complete verse (1 Samuel 21:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 21:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “There was then/there a servant of Saul who was from Edom who was called Doeg. He was a chief/big shepherd. That man used to come there so the priest could cleanse/sanctify him.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “One of Saul’s servants was also among those who were staying there before the LORD that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite. He was Saul’s chief sheep herdsman.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “(It) happened that the servant of Saul Doeg who (was) from-Edom (was) there. He (was) the leader/[lit. head] of the ones-who-watch-over the animals/livestock of Saul. He (was) there for he had an obligation/duty to the LORD.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It happened that Doeg, from the Edom people-group, was there on that day to make himself acceptable to Yahweh, and he saw what Ahimelech did. He was one of Saul’s officials and the leader of Saul’s shepherds.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 21:7

This entire verse is taken as parenthetical by Good News Translation and Nueva Biblia Española, but this does not seem to be necessary, since it does continue the story. It may, however, be wise to restructure the content of the verse following the Good News Translation model, because it may be more natural to reorder the information presented. In many translations this verse stands alone as a paragraph (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

The word servants is translated “officials” in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh. Good News Translation transposes the idea of “chief herdsman” to the beginning of the verse, thus avoiding the need to translate the more general term.

Mention of Doeg the Edomite prepares the reader for the incident in 22.9-19. The people of Edom were long-time adversaries of the Israelites (Num 20.14-21).

Detained before the LORD: many versions in English translate the Hebrew verb as “detained,” in agreement with Revised Standard Version (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). What such a translation will mean to most readers is not clear. In fact, the sense of these words in Hebrew is not clear; the meaning may be negative or it may be positive. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh explains in a footnote that the Hebrew may mean “excluded from the shrine, perhaps because of ritual impurity.” Others, however, understand the words in a more positive sense as in Good News Translation (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

The adjective translated the chief of means “strong,” “powerful.” While it may be understood figuratively to mean “chief” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “head” (New International Version), it is equally possible to understand literally that Doeg was the “strongest” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “the bravest” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Herdsman: this translates a participle from the root meaning “to tend [or, keep] flocks of sheep.” Because some interpreters think Doeg is included among Saul’s guards in 22.17-18, they would change one consonant in the Hebrew word herdsman to harmonize verse 7 with 22.17. Osty-Trinquet, for example, follows this conjecture in reading “wanderer” (French coureur); and New American Bible says “henchman.” The preliminary report of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text.

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 .