jordan river and began [counting] at the city of Aroer and at another city in the middle of the valley. They went through the territory of Gad. And from there they went north to the town of Jazer ….

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 1:8

And Elkanah … said to her: the Hebrew has a connecting word translated as And in many translations (Revised Standard Version, Nueva Biblia Española). Often the connection is left implicit in translation and the Hebrew word is not translated (so Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). But some translations find it natural to use other transition words, like “So” (Contemporary English Version).

Why is your heart sad? The Hebrew verb means “to be evil” or “to be discontented.” In Hebrew thought the heart designates the most inward part of a person, the center of one’s will and thoughts (see 16.7, which states that the LORD looks on a person’s heart).

The question Am I not more to you than ten sons? is translated literally in most versions. The exact sense, however, is not clear. Perhaps the meaning is “Am I not more devoted to you than ten sons?” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). More commonly the sense is understood to be “Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” (New International Version). The number ten here, as in Gen 31.7; Num 14.22; Neh 4.6; and Job 19.3, probably has symbolic value, meaning “a large number.” Compare also Ruth 4.15. In many languages the number “ten” will convey the intended meaning. In those cases where Good News Translation or New International Version is accepted as the model, the idea may have to be expressed as “I can surely do more for you than ten sons,” since this question is a rhetorical one, which normally means the same as an emphatic statement.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 2:16

The man: that is, the person who was sacrificing (verse 15).

Let them burn the fat first: it is not clear to whom the pronoun them refers. Good News Translation assumes that the two parties are both responsible to see that the requirement of the law is followed, and therefore translates “Let us….” In languages where a passive verb would be naturally used in this context, the problem may be solved by saying something like “Let the fat be burned up first” (New International Version and New Century Version). But where the passive is not an option, it may be necessary to use a vague reference like “Let someone burn the fat first.” According to Lev 7.31, the priest is the person who is supposed to burn the fat on the altar. Therefore it is acceptable to say “Let the priests burn the fat first.”

It may also be important to supply the implied information that what the person is suggesting is only normal and according to the standard rules. Good News Translation does this by adding “do what is right,” and New Century Version accomplishes the same purpose by including the words “as usual.”

First is the usual translation of the Hebrew idiom “as the day,” which in this context seems to have this meaning. King James Version, however, translates “presently.” And both Klein and Anchor Bible take the same expression to mean “as usual.” This translation is also adopted by New Century Version.

No: the Masoretic Text says “to him.” The marginal note in the Masoretic Text, however, says that the text should read No. This is just the reverse of the text and the marginal reading in verse 3 above. Almost all modern versions accept the marginal reading and translate “No.” Other translators would be wise to do the same.

I will take it by force: or, “I will make you give it to me by force.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 3:16

As noted in the preceding verse, it is better English style not to repeat names. Revised Standard Version is a literal translation of the form of the Hebrew.

But translates the common Hebrew conjunction, which is left untranslated by Good News Translation. Receptor language considerations will determine whether or not translators will see the need in this context for a conjunction that shows contrast. Revised English Bible, like Good News Translation, leaves the conjunction untranslated, but the majority of versions have “But.” An American Translation, perhaps correctly, translates it as a temporal connector, “Then.”

My son: see the comments on verse 6.

Instead of introducing Samuel’s response with the same verb (said) as is used to introduce Eli’s call, some languages will prefer “answered” or “responded” in the context of this exchange.

Here I am is identical with the word used in verses 4 and following. See the comments there.

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 .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 5:8

So: the common Hebrew conjunction is rightly translated to show the logical relationship between the events described in the previous verses and the action taken by the people of Ashdod.

The verb sent has no object in Hebrew, but the clear implication is that runners or messengers were sent to call together the Philistine leaders.

All the lords of the Philistines: the Philistines lived mostly in five independent cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, which are listed in 6.17. Each city was ruled by a “lord,” that is, someone who ruled with the authority of a king. An American Translation correctly calls these lords “the city rulers of the Philistines,” and Knox speaks of “Philistine chiefs.”

Because a question follows, the verb said may be better rendered “asked.”

Gath was one of the five main cities of the Philistines (see the comments on verse 1). It was about twenty kilometers (twelve and one-half miles) southeast of Ashdod (verse 1) and was the closest of these cities to the territory of Judah. Gath is mentioned also in 6.17; 7.14; 17.4, 23, 52; 21.10, 12; 27.2-4, 11. Good News Translation shows one way to indicate in translation that Gath, in addition to Ashdod, was a Philistine city: “so they took it to Gath, another Philistine city.”

They answered, “Let the ark….” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there: New Revised Standard Version (also New American Bible) follows the Septuagint and a manuscript from Qumran and says “The inhabitants of Gath replied, ‘Let the ark of God be moved on to us.’ So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text. But even if the traditional text is followed, translators must have some idea as to the identity of the people referred to by the pronoun they (the Hebrew has only a third person plural verb). Is it a vague term that refers only to unidentified members of the group, or does it perhaps refer to the inhabitants of Gath (regardless of the textual decision made)? Probably it is better to take it in the more general sense and say “Some of the people” or “Some other people.”

The passive construction Let the ark … be brought may be restated actively by saying something like “Take the ark,” or “Cause some people to take the ark,” or possibly “We will send the ark.”

They brought the ark … there: since the writer of this story was most likely not in Gath, the correct English verb of motion is “they took” it to Gath rather than they brought. Translators will need to use a verb which does not suggest that the writer is in Gath.

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 .