7David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.”
The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:
Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
HausaCommon Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)
In Pijintinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)
In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “steadfast love” and grace.
In a number of languages, the terms for for “steadfast love” and mercy are used interchangeably.
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)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 9:7:
Kupsabiny: “David told him, ‘Do not fear, I will show you love on account of your father Jonathan. I will return to all the soil/land that belonged to your grandfather Saul and we will be eating together.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “David said, "Don’t be afraid. I will show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan. [Lit.: I will do kindness to you by reason of your father Jonathan.] I will give back to you the field of your grandfather Saul. And you will always be eating sitting at table with me."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “David said to him, ‘You do- not -be-afraid, for I will- surely -show goodness to you because of your father Jonatan. I will-return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and not only that, but/instead you can- always -eat with me.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “David said to him, ‘Do not be afraid; I will be kind to you because Jonathan your father was my loyal friend. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. And I want you to always eat with me at my house.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Said: in some languages the verb here may be more naturally rendered by “answered” or “responded” in this context.
Do not fear: it was customary in the time of David for relatives of overthrown rulers to be put to death. And in view of the history of the relationship between David and Mephibosheth’s grandfather, Saul, Mephibosheth had every reason to be afraid. However, the positive association between David and Jonathan, Mephibosheth’s father, proved to be more important than the conflict between David and Saul.
I will show you kindness: the keyword kindness is repeated here (see verses 1 and 3). Note that New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh in all three cases uses the expression “keep faith with.” And the verbal expression is actually one that is emphatic. Both King James Version and Goldman have “I will surely show thee kindness,” and Fox says “for I will show, yes, show you loyalty.”
Restore: while the verb used here means “give back,” David was not actually giving land back that Mephibosheth himself had owned beforehand. The previous possession goes back to Saul, his grandfather. For this reason it may not be possible in certain languages to use a verb like “restore” or “give back.” Rather it will be more natural to say simply “give.” This was, in fact, a royal grant, since the king had the authority to give but also to take back again (compare 16.4).
Saul your father: the Hebrew for father could also refer to “ancestor.” Saul was actually the grandfather of Mephibosheth, and this should probably be made clear in translation as has been done in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Revised English Bible, as well as in Good News Translation.
Eat at my table: literally “eat bread at my table.” In addition to restoring the property of the house of Saul, Mephibosheth was also invited to be a guest at meals with the king, which was a special privilege (compare 1 Kgs 2.7; 18.19; 2 Kgs 25.27-29). It is not clear whether these words are to be understood literally or whether they mean “and you may live here with me at the palace!” (New Living Translation). Most translations give a rather literal translation of the Hebrew: “you yourself shall eat at my table always” (New Revised Standard Version) and “you will have a regular place at my table” (Revised English Bible).
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 .
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