complete verse (2 Samuel 20:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 20:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, that woman said that, ‘There is an old word which says that, ‘If a person wants to do something, let him ask for wisdom from the city of Abel.’ This is how things were settled.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “That woman said, "Formerly there was a saying like this [lit.: there was a custom of speaking like this], ‘Come, get the answer by going to Abel city’ and everyone did like that.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The woman said, ‘There was a proverb in time-past that says, ‘If you (plur.) want your (plur.) problems to-be-solved, you (plur.) ask for advice from the town of Abel.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “She said, ‘Long ago people used to say, ‘Go to Abel town to get good advice about your problems.’ And that is what people did.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 20:18

Then: the common conjunction here shows that the story is proceeding to the next stage.

They were wont to say in old time: this is a way of introducing a proverbial statement. But it is rather archaic English. New Revised Standard Version says more naturally “They used to say in the old days.” The third person plural pronoun, They, refers to people in general, but in some languages it will be better translated “Our ancestors.” Others will say simply “People used to say….” Since this is part of a direct quotation that introduces another quotation, some translators will prefer to make this part indirect. This may be done by saying something like “Then the woman quoted an old saying [of the ancestors] ….” Another alternative will be to make the first part of the quotation direct and the proverb indirect. A possible model for this approach is “Then the woman said ‘People used to say that if someone wanted good advice they could get it at the town called Abel….’ ”

The meaning of the proverbial statement is summed up by Driver: “Abel was famed from of old for the wisdom of its inhabitants, hence a proverb arose advising people to consult them in any difficult undertaking.” By citing this proverb the wise woman suggests that Joab should listen to her advice.

At Abel: New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, and Anchor Bible include a reference to the city of Dan along with Abel at this point. This is because these translations follow the ancient Greek version of verses 18 and 19 instead of the traditional Hebrew text. This, however, is not recommended to translators. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament acknowledges that the Masoretic Text may contain an error here, but the editors give a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text and suggest that the reading of the Septuagint is an attempt to correct a difficult Hebrew text.

So: this may be more clearly stated as “in this way” or “in that manner,” that is, with reference to the advice coming from the inhabitants of the city of Abel.

Settled a matter: some other ways of saying this are “palavers ended,” “solved problems,” or “resolved any dispute.” The final part of this verse and the beginning of the next verse are translated differently by those modern versions that follow the Septuagint (for example, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that the Masoretic Text, as reflected in Revised Standard Version, be followed here.

If the words of the woman (apart from the proverb) are made into an indirect quotation, translators will probably say something like “She went on to say that it was in this manner that people settled problems.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .