Then: Saul’s action is a logical result of the report he had received. For this reason it may be better to translate the common Hebrew conjunction here as “Therefore” or “Accordingly” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Messengers: see the comments at verses 11 and 14-16. These were not necessarily the same men, but once again their task was not just to convey a verbal message. So the word may be better rendered by a more general term like “agents” (New Jerusalem Bible), “men” (New International Version), or “soldiers” (Contemporary English Version).

When they saw: the Hebrew is singular, as the note in Good News Translation states. Nearly all translations, including New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, follow the ancient versions in reading this verb as plural. If the singular is correct, then it may refer to the unmentioned leader of the group, but this seems unlikely. More likely the messengers are thought of as one body acting in total agreement. Regardless of whether the singular or the plural is original in Hebrew, in most languages it will probably be necessary to use the plural for translation reasons.

The company: this word occurs only here in the Old Testament, and the exact meaning is not clear. But most versions take it to mean something like “group” (New International Version, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version), “band” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible), or “community” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Prophesying and prophesied: see the comments on 10.5. The meaning is the same in this context.

As head over them: as the footnote in New Revised Standard Version states, the meaning of the Hebrew is not certain. The general sense is clear, however. Compare “as their leader” (Good News Translation and New International Version), “in charge of them” (New Revised Standard Version), and “presided over by Samuel.” (New American Bible).

The Spirit of God: New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible say “spirit of God.” See the comments on “the spirit of the LORD” at 10.6. For some unknown reason, Revised Standard Version capitalizes the word for “spirit” here but not in 10.6. The lowercase letter is, however, preferred in both cases.

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 .