So: once again the Hebrew text has only the common conjunction, but the action described in the following sentence is unquestionably the result of the idea expressed in the previous verse.

The people sent: frequently in 1 Samuel the people refers specifically to “the army” (Revised English Bible). This is the same word in Hebrew as translated “troops” by Revised Standard Version in the previous verse. If a technical term such as “the troops” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) exists in the receptor language, it may be used in those contexts where the Hebrew word for “people” is used to refer to “soldiers.” In Hebrew there is no object for the verb sent. An object such as “messengers” (Good News Translation) or “men” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) may be supplied to complete the sense.

The ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts: the Septuagint says “the ark of the Lord of hosts” and is followed by New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Osty-Trinquet. See also comments on verse 3.

The LORD of hosts: see the comments on 1.3.

The cherubim: these creatures were symbols of God’s majesty and were associated with his presence. Depictions of cherubim in Western art usually show them as round-faced infants with wings, but this does not at all correspond to their descriptions in the Old Testament or to their appearance in the art of Assyria and other countries of the ancient Near East. These creatures were winged beings that were depicted as part human and part animal. The descriptions of such creatures are not uniform throughout the Old Testament, but see the descriptions in Exo 25.17-22 and Ezek 1.5-13; 10. The name cherubim has traditionally been transliterated (so King James Version, Reina-Valera revisada), and many modern translations continue this approach (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Bible en français courant). It will be more meaningful in most languages, however, to say something like “winged creatures” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) and include a more detailed explanation in a word list entry. One of the primary functions of the cherubim is that of protecting divine property such as the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3.24) and the Covenant Box (Exo 25). For this reason some translators have sought to convey something of the meaning by saying “guardians of God’s things” or “protecting beings.” But a glossary entry will be essential in any case.

Because of the complications of translating the verb enthroned and the noun cherubim, translators may be tempted to express the relative clause who is enthroned on the cherubim as a separate sentence. But this should be avoided if at all possible, since to use a separate sentence would be to change the focus of the passage. This expression occurs rather frequently in other Old Testament passages (2 Sam 6.2; 2 Kgs 19.15; 1 Chr 13.6; Psa 80.1; 99.1; Isa 37.16).

The text states only that Hophni and Phinehas were there. It is not said here that these two sons of Eli actually “came along” with the ark, as Good News Translation declares. But since the reader will learn in verse 11 that Hophni and Phinehas are killed in battle, translators may make explicit here in verse 4 that they went with the ark. Good News Translation does not, however, express the idea that Hophni and Phinehas were in charge of the ark. Compare New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh: “there Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant of God.” A better translation may be “And Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, who were in charge of the ark, came along with it.”

The ark of the covenant of God: the Septuagint says only “the ark” and is followed by New Jerusalem Bible and Osty-Trinquet. Receptor-language style may be the determining factor in deciding whether to use the longer or shorter form here.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The ark of the covenant of the LORD: the Septuagint reads “the ark of the Lord” and is followed by New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Osty-Trinquet. See also comments on verses 3-4. As in the previous verse, receptor language considerations may determine the precise form to be used in this case.

All Israel refers to all the Israelites present in the camp on that day. In some languages it may be better to say “all the Israelites there.”

Gave a mighty shout is literally “shouted a great shout.” The noun and the verb have the same root. But in many languages the most natural rendering will be “shouted loudly” (as in New American Bible) or “raised a mighty shout” (Moffatt). In some cases translators will need to show that this was a shout of joy, not one of fear. It was definitely the case that they “gave a great shout of joy” (New Century Version). This is behind the use of the verb “cheered” in Contemporary English Version.

The earth resounded: the precise meaning of the Hebrew verb is uncertain. Most understand it to mean “to be thrown into confusion” or “to be in an uproar.” But it is also important to realize that the word translated earth does not in this case refer to the whole world but rather to the ground in the area where these events took place. It is for this reason that Contemporary English Version, like New International Version, translates “the ground shook.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The verb said may have to be translated as a reciprocal form in certain languages, since the quoted material is something that the Philistines said to each other and not to the Israelites or some other group of people.

The Hebrews: the writer of 1 Samuel almost always uses the word “Israel” when referring to the Israelite people. The name “Hebrew” is nearly always used by foreigners in a negative or derogatory sense (verse 9; 13.19; 14.11; 29.3; see also 13.3). There is much debate among specialists about whether the term Hebrews, in both biblical and non-biblical texts, always refers to the Israelite people or whether it may sometimes refer to both Israelites and non-Israelites as a social class of people without power and prestige. Evidence seems to suggest that only in the Greco-Roman period did the term “Hebrew” become a common way of referring to Jewish people. Even when the term “Hebrews” is used of Israelite people in the Old Testament, it always seems to carry some negative aspect of meaning, but it is appropriate here since it is being used in a direct quotation of what the Philistines said about the Israelites.

Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente has the following footnote on this term:

The word [Hebrew] probably indicates not only the Israelites, but all those who found themselves in the social situation of the nonoriginal inhabitants of that location. This was, it seems, the meaning of the word at that time.

A similar footnote, or one indicating that it was a derogatory term, will be acceptable in the receptor language, but the term Hebrews should be transliterated and not changed to “Israelites.”

In some languages it will not be natural to say that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp as if it were able to move on its own. It will be better to say that the ark “had been brought to the camp” or, where passive verbs are not possible, “the Israelites had brought the Covenant Box to their camp.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

A god: translators must make two decisions before rendering this noun here. (1) Is the reference to the one God of the Israelites (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible), or is the reference to one or more of the pagan gods? (2) If the reference is to pagan gods, is the noun singular (Revised English Bible, New International Version) or plural (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) in meaning?

In the Hebrew Old Testament this noun, sometimes called “an honorific plural,” occurs about two thousand five hundred times. Even when it is used to refer to the God of Israel, it is plural in form; but it usually takes adjectives and verbs in the singular.

To begin with the first question: is the reference to God or to a pagan god or gods? It is often assumed that the reference is to a pagan god or gods for these two reasons: (a) the noun, adjectives, and verb in verse 8 are all plural; and (b) the pagan Philistines, who worshiped numerous gods, would not be speaking about a single God as the Israelites did.

But in response to (a), it can be said that a few times in the Old Testament the noun “God” does sometimes take plural adjectives and verbs, even when referring to the God of Israel. In response to (b), it may be said that, at various points in 1 Samuel, non-Israelites speak as Israelites, reflecting the viewpoint of the Jewish author (see, for example, “guilt offering” in 6.3). In chapter 6 as a whole, the Philistines speak of “the God of Israel.” The evidence needed to answer the first question is too ambiguous. Either choice seems equally possible.

As for the second question: is this noun singular or plural in meaning here? The Hebrew word has a plural ending and is sometimes used of pagan gods, but it is also the word commonly used for the one true God of Israel. Many translations say “a god” (Revised English Bible, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but others such as New Revised Standard Version and New American Bible say “Gods have come into the camp.” As already noted, the same noun occurs with a plural verb and plural adjectives in verse 8, which may support the understanding that the reference is to “gods.” Either “a god” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “gods” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) fits the context equally well.

At the same time, as the above paragraphs have stated, the reference may well be to the God of Israel. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “God has come to the camp” (see also the New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translation of verse 8 cited below). Most traditional translations also reflect this understanding (so King James Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Reina-Valera revisada, Almeida). Whichever decision translators make, the rendering here in verse 7 should be consistent with that in verse 8.

Before: literally “yesterday and the day before yesterday.” The same idiom occurs in Exo 5.8 and Ruth 2.11. But the meaning is simply “previously” or “at any time up to the present.” Knox translates “till now.”

Woe to us! Such a lament is often used in the Old Testament to express a sense of anguish or extreme sadness in the face of impending or actual misfortune. It is used in times of mourning for others who have died and as a kind of self-pity when threatened by adversaries. In some languages such a lament is expressed by repeating a sound related to mourning, by crying, or by some other expression of grief. In other cases people may say something like “We are doomed!” “We’re in trouble” (New Century Version), “We are lost!” (Revised English Bible) or “Disaster!” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Nothing like this has happened before: literally “it was not like this yesterday and the day-before” (Fox). This idiom “yesterday and the day-before” means “in the past” or “recently.” The Philistines are clearly concerned about their own plight, so the words “to us” (Good News Translation) are implied. Another way of expressing this idea may be to say “We have never been in such a predicament before.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Woe to us! is a repetition of the same lament found in the previous verse and should probably be translated in the same way unless it is stylistically unacceptable to do so.

The power is literally “the hand.” The Hebrew word for “hand” is frequently used metaphorically in 1 and 2 Samuel and throughout the Old Testament to mean “power” or “control” (it occurs, for example, in 7.3, 8, 13, 14; 9.16; 10.18; 12.9; 14.37; 17.37; 2 Kgs 13.5).

