12all the valiant men set out, traveled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there.
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Saul” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign that depicts “sword in chest” (referring to 1 Samuel 31:4 and 1 Chronicles 10:4) and also “self-centered.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 31:12:
Kupsabiny: “all courageous people got up and went throughout the night to the city of Beth-shan. When they reached there, they removed Saul’s corpse plus those of his sons from that wall. Those people carried those corpses to Jabes and burnt them.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then their very strong men went walking all night, removed the corpses of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, brought them to Jabesh, and completed the cremation of those corpses.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “So all their brave men went the whole night until they arrived at Bet Shan. They took-(down) the corpse/dead-body of Saul and his children/(sons) from the stone-wall of Bet Shan, and they brought these to Jabesh and burned (them) there.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth-Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses there.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
All the valiant men: this refers to the most courageous warriors, who were usually involved in military matters. Others translate “all the warriors” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible). See also comments on “man of valor” in 1 Sam 16.18.
Arose: on the use of this verb in series with another action verb, see the comments at 9.3 and on page 20 and following.
They came: the Hebrew leaves implicit that the men “came with the bodies of Saul and his sons.” The Septuagint says that they “brought them” (followed by Revised English Bible). Many translations use the verb “brought” rather than came; and it is not clear whether they are following the Septuagint or only making explicit what is implicit in the Hebrew.
The verb “to burn” is also used for burning spices for a dead person when the person is buried (see 2 Chr 16.14; Jer 34.5). Because cremation was not a common practice in Israel, and because no reason is given in the text for the burning of these bodies, some interpreters understand the Hebrew verb to mean that the bodies were “anointed with spices” rather than “burned.” New English Bible, for example, says “and anointed them there with spices.” Lack of the preposition “for” in Hebrew makes the New English Bible interpretation unlikely, and Revised English Bible reverts to “burned them.” Moffatt says “they lamented over them [the bodies] there.” However, given the amount of time that must have passed between the deaths in battle and the time when the bodies were returned to Jabesh, the action of burning may have been merely to protect the health and welfare of the inhabitants of the city.
The continuing loyalty of the people of Jabesh to Saul may explain why the region of Gilead later supported Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, rather than David (2 Sam 2.8-10). The march from Jabesh northwest to Beth Shan covered a distance of fifteen kilometers (or about ten miles).
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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