The Philistines lived on the Mediterranean coast, while the Israelites lived higher up in the mountainous terrain nearby. For this reason the text says that the Israelites went down to the Philistines. In certain languages it may be appropriate to say something like “went down to the Philistines on the coast.”

Since the Israelites obviously did not actually do the work of sharpening, some translators will have to say “have sharpened” or “cause to be sharpened.”

A plowshare is a metal blade attached to a wooden handle, and a mattock is a digging tool with a metal blade for cutting and a point for digging.

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation indicate in footnotes that they are following the Septuagint at the end of the verse in reading sickle rather than the word “plows” of the Hebrew text. It seems strange to some interpreters that the writer would have included plowshare twice in this list. Since the Septuagint has the word sickle here as in verse 21, some interpreters have suggested that the Hebrew noun “plowshare” at the end of this verse should be changed to the Hebrew noun “sickle” (in addition to Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, see also New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible).

Others have suggested that, since the Septuagint mentions sickles as the last instrument in both verses 20 and 21, the same noun must have occurred last in both verses of the Hebrew text. On this basis some have changed the fourth Hebrew noun “plowshare” to read “goads” (so early editions of the Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem Bible]).

La Bible Pléiade suggests that the sign of the direct object before the final noun should be slightly corrected to read “the blade” and should be translated “the blade of [his plowshare].”

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text. Since the first and fourth instruments listed in the Hebrew text are nearly identical in spelling, it is often assumed that they refer to the exact same tool. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, suggests that perhaps the two words are technical terms that refer to similar but slightly different tools used for cutting. If possible these two terms should be rendered by similar cutting tools in the receptor language.

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 .