Then Saul said to his armor-bearer: Then renders the common Hebrew conjunction as a temporal connector. Others take it as a logical connector; for example, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “Therefore.” Like Good News Translation, many modern versions omit it. Receptor language considerations will determine how this conjunction is translated or indeed whether it needs to be translated at all. Revised Standard Version and nearly all other translations render the Hebrew verb here as said. However, New Living Translation, translates freely according to the context, saying “groaned,” and Braun has “commanded.” Good News Translation renders the armor-bearer as “the young man carrying his weapons,” which may be a helpful model in other languages. Compare also “the soldier who carried his weapons” (Contemporary English Version) and “the officer who carried his armor” (New Century Version).

Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and make sport of me: The construction of Saul’s words in Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew by first stating what the armor-bearer is to do, and then stating what will happen to Saul if the armor-bearer does not do what Saul says. Saul tells the armor-bearer to take his own sword and thrust him with it, of course, to end his life so that the Philistines would not have the satisfaction of killing him. In some languages it may be more meaningful to focus on the end result rather than on the act of stabbing or piercing. For this reason several versions render thrust me through with it simply as “kill me” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur).

Lest translates a Hebrew conjunction that is used to introduce a negative result clause. That is, in the mind of the speaker there is a desire to avoid the negative consequences of a possible course of action. The archaic rendering of Revised Standard Version is replaced in New Revised Standard Version and other modern versions by “so that … not.” In some languages it will be desirable to begin a new sentence after the command, beginning with “Otherwise…” ( NET Bible) or “If you do not do this….”

The Philistines are called these uncircumcised, which is intended as a very negative expression, as also in 1 Sam 14.6. Compare “these uncircumcised brutes” (Revised English Bible). For the Hebrew Saul, to be uncircumcised was to be without God; therefore, Good News Translation speaks of “these godless Philistines.” Bible en français courant is similar with “these pagan Philistines,” and so is Biblia Dios Habla Hoy with “these pagans.”

The Hebrew verb rendered make sport of is translated “abused” in Jdg 19.25, which is the verb New International Version uses here in 1 Chronicles. Saul was afraid the Philistines would humiliate him if they captured him alive. For make sport of me, Moffatt has “make a fool of me,” and American Bible says “amuse themselves with me.” Other translations include “mistreat me” (English Standard Version), “maltreat me” (New American Bible), and “torture or ridicule me” (Braun). The text does not state what form the abuse might take, but no doubt the Philistines would have tortured Saul and mutilated his body. Saul does not directly say the Philistines would kill him, but Bible en français courant makes it explicit by rendering Saul’s whole quote as “Take your sword and kill me, because I do not want these pagan Philistines to do it themselves and make fun of me.”

In languages where indirect discourse is preferred in this context, translators may consider the following model for what Saul said to his armor bearer:

• He told the young man who carried his weapons to pull out his sword and kill him, because he did not want the godless Philistines to be able to make fun of him as they killed him.

But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly: The text does not say why the armor-bearer was afraid to kill Saul, but surely it was because Saul was the king. Since the Hebrew verb translated feared sometimes focuses more on the emotion of awe rather than fear, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says the armor-bearer refused “out of great awe.” In some cases it will be more natural to restructure this part of the verse to say “But the armor-bearer was so frightened [or, in such awe] that he refused to do what Saul asked.”

Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it: In some languages the verb “fall” implies an accidental fall rather than a deliberate throwing of oneself to the ground. Good News Translation and Bible en français courant render fell upon it as “threw himself on it,” clearly showing that this was a deliberate act by Saul to kill himself. In some languages it may be more natural to focus on the end result rather than on the means. If so, a possible model for this whole sentence is “So Saul took his own sword and killed himself with it.” Others may prefer to say “So Saul threw himself on his own sword and died.”

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 .