The structure of Revised Standard Version, which closely follows the Hebrew, reverses the normal English order, but this is inverted in Good News Translation to make it more natural. As noted in the comments at the end of verse 21, the alternative translation in Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente connects From the blood of the slain to the statements about Saul’s shield. Others (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Chouraqui, Maredsous, Nueva Biblia Española,Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) connect both From the blood of the slain and from the fat of the mighty to the end of verse 21, and this solution is preferable to that in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. This is the solution also of La Bible Pléiade, which renders verses 21a and 22 as follows:

• The shield of Saul wasn’t anointed with oil,
but with the blood of the wounded, with the fat of the heroes.
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back
and the sword of Saul did not return without success.

The bow of Jonathan and the sword of Saul are almost given personal characteristics that properly belong to their owners. It is, in fact, Jonathan who did not retreat and Saul who did not return from battle without having killed his enemies. In some languages it may be more natural to focus on Jonathan and Saul rather than retaining their weapons as subjects of the verbs: “Jonathan was very accurate with his bow, and Saul killed many people with his sword….”

The fat of the mighty: the mighty refers here to the enemy soldiers, though in verses 19, 21, 25, and 27 the same Hebrew word refers to Saul and Jonathan. Rather than translate literally the words the fat of, Revised English Bible says “the breast of,” and New American Bible says “the bodies of.” The laws of Leviticus forbid the eating of fat and blood. The fat and blood from animals was to be offered as a sacrifice to God. The use of blood and fat here should be understood in this context, that is, killing of the enemies was understand as a sacrificial offering presented to God. This cultural information cannot easily be included in the translation itself, but may be added in study Bible notes. Unlike most English translations, Fox follows several ancient versions in reading “the sword of the mighty” instead of the fat of the mighty. In Hebrew the word for “sword” (cherev) and the word for “fat” (chelev) are similar. Such a translation makes good sense, but so does the Masoretic Text, so the Masoretic Text should be followed here.

Returned not empty: the place of return is not stated. Revised English Bible most likely expresses the correct meaning, “never returned empty to the scabbard.” Perhaps a literal translation will not mean that Saul was successful in battle. Compare New American Bible (“did not return unstained”) and La Bible Pléiade (“did not return without success”).

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 .

Nearly all versions, including New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, divide the first half of this verse as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. The Masoretic Text, however, divides these words after the words In life and is followed by New International Version (also King James Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, and Chouraqui), which restructures a little and says:

• “Saul and Jonathan—
in life they were loved and gracious,
and in death they were not parted.”

Either way of dividing the text makes good sense and is grammatically possible. In languages where the passive form is a problem, translators may say something like “During their lifetime Saul and Jonathan were pleasing and people loved them very much….”

Beloved and lovely: some languages will require a verb to relate the subjects and the characteristics. In most cases the past tense of the verb “to be” will be most suitable. Note also that Revised English Bible reversed the order and translates “Beloved and lovely were Saul and Jonathan.” Both characteristics are intended to describe both persons. They were both pleasing, beautiful (lovely), and held in high esteem by others (beloved). In verse 26 the verb translated “very pleasing have you been” in Revised Standard Version is from the same root as the word translated lovely here. The Hebrew word translated lovely in Revised Standard Version is translated “delightful ones” by Fox.

In life and in death they were not divided: if the text is divided in this way, in some languages it will be more natural to state this truth in a positive rather than a negative manner: “They lived together, and when they died they were also together.” Others may prefer to state the first half positively and the second half negatively: “They spent their lives together, and when they died they were not separated.” If, however, the text is divided as in the Masoretic Text, the word order may be changed as in Bible en français courant:

• All their life, Saul and Jonathan were dearly loved,
even in their death, they were not separated.

Saul and Jonathan are compared to eagles and lions, and the text makes clear that the characteristics at which they were better than these creatures were swiftness and strength. The eagle was considered very swift (Pro 23.5; Jer 4.13; Hab 1.8) and the lion very strong (Pro 30.30).

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 .

Daughters of Israel: in the culture of the Old Testament, it was primarily the job of women to mourn for the dead. Here they are called on to make a public display of their grief for Saul and are reminded of his goodness to them in the past. In most languages it will be unwise to translate the word daughters literally, since the reference is to women in general.

Clothed you: if a literal translation of the verb would give the impression that Saul actually dressed the women physically, then it should certainly be avoided. It may be more fitting to say “provided you with [beautiful red] dresses,” or “caused you to dress yourselves…,” or something similar.

Daintily: although Revised Standard Version has an adverb here, a good case can be made for translating the Hebrew word on which it is based as a second noun—another fabric or substance in addition to scarlet. New Jerusalem Bible and Osty-Trinquet speak of “fine linen,” New International Version of “finery,” and Moffatt has “jewels.” Similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible also uses a second noun that may mean either “finery” or “jewels.”

Scarlet: this was the color that was associated with luxury and well-being in Hebrew thinking. The precise shade is uncertain, but the dye was made from the eggs of certain insects that attached themselves to a kind of oak tree and produced a deep reddish-purple hue. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “purple,” while New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh speaks of “crimson.” What is important here is that the reader get the impression of richness and elegance.

Ornaments of gold: the words may actually mean either “jewelry of gold” or “jewelry and gold.” But since the Hebrew has no conjunction between the two nouns, most English versions accept the first interpretation.

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 .

How are the mighty fallen: a repetition of the main theme of the lament and a reference to Saul and Jonathan. See verse 19.

