The pronoun references in this verse are not completely clear in Revised Standard Version, but translators should ensure that their readers will understand that it was Uriah who ate in the presence of the king, that it was King David who got Uriah drunk, and that Uriah was the person who went out to lie on his couch. Languages have very different ways of indicating which person is being spoken of in a story, but whatever language features are available should be used to ensure that the readers know who is referred to by the various pronouns in this verse.

Invited him: Good News Translation supplies what the Hebrew and Revised Standard Version only imply, namely that Uriah was invited to the evening meal. This information may be required in some other languages.

He made him drunk: David was hoping that if Uriah became drunk he would return to his wife and have sex with her. This would conceal the guilt of David. Some languages may use a causative verb form to convey this idea. But others may have to say something like “gave him much wine to drink so that he became intoxicated.”

His couch: while this translates the same Hebrew term as in verse 2, it is a very general word that really means “something on which to lie down.” The fact that Uriah was a mere soldier while David was the king may justify a different translation of this word in the two contexts. However, many languages may have the same kind of general word that will easily apply to both cases.

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 .

The Hebrew text again has the transition expression sometimes rendered “And it came to pass” (King James Version) at the beginning of this verse. But the beginning of a new paragraph is considered an adequate way to represent this term in many translations. Others use a word like “then” (An American Translation).

The text gives no indication as to whether the letter that David wrote was sealed. Nor do we know whether Uriah was able to read. But in any case it is very likely that it was sealed, and almost certain that Uriah did not read the letter that ensured his death after it had been delivered to Joab. Archaeological evidence suggests that a letter written in this time period was probably written on an ostracon, that is, a fragment of pottery.

Sent it by the hand of Uriah: some other ways of saying this are “made Uriah take it to him” or “gave it to Uriah to give to Joab.”

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 .

He wrote: the verb tense may be a problem, since it has already been said that the letter was sent by the hand of Uriah. It may be necessary to say something like “he had written…” or possibly “these are the words that were recorded….”

The forefront of the hardest fighting: literally “in front facing the fierce battle.” The meaning is quite clear. David wanted Uriah to be placed in the most dangerous place possible in order to ensure that he would not survive.

Then draw back from him: another way to say this may be “leave him there as you and the other soldiers withdraw.” New Century Version says simply “leave him there alone.”

That he may be struck down, and die: in order to make absolutely sure that Joab understood his intent, David says clearly that he wants Uriah to be hit by the enemy and that he should die.

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 .

And: the transition word here should probably be stronger than And in English. It should indicate that what follows is a direct result of David’s order received in the letter. In Hebrew the verse actually begins with the same verbal expression that introduces verse 1, 2, and 14 and that is often translated “And it came to pass….” This seems to indicate that a new stage in the story has been reached.

Was besieging the city: this takes the reader back to the summary statement in verse 1. See also 1 Sam 11.1. However, some scholars feel that what was actually written here meant “having watched the city” (compare Anchor Bible and Anderson), since the Hebrew verb means “to watch” or “to guard.” That is, this would provide something of an explanation as to how Joab knew where to place Uriah in the battle. Contemporary English Version follows this interpretation, with “Joab had been carefully watching the city….” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has a similar rendering. If this interpretation is followed, in some cases it may be more natural to rearrange the elements of this verse and say something like “Joab watched the city to see where the strongest fighters were. Then he put Uriah in that place.” Most versions, however, retain the idea of a siege. Since this city was last named in verse 1, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente makes the name explicit here, translating “Joab was besieging the city of Rabbah.”

Assigned: literally “gave.” In compliance with the orders of his commander in chief, Joab puts Uriah in a spot that would almost certainly result in his death. Some other verbs that may be used here are “placed” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Bible en français courant) and “stationed” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

Where he knew there were valiant men: Joab knew where the Ammonite forces were strongest and where their best soldiers were deployed. This was to be the spot where Uriah would have to fight. In many languages it will be advisable to make it clear that the valiant men being talked about are enemy soldiers and not Israelites. On the expression valiant men see 1 Sam 31.12.

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 .

The men of the city: that is, the soldiers who were defending the city of Rabbah. This will be better translated “enemy troops” (Good News Translation), “defending soldiers,” or “the men who were protecting the city.”

Fought with Joab: this, of course, should not be taken literally as meaning that Joab was fighting alone against these men, but rather as indicating that the Ammonite troops were fighting against the troops whom Joab was commanding.

Servants of David: as in previous verses of this chapter (1, 9, 11, and 13), this refers to officers in David’s army who were under Joab’s command.

Fell: on the use of this term for death in battle, see 1 Sam 4.10.

Uriah the Hittite: Uriah is qualified five times in this chapter alone as “the Hittite.” If such repetition is awkward in the receptor language, it need not be repeated every time. But the writer was obviously making this a point of emphasis, that a non-Israelite was more righteous than David, and this should be retained wherever possible.

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 .

Sent and told: yet another use of the two-verb construction, where the verb “send” has no grammatical object in the sentence. The meaning is that Joab “sent someone to tell…,” “sent a messenger” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), or, as New American Bible puts it, “sent David a report.” The implied object of the verb “send” is expressed already in the following verse as “the messenger.” The message is worded in such a way as to be fully meaningful only to David.

All the news about the fighting: literally “all the matters [or, words] of the battle.” This involved the details about the particular battle in which Uriah had been killed. Good News Translation omits the word “all,” but there is no clear reason why this should be done. New American Bible offers a helpful model, with “all the details of the battle.”

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 .

The sentence that started in the previous verse continues here, but it may be more natural in some languages to begin a new sentence at this point.

Instructed: the verb used here is the usual military term for “commanded.” New Jerusalem Bible renders it “gave this order…,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has a similar rendering.

The messenger: only here is the object of the verb “send” in the previous verse made clear. But in many languages it will be stated in verse 19. If this is the case, then the term used here may be translated by a pronoun.

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 .

The sentence structure of verses 19 and 20 is long and complicated, containing a quotation within a quotation and a series of questions. It will be better in some languages to break this up into smaller units. One possible structure for the first part of the verse is as follows: “… he may become angry and begin to ask you questions. He might say….”

If the king’s anger rises: while the verb used here literally means “go up” or “ascend,” the overall expression means simply “if the king gets angry.” This idea has been translated “the king may become angry” (New American Bible) or “the king’s anger may flare up” (New International Version).

The form of the questions may also be changed from direct to indirect quotations: “He might ask why we went so near the city wall and whether we didn’t know that the enemy would shoot us from above.”

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 .