Following the structural changes suggested above, a translation model making the questions indirect quotations in the first part of the verse may read as follows:

• He might also ask whether we did not remember who killed Abimelech … and how that woman threw a stone down from the wall … He may want to know why we went so close to the wall.

The question Who killed Abimelech…? does not refer to someone killed in the siege of Rabbah but to an event in the history of the people of Israel that David may have drawn on to strengthen an argument against going too close to the wall of any city. For this reason Good News Translation (also La Bible du Semeur, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) has rightly introduced the question with the words “Don’t you remember…?” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy provides another model for indicating that the event referred to in verse 21 happened in the past: “just as when in Thebez a woman killed Abimelech….”

Jerubbesheth: textual evidence leads many scholars, including Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, to conclude that the original reading here was “Jerubbaal” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) rather than Jerubbesheth (La Bible du Semeur, New International Version, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). But since these are both lesser known names for Gideon, it may be wiser to use the better known name in translation, as Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have done. If not, a footnote will certainly be required. Regarding the change from “baal” to “bosheth” in names, see the comments on 2.8. Here the word “bosheth” was written “besheth.”

An upper millstone: New Century Version attempts to clarify the meaning with “a large stone for grinding grain.” Millstones consisted of two halves between which grain was ground into small pieces. The Hebrew text actually says “a piece of a millstone” (compare Judges 9.53). New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible say simply “a millstone.” But since the purpose for which the stone was normally used is unimportant to the story, it is possible to translate as in Contemporary English Version, which says simply “a large rock.”

At Thebez: this refers to the place where Abimelech was killed by the stone that the woman dropped from the city wall. This story is recorded in Judges 9.50-55.

Then you shall say …: the instructions of Joab finally reach the point where the messenger is commanded to do something. Up to this point the message centers on the possible reaction of David and the questions he might ask after hearing the general outline of the battle news.

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 messenger went to David as a result of Joab’s instructions and probably did so immediately. The transition word used in the receptor language should convey this idea.

Went, and came: in many languages it will be unnatural to use these two verbs together. Translators will have to decide which one is more natural in this context. Or it is possible to translate the first “left Joab” and the second “came to the place where David was.” New American Bible and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy have something similar, with “the messenger set out, and on his arrival….”

Good News Translation transposes “to David” so that it becomes the grammatical object of the verb went rather than told. It then has “and told him,” to keep clear that he spoke to David.

Sent him to tell: that is, what Joab had “instructed him to say” or “ordered him to report.”

The Septuagint contains the following paragraph at the end of this verse:

• And David was angry with Joab and said to the messenger, “Why did you draw near to the city to fight? Did you not know that you would be wounded from the wall? Who struck Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman cast upon him a piece of millstone from the wall, and he died in Thebez? Why did you draw near to the wall?”

This addition is the basis for the translations in Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Osty-Trinquet, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy. McCarter (Anchor Bible) argues that neither the Masoretic Text nor the Septuagint preserve the original text here. As the text is reconstructed in Anchor Bible, much of this longer addition is placed in verse 24.

This is obviously a difficult textual problem. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text here and suggests that the longer reading found in the Septuagint is the result of a deliberate repetition of the words from verses 20-21. But if translators decide to follow the Septuagint here, they should clearly indicate in a footnote that the Masoretic Text does not have this longer text.

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 messenger said to David: in this context it may be unnecessary or unnatural to repeat the two nouns in this clause. In some languages to do so would unnecessarily change the focus from the messenger to David.

The words The men refer to the enemy forces of the Ammonites. It will be wise to clarify this in translation. One may say, for example, “the opposing army.” Revised English Bible and Knox have “the enemy,” while New Century Version renders this term “the men of Ammon.”

Gained an advantage over us: that is, the Ammonites were winning the battle against the Israelites.

Came out: what is implied here, of course, is that the Ammonite forces left the confines of their walled city and began to fight in the open field.

If the direct quotation of the messenger is transformed to an indirect statement, it may read something like this:

• He told David that the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight the Israelite soldiers and began to beat them. But then the Israelites forced them to go back to the city gate.

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 .

If the option of an indirect quotation was chosen in the previous verse, this verse should also be made indirect. This may mean adding something like “The messenger continued by telling David that….”

Then: the Hebrew conjunction is used here to indicate action that followed previous action. La Bible du Semeur says “at that moment…,” giving prominence to the time element. Revised English Bible focuses on the location and translates “There,” and this may be a good model for other languages.

The archers: while some languages may have special terms for archers, others will have to use a longer expression meaning “the men who shoot arrows.” It should be made clear that the archers in question are enemy (Ammonite) archers.

