Once again the people refers to the military men who had been away from the city fighting against the forces of Absalom. Normally a victorious army would return to their base camp with a great deal of noise and celebration, so the manner in which they returned was very unusual.

Stole into the city: while the verb used here often means “to steal” in the sense of taking something by theft, the basic meaning here is to do something secretly. The point is that the victorious army came back into the city very quietly—almost secretly. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that the city referred to here is the city of Mahanaim (17.27), which served as a base camp where David and others who did not fight had stayed during the battle.

As people steal in who are ashamed …: this expression expands on the meaning of the earlier description of how the army come back to its base camp. The returning soldiers are compared to troops that have lost the war instead of winning it. Some translators may say “like a defeated army that returns home disgraced” or “just as if they had run away from a battle and were ashamed” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .