So Saul died for his unfaithfulness …: Verses 13 and 14, which have no parallel in 1 Samuel, explain why God rejected Saul and gave the kingdom to David. Since these two verses are a summary statement, several versions take the common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of verse 13 as a logical connector and render it “So” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, God’s Word) or “Thus” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Other modern translations leave it untranslated (so Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant). The beginning of a new paragraph may be adequate to show that what follows is a summary analysis.
The Hebrew noun translated unfaithfulness may be better rendered as a verb phrase in many languages. It indicates a failure to keep a commitment. Saul had been guilty of a “breach of faith” (English Standard Version) with Yahweh, and this is given as the reason for his downfall. Some possible model translations using verbal expressions that render for his unfaithfulness are “because he disobeyed the LORD” and “because he rebelled against the LORD.”
He was unfaithful to the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD: The words in that translate a relative pronoun in Hebrew which connects the general statement about Saul’s unfaithfulness to a more specific incident. Many modern versions begin a new sentence rather than trying to make the connection in this way. Others connect the two parts by beginning the second one with “in not having fulfilled the command of the LORD” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The command of the LORD is literally “the word of the LORD.” This statement may refer to the time that Saul did not wait seven days for Samuel to arrive in Gilgal to offer sacrifices, but instead he offered sacrifices himself (1 Sam 10.8; 13.8-14). The writer may also have been alluding to Saul’s failure to kill all of the animals of the Amalekites (1 Sam 15). Or, possibly the writer is not referring to any specific event but rather is speaking in general terms.
And also consulted a medium, seeking guidance refers to the raising of the spirit of Samuel by the woman of Endor (1 Sam 28.3-25). For prohibitions against consulting the spirits of the dead, see Lev 19.31 and 20.6. The Hebrew verb translated consulted has the same consonants as the name “Saul,” so there is a play on words in the Hebrew. A medium is someone who calls up the spirits of dead people. Translations for this last part of the verse include “he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead” (Good News Translation), “and had resorted to ghosts for guidance” (Revised English Bible), “moreover, he had consulted a ghost to seek advice” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “and he had even consulted the spirit of a dead person” (Bible en français courant), and “and also because he had sought counsel of a necromancer” (New American Bible; similarly New Jerusalem Bible). Since the reference is to the woman of Endor, translators may make explicit that the medium was a woman by saying “He even asked advice from a woman who talked to spirits of the dead” (Contemporary English Version).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .