5Then David set out and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 26:5:
Kupsabiny: “Then one night, David woke/got up together with (the) Hittite Ahimelech and Abishai the brother of Joab whom his mother is Zeruiah and went to where Saul’s camp was situated. Saul had laid down close to Abner the son of Ner who was the commander of his army. Some of the soldiers had also laid down surrounding Saul and Abner. David asked his people that, ‘Who among you will enter with me into Saul’s camp?’ Abishai told him that, ‘We shall both go.’ Then, David with Abishai entered into Saul’s camp. They found Saul sleeping between his soldiers and he had firmly fixed his spear in the ground by his head. Abner with (the) soldiers were deeply asleep.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “David went immediately, and he found the place where Saul and his commander, Abner, son of Ner were sleeping. Saul was sleeping exactly in the middle with soldiers arranged all around from one end.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then David went to the place where Saul had-camped. He saw Saul and Abner the child/(son) of Ner, the commander of the soldiers sleeping. Saul was-surrounded by soldiers who were- also -sleeping.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then that evening David went to the place where Saul had set up his tent. From a distance he saw where Saul and his army commander, Abner, were sleeping. Saul was sleeping with all his army sleeping around him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Rose: this verb is rendered in Good News Translation by means of the adverbial expression “at once,” as it is in verse 2.
That Saul lay or was lying may be expressed more precisely as “slept” and “was sleeping” (see verse 7).
Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army: the relationship between the two elements of this phrase needs to be expressed clearly. Ner was the father of Abner (14.51), and Abner was the commander of Saul’s army (17.55).
Encampment: see the comments on this term in 17.20.
The army was encamped around him: literally “the people were camping around him.” Here, as frequently in 1 Samuel, “the people” refers to military troops. The implication of the story is clearly that all these soldiers, like their leader Saul, were sleeping. If a literal rendering of this clause implies that they are still awake, the rest of the story makes little sense.
In certain languages it will be much more natural to shift the final sentence in this verse to a position much earlier, so that the two sentences that have Saul as subject will come together. Then the sentence with David as subject will follow logically as he sees the place where Saul is sleeping.
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 .
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