Your servants … the king’s servants … your servant: as in previous verses the word “servant” in each of these cases refers to army officers and should be so translated in order to avoid giving the impression that domestic servants are intended. Also, when the messenger says the king’s servants while speaking directly to the king, he is showing respect. Translators should try to discover how this kind of respect is communicated in their own language and use these forms of respect in their translation rather than imitating the Hebrew indirect reference.

Is dead also: that is, “was among those who were killed” or “also died in the battle.”

Some textual experts feel that the original version of verses 23 and 24 included material that is now absent from the traditional Hebrew text. Translators are encouraged to follow the Masoretic Text here. A detailed discussion may be found in Anchor Bible.

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 .

Thus shall you say to Joab: this introduces yet another quotation within a quotation. If this presents problems in the receptor language, it can be transformed into an indirect quote, as has been done in Good News Translation.

Do not let this matter trouble you: or “Do not be upset about the way the battle went” or “Don’t be distressed about what happened in that battle.”

For: this introduces the reason for the encouragement David wants to give to Joab. It is because people can never know who may die in battle that Joab is told not to worry. The fact that David and Joab actually arranged for Uriah to die does not change the fact that David pretends that they had nothing to do with it.

The sword devours: a literal translation of this expression will be extremely awkward if not impossible in many languages. What it means is that “people are killed by the sword” or “soldiers die by the sword.” But the word sword is used as an image to represent any military conflict. In some languages it will be more natural to speak of “dying in war” than to translate literally.

Now one and now another: this is a way of saying that things happen in a haphazard manner. There is no apparent reason why one person is killed and another is spared, and people cannot know in advance who may die in battle. In some languages it will be most natural to say “people never know who will die [in a war].”

Overthrow it: the verb so translated may mean either “destroy it [the city]” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New American Bible) or “break through its walls” (Contemporary English Version), implying the capture of the city but not necessarily its total destruction. The former seems more probable.

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 wife of Uriah: both here and in 12.10, 15 the writer speaks of Bathsheba without using her name, but identifying her by her husband’s name. Some see this as a way of trying to emphasize the fact that David had seriously abused his power and wronged Uriah. This is perhaps to keep the focus on Uriah, whose name is mentioned twice in this verse. But if this is unnatural in the receptor language it will be better to use the name, “Bathsheba,” at this point.

Uriah her husband: again, in some languages it may be more natural to drop the name of Uriah at this point.

Made lamentation: immediately after learning of the death of a loved one, people had a time of crying aloud. This conduct helped to notify the entire neighborhood of the death of the person. This was followed by a period of time spent in quieter mourning. The same verbal root is used in 1.12 and 3.31 as well as 1 Sam 25.1 and 28.3.

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 mourning: for the Israelites this period of mourning usually consisted of seven days (Gen 50.10; 1 Sam 31.13) to three weeks (Dan 10.2). No precise time is given in this case, but it was probably no more than seven days. Apparently David did not wait much beyond the mourning period before having Bathsheba brought to the royal palace, because to wait longer would make it impossible for him to pretend to be the legitimate father of the child that would soon be born.

Sent and brought: this is another of the serial verb constructions using the verb “send” without an object. What it means is that David issued an order that resulted in Bathsheba’s being brought to live with the king. New Century Version says “sent servants to bring her to his house.”

House: in those languages that make such a distinction, the word house, of course, refers to the royal “palace.”

She became his wife: in some languages it may be more natural to make David the subject of the sentence here: “David took her as his wife” or “David married her.”

But translates the common Hebrew conjunction. In some languages the use of this kind of conjunction will give a wrong impression. It indicates something contrary to expectation, but it is to be expected that the LORD would not be pleased with what David had done. Both Contemporary English Version and Anchor Bible omit this conjunction. Moffatt begins this sentence with “Now…,” which seems more logical. The translation But, however, is a suitable translation for introducing the idea that something bad is going to happen to David, despite outward appearances that everything has been done properly.

Displeased the LORD: some renderings of these words are rather weak and fail to show the gravity of the situation. New Century Version, for example, says simply “the LORD did not like what David had done.” But a more literal rendering is “[it] was evil in the eyes of the LORD.” Some may prefer to translate “the LORD considered what David had done as evil.”

Good News Translation alters the structure of the concluding sentence. Also Contemporary English Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Anchor Bible all make the last sentence of this chapter the beginning of the next section. In fact this statement seems to serve both as a conclusion to the story of David and Bathsheba and as an introduction to the section about the prophet Nathan’s encounter with David over the affair.

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 .