complete verse (1 Samuel 31:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 31:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “When the Israelites who were living across the valley Jezreel and those living on the eastern side of river Jordan heard that Saul and his sons had been killed and their soldiers had fled, they migrated from their towns. Then, the Philistines came and occupied those towns.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then all the Israelites living in the Jezreel valley and on the other side of the Jordan ran away, and seeing that Saul and his three sons had died, they also abandoned their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines went there and captured those cities.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “At-that time there (were) Israelinhon who stayed/lived on the other-side of the wide-valley/plains of Jezreel and across the River of Jordan. When they saw that the soldiers of Israel had-fled and Saul and his children/(sons) had-died, they left their towns/cities and they also fled. So the Filistinhon entered/went-inside these towns/cities and lived/stayed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When the Israeli people on the north side of the Jezreel Valley and on the east side of the Jordan River heard that the Israeli army had run away and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and occupied their towns.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Jordan

The Hebrew, Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “Jordan” means “descending (rapidly),” “flowing down.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the river bordering Jordan and Israel, along with the general sign for river. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Jordan river” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jordan River .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 31:7

Though the writer does not indicate when these Israelite towns were occupied, it probably happened several days later. All of this verse is an interruption of the flow of action and time between the preceding verses and those that follow. Moffatt correctly places all of verse 7 within parentheses in order to mark this break in the chronological sequence.

The other side of the valley (see 28.4; 29.1) refers to the north side of the Jezreel Valley (so Good News Translation, New Century Version, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), which was also called the Plain of Jezreel (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The name of the valley may be made explicit, as well as the fact that the Jordan was a river. Some translate the word other side according to the specific context of a valley. New American Bible, for example, says “on the slope of the valley.”

Beyond the Jordan almost certainly refers to the east side of the Jordan River (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). However, the word rendered beyond may also be translated here as “in the region of.” Such an understanding may limit the cities to the western side of the Jordan River. Revised English Bible, for example, says “in the neighborhood of the valley and of the Jordan.” See also New American Bible, “those along the Jordan.”

The text says literally that these others saw what happened to their fellow Israelites. It is, however, unlikely that this is meant to be taken in its literal sense of witnessing the events themselves. The idea is rather that they became aware of what had occurred. Therefore some possible translations of the verb are “heard” (Good News Translation) and “learned” (Bible en français courant and Contemporary English Version).

Dwelt: the Hebrew verb is the common verb for “living” or “dwelling.” In this context a more specific verb for the settling of invading foreign troops may be used, such as “occupied” in English (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem 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 .