In the midst of the battle is translated idiomatically in New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible (similarly Bible en français courant) as “in the thick of the battle.” The sense seems to be that they were killed at a time of intense fighting.

Upon thy high places: The translation of this expression in this verse should be in keeping with its translation in verse 19.

Revised Standard Version has divided the text in such a way as to make a new paragraph of the last sentence of this verse, and it is connected with verse 26. The division of Good News Translation should, however, be followed. This is similar to verse 19, but the order of the elements is different. In verse 19 Saul is referred to as Israel’s glory, while here the reference is to Jonathan.

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 .

In some languages, addressing the dead person directly may be very natural, but this may not be the case in others. Here David speaks as if he were talking directly to his dead friend Jonathan. On the close personal relationship between David and Jonathan, see 1 Sam 18–20 and 23.14-18.

I am distressed: the verb should be appropriate to indicate the kind of anguish or grief felt at the death of a very close friend or relative. Most modern English versions use the verb “grieve.”

My brother Jonathan: some ancient texts omit the name (see Anchor Bible), but the best available textual evidence includes it. The word brother is not meant in a literal sense. If it is likely to be taken in this way in the receptor language, then it may be better to translate “my dearest friend” or something similar. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “You were dearest to me, Jonathan, like a brother.”

Your love to me may sound rather one-sided, but translators should not make it sound too reciprocal. See the comments at 1 Sam 18.1

Passing the love of women: the idea of love between two political figures is not uncommon in the Old Testament. Non-biblical texts from the ancient Near East show that kings who were in political alliance were said to “love” one another. In such contexts, the primary semantic element is that of loyalty. Hiram is said to have “loved” David (1 Kgs 5.1), and the context clearly shows the political overtones of the word. The love that existed between David and Jonathan is clearly described elsewhere (see 1 Sam 20.17). While some commentators have suggested the possibility of a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan, this is highly doubtful. But there was obviously a strong bond between the two men. By referring to the love of women, the writer probably had in mind both the love of a wife for her husband and that of a mother for her children. While some translations speak of “love for women” (New American Bible), this is less likely to be the intended meaning. Some translators may have to say something like “Your love for me was wonderful; you loved more than a woman loves her children or her husband.”

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 .

After this: literally “And it was [happened] after this.” This same transition formula is used at the beginning of chapters 8, 10, 13, and 15. The meaning is that what follows took place after David had chanted the lament recorded in the previous chapter. Other versions have simply “Later” (Anchor Bible) or “Afterwards” (Revised English Bible) to mark this transition. And New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “Sometime afterward.”

The text does not say how David inquired of the LORD, but he probably used the sacred lots (see 1 Sam 14.37-43) or consulted a prophet (see 1 Sam 28.6).

Go up: the verb used here is a very common one and has the basic meaning of “ascend.” Note that Good News Translation adds the implicit information “and take control of,” while Contemporary English Version focuses on the fact that David had been in these towns previously, by saying “go back to.” The same verb is repeated in the response of the LORD, but in some languages it will be more natural to answer simply “Yes,” as in Good News Translation, New American Bible, Contemporary English Version, and La Bible du Semeur.

Cities of Judah: the same Hebrew word is rendered “towns” by Revised Standard Version in verse 3 below. This discrepancy is maintained in New Revised Standard Version, probably because of the context of the second occurrence. But most modern versions prefer “towns” in the two verses (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), although New American Bible has “cities” in both. The Hebrew word refers to a permanent settlement without reference to its size. On the place name Judah see 1.18.

The LORD said: in this context it may be more natural to use the verb “answered” in certain languages.

David said: the verb here may perhaps be better translated “asked” in some languages. And it is also possible that indirect discourse will be more natural than direct: “David asked [the LORD] which town.”

Hebron: this important town in the southern hill country of Judah (about 30 kilometers [19 miles] to the southwest of Jerusalem and 915 meters [2975 feet] above sea level) is first mentioned in Gen 13.18 and appears frequently thereafter in the Old Testament. It is also called Kiriath-arba (Gen 23.2) and Mamre (Gen 35.27). Its political importance becomes apparent in this passage.

It is quite possible to make all the direct quotations indirect in this passage, if this will be more natural in the receptor language:

• Later on David asked the LORD whether he should go to any of the towns in the territory of Judah. And the LORD agreed. So David asked him which town. And the LORD answered that he should go to Hebron.

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 .

So: the common Hebrew conjunction is rightly taken as a logical connector in this context by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other versions.

Up there: that is, to the town of Hebron. Some languages will require an object for the verb in this context.

Of Jezreel … of Carmel: these two names indicate the origin of the two wives of David. Jezreel was a town in the hill country of Judah (Josh 15.56) overlooking the Valley of Jezreel, where the Israelites camped before fighting the Philistines (1 Sam 29). Carmel was an ancient city assigned to the tribe of Judah (Josh 15.55), where Saul built a monument in memory of his conquest of the Amalekites (see the comments on 1 Sam 15.12). If ambiguous, of Jezreel and of Carmel may be better translated “[who was] from the town of…” in both cases.

Widow: literally simply “woman.” But the idea is that this woman had been married to Nabal, who died (see 1 Sam 25). Grammatically the words of Carmel go with Nabal, but by implication his wife was from the same place. See 1 Sam 27.3, where the feminine form of the name “Carmelite” occurs in reference to Abigail.

In some languages there are different words for “wife,” one indicating that the woman has borne children and one indicating that she has not borne children. At this point it seems that neither Ahinoam nor Abigail had borne children to David, since David’s firstborn son was born after they moved to Hebron (3.2).

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 .