These are the gods … in the wilderness: the reference is to the account in Exo 7–12. The plagues actually struck the Egyptians in Egypt before the Israelites began their wilderness journey. For this reason some change the Hebrew noun in the wilderness to read “and with pestilence.” Compare New American Bible: “that struck the Egyptians with various plagues and with pestilence.” It is recommended that translators follow the Masoretic Text. The word wilderness may present significant problems to translators who live in parts of the world where there simply are no regions that are dry and sparsely vegetated. But the most important characteristic about wilderness areas is their remoteness and the fact that people do not normally live there. It is a region that is uninhabited and virtually uninhabitable. Most translators will have already dealt with this problem in translating the New Testament and may refer to solutions found there.

Gods: the people of the nations around Israel worshiped numerous gods. Perhaps the Philistines thought that the Israelites also had more than one god. However, it is possible, and perhaps better, to render the nouns, adjectives, and verb as singular here (see the comments on verse 7). Revised English Bible says “Who can deliver us from the power of this mighty god?” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh also renders these words as singular but capitalizes “God” as referring to the God of Israel: “Who will save us from the power of this mighty God? He is the same God who struck the Egyptians….”

Plague: the Hebrew term so translated here is elsewhere rendered “slaughter” (verse 10 below as well as 6.19, and Josh 10.10). But the term is used in a general sense here of “disasters” (New Century Version). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible speaks of “all sorts of blows,” and Contemporary English Version refers to “all those horrible things” that happened to the Egyptians.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Take courage: the basis of this translation is a reflexive form of the Hebrew verb meaning “be strong.” This form may be translated “strengthen yourselves” or “brace yourselves” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Or, since this verse represents what the Philistines are saying to each other, it may be more natural to say “Let’s be strong” or “Let’s brace ourselves.”

Acquit yourselves like men: literally “be men” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The phrase occurs twice in this verse. It is an appeal by the Philistine speaker to other Philistines to fight hard in order to be victorious over the Israelites. The notion that men are better fighters than women or children is assumed in the various cultures of the Old Testament. In cultures where this idea is shared, the reference to men may be translated literally. But it is conceivable that some other image may be more appropriate in some languages.

Lest: the Hebrew conjunction so translated is often very difficult to reproduce in other languages. It contains the idea of purpose and negation at the same time: “in order not to [do something]” or “so that [something will] not [happen].” Some may express this idea by saying “for fear that….” But in other cases it may be better to begin a completely new sentence, saying something like “you [we] are in danger of becoming slaves” or “we risk becoming slaves.”

The Hebrews: see the comments on verse 6 above.

Lest you become … as they have been to you: since a Philistine is speaking, it will be more natural in some languages to say “lest we become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to us.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

So: the common conjunction is taken by the majority of English versions as showing a logical connection between the exhortation of the previous verse and the subsequent action of the Philistines. But it may also be taken as a temporal connection as in Revised English Bible (“Then”) or omitted altogether (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible).

The passive verb was defeated may easily be made active by making the Philistines the subject and the Israelites the object as in Good News Translation.

Home: literally “tent.” The same idiom occurs also in 13.2, but in that case Revised Standard Version translates literally.

The word translated slaughter here is the same as the one rendered “plague” in verse 8 above. As the context clearly indicates, this was a “disastrous defeat” (New American Bible) in which large numbers of people were killed.

Thirty thousand foot soldiers: literally “thirty thousand on foot.” Not until the reign of Solomon did Israel have an army with chariots. Good News Translation calls these men simply “soldiers,” but because it is stated earlier in the verse that the men “went running” to their homes, it is clear that they were foot soldiers.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The ark of God: see the comments at verse 3 as well as at 3.3.

Was captured: in some languages it will be necessary to express the agent and use a verb in the active voice, that is, “the Philistines captured the ark of God” (see also verses 17, 19, 22 below).

Eli’s two sons are killed, as prophesied in 2.34. Receptor language considerations will determine whether it is more natural to give the names first or to follow the order of Revised Standard Version and say the two sons of Eli before repeating the names that have already been mentioned several times earlier in the story (verse 4 and in 1.3 and 2.34).

Were slain: literally “died.” This passive form in English may be made active by stating that the Philistines killed Hophni and Phinehas, or possibly by simply translating the Hebrew, “died,” literally.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .