Is it not wheat harvest today? This is a rhetorical question, which may be reworded in the form of a statement: “It is now wheat harvest” (Revised English Bible). The wheat harvest took place in late spring or early summer, during the dry season, when thunder and rain were not common (see the comments on 6.13). Since modern English readers are unlikely to know the relationship between the harvesting of wheat and the likelihood of thunder and rain, Good News Translation has attempted to clarify the meaning by translating “It’s the dry season, isn’t it?” But it is not advisable to leave out any mention of the wheat harvest. Some translators have attempted to add this meaning rather than merely replacing the form of the original: “It is the time of gathering wheat. Normally there is no rain at this time. Is that not so?”

The relationship between Samuel’s prayer (I will call upon the LORD) and God’s sending rain should be made clear. The purpose of his prayer was that God would send rain. Some may wish to translate “I will pray to the LORD asking him to send thunder and rain.” The purpose of this demonstration of God’s power was to cause the people of Israel to realize that they had done wrong in seeking a human king to rule over them.

The expression “to know and to see” occurs several times in the books of Samuel and Kings in the sense of “to know something by observation and reflection.” Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version give literal translations, but other versions express the meaning as “you will realize” (Good News Translation), “that you may clearly understand” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “you will see and understand” (New American Bible).

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 .