From the Gadites there went over to David …: Before David had taken refuge with the Philistines and lived in Ziklag, he had hid from Saul in the desert. During this time men from the tribe of Gad joined his movement. The Hebrew verb rendered went over means “to separate oneself.” Some translations use the technical term “defected” (New International Version, New Living Translation, Holman Christian Standard Bible, Anchor Bible, Braun). The sense seems to be that these soldiers from the tribe of Gad did not stay loyal to Saul as the others members of the tribe of Gad east of the Jordan did. God’s Word attempts to convey this meaning by beginning the verse with “Some men left Gad to join David…” New American Standard Bible says “And from the Gadites there came over to David….” The verb “joined” in Good News Translation fails to express the nuance of defection, that is, that these troops deserted Saul while others remained loyal to Saul.

The stronghold in the wilderness was probably in Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River (see 1 Sam 22.4). However, others think it may have been in Engedi (1 Sam 24.1). Since the word stronghold is not in the Septuagint, some interpreters think it should be deleted here. International Children’s Bible translates stronghold as “protected place,” and God’s Word has “fortified camp.” The Hebrew word translated wilderness refers to a region that is normally uninhabited by human beings. Several modern versions render it as “desert” since the word wilderness in modern English has connotations that do not fit the biblical context.

Mighty and experienced warriors is literally “mighty [men] of strength men of war for the battle.” Other translations include “valiant men trained for war” (Revised English Bible) and “good, capable fighting men” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Expert with shield and spear: The Hebrew word translated expert comes from a verb that means “to set out in rows,” “to set out in order,” or “to set ready.” In this context the Hebrew means these soldiers were trained and ready to use the shield and spear. New American Bible translates simply “equipped with,” and NJPSV has “armed with.” Some other possible models are “skilled with” (New Century Version) and “very good at using.” The Hebrew word for shield refers to a large shield that was intended to protect the whole body of a soldier. It was made of a wooden frame with leather stretched over the frame. A soldier held it by a handle in the inside. For spear see the comments on 1 Chr 11.11.

Whose faces were like the faces of lions: The focus here seems to be on the ferocity of appearance of these warriors, but other interpreters take the image of the lion to be an image of their strength. Some possible models for the first interpretation are “like lions in appearance” (Anchor Bible) and “grim as lions” (Revised English Bible). Some translations that follow that second sense are “They were as fierce as lions” (New Century Version; similarly Contemporary English Version) and “They were as strong as lions” (Braun).

And who were as swift as gazelles upon the mountains: The Hebrew word translated swift comes from a verb meaning “to hasten.” The reference is to the speed of gazelles. Running in the rugged mountain terrain required that the warriors be able to keep their footing. Perhaps by extension, Anchor Bible says they were “as nimble as gazelles upon the mountains” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). Gazelles are a type of antelope. The kind of gazelle found in Palestine stood about 60 centimeters (2 feet) high at the shoulder and was about one meter (3 feet) long. But what is important is that they were extremely fast.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .