If the quotation in the previous verse is made indirect, it will be necessary to introduce a direct quotation at the beginning of this verse. Good News Translation does so by supplying “Hushai added….”

Now therefore: literally “And now.” But there may be a logical connection to be understood. New Revised Standard Version retains “Therefore.” Many versions, however, take this as simply introducing the next step in the fast-moving story and leave out any logical marker.

As indicated in Revised Standard Version this verse contains a quotation within a larger quotation. Hushai tells Zadok and Abiathar what the messengers are to say to David. In many languages it will be better to make this internal quotation indirect rather than direct, as has been done in Good News Translation.

Lodge: this represents the same verb as the one translated spend the night in verse 8. Here it may be rendered “camp” (An American Translation, New Jerusalem Bible) or “spend the night” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, and Revised English Bible as well as Good News Translation). In some languages the most natural translation here will be “sleep.”

The fords of the wilderness: see 15.28.

But by all means pass over: in addition to the conjunction and an emphatic adverb, a Hebrew construction is used here in which the verb is repeated in two forms to make it emphatic. A literal rendering is “and indeed to cross over you cross over.” The emphatic nature of the message is therefore shown in two different ways. Translators should look for ways of expressing the message in the most emphatic way possible in their own languages. In English some versions add the auxiliary verb “must” (Contemporary English Version). Others indicate the urgency by adding something like “at once” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “without fail” (New American Bible), or “as fast as you can” (New Jerusalem Bible) as a part of the quotation.

Lest: in many languages it will be better to translate this by beginning a completely new sentence, making explicit what is implied. The new sentence may begin “If you don’t do this….”

In the context of this direct quotation, the words the king refer to David, who is being addressed. This will be more naturally translated “you” or “your majesty” if the direct quotation is retained. But if it becomes indirect the pronoun should be adjusted to “he.”

Be swallowed up: the basic meaning of this Hebrew verb is “to swallow [something].” Here, as often in the Old Testament, it is used in a figurative sense to mean “destroyed” (New American Bible) or “annihilated” (New Jerusalem Bible). Revised English Bible translates “before an overwhelming blow can be launched.” But in those languages where passive forms are difficult, translators may have to say something like “before the soldiers of Absalom destroy you completely.”

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 .

Good News Translation makes it clear that Abiathar and Zadok were the fathers of Jonathan and Ahima-az. See 15.27, where Jonathan and Ahima-az are first identified.

En-rogel: the first letters of this name in Hebrew, ʿeyn, mean “spring.” This refers to a water source located in the Kidron Valley near the place where it joins the Hinnom Valley to the southeast of the city of Jerusalem. While most English versions transliterate the two parts together as a single name, it will probably be better to translate the meaning of at least the first part, “the spring of Rogel” (Knox) or “Rogel Spring” (Contemporary English Version). The meaning of the word rogel is thought to be “fuller,” a person who shrinks and thickens wool cloth by moistening, heating, and pressing; therefore New Jerusalem Bible and Bible en français courant translate both parts, “the Fuller’s Spring.” Compare also Josh 15.7 and 1 Kgs 1.9, which refer to this same spring. Another possible way to translate this name is to transliterate the Hebrew name and then include the meaning of the name in parentheses following the name (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Like Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Fox keeps both the Hebrew and the translated meaning of the name by saying “Ein Rogel/Fuller’s Spring.”

Maidservant: the word found here is usually used of a female slave. See chapter 14, where the term is frequently used. Compare also Ruth 2.13 and 1 Sam 1.18; 8.16.

The verb forms used to go and tell … and they would go indicate habitual or repeated action on the part of the woman and the two messengers. In languages that have habitual verb forms, they should be used here.

The structure of this verse may need to be modified in some cases. The part that says for they must not be seen entering the city comes at the end of the verse in the Hebrew text. But this is an explanation of why Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at the Rogel Spring, and for this reason it has been shifted forward in Good News Translation and a few other English versions. This will probably be more logical in most other languages as well. Remarkably, even King James Version does this! It may also be wise to state the name of the city, as in Good News Translation, even though the Hebrew does not.

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 .

But: the conjunction here is taken as marking something contrary to expectation in the story and is therefore translated in this way.

Lad: this term often refers to a boy up to the age of adolescence, but it is also used of older “young men” such as Absalom (14.21). The underlying Hebrew term is often translated simply “child” (1 Sam 1.24; 2 Sam 12.16), “boy” (1 Sam 2.11), or “young man” (2 Sam 1.5), but sometimes it means “servant” (1 Sam 2.13; 2 Sam 9.9).

Saw them: the pronoun here probably refers to Jonathan and Ahimaaz, but possibly the servant woman was included. In Hebrew the form is third person masculine plural, but the masculine plural may be used of men only or of groups including both men and women. However, since the slave girl had not been banished from the city, it would not have been significant that she was seen. In languages that use different pronoun forms for men, women, and mixed groups, the masculine pronoun should probably be used here. Certainly it is only the two men, without the woman, who go to Bahurim.

The implied information here is that the boy told Absalom what he had seen, and that Jonathan and Ahimaaz somehow learned that Absalom was aware of their activities and that he was looking for them.

Bahurim: according to 16.5 David had only recently passed through this place. It was apparently friendly to David and his men. This town is mentioned also in 3.16.

Well: in some languages the translation of this term may require a longer expression like “a place where people draw water” or something similar.

In his courtyard: this may have to be translated “near his house” in languages that do not have a special word for courtyard.

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 woman: this refers to the wife of the man who owned the well where the two men were hiding. Some may say “the woman of that house” or something similar.

The object of both verbs (took and spread) is the covering over the top of the well. In many languages it will be more natural to supply the object with the first verb rather than the second, as Revised Standard Version does. Most English versions, including New Revised Standard Version, do this.

Covering: the text uses a very general word here for anything that covers an object. But in this context, what probably happened was that, after the men had gone down into the well, the normal protective covering was placed back over the hole, and that in turn was covered by something like a mat, “a piece of canvas” (New Jerusalem Bible), or a “cloth” (Moffatt, Knox, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). This concealed the fact that there was a well at that place.

The well’s mouth: the “opening” of a well may be described in different ways in different languages. Some may say “mouth” as in Hebrew. But others will refer to it as the “top” or the “door,” or some other term may be used. Translators should not picture a well with a high protective barrier around it, that is, where the walls of the well extend above the earth’s surface. It was rather a deep hole in the earth with a protective covering level with the surface of the earth, so that the whole opening could be covered by a mat or something else on which grain could be spread out to dry in the sun. The drying of grain in this manner was not unusual in that part of the world at that time and provided a perfect way to hide the opening of the well.

Nothing was known of it: literally “and the matter [or, word] was not known.” That is, the fact that the two men were hiding in the well was not something that people knew about. In the English rendering of Revised Standard Version, the pronoun it may be understood as referring to the well itself or to the fact that the two men were hiding in it. But since the subject of the verb in Hebrew is clearly “the matter,” this cannot refer to the well, but only to the whole situation. The passive construction may be reworded to say something like “no one could tell that the two men were there” or “people could not know about the hiding place.”

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 .

Absalom’s servants: that is, his “officials,” and not household domestic servants.

They have gone over the brook of water: the meaning of the word translated brook is uncertain, since it is found only here in all the Old Testament. The water would make Absalom’s men think of the Jordan River, where they almost certainly proceeded in search of Jonathan and Ahimaaz. There is some textual evidence that leads some scholars to propose that the Masoretic Text should be corrected to read “they have gone further on, towards the water” (New Jerusalem Bible, and similarly New American Bible). But Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and recommends that this text be translated as in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other versions.

The Hebrew text does not have direct object pronouns after the verbs they had sought and could not find, but in many languages it may be necessary to supply them, as in Good News Translation and Revised Standard 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 .

The men: it may be better in some languages to make it clear that the men referred to here are Jonathan and Ahimaaz, as Good News Translation has done. And in some cases the first pronoun they may have to be made clearer by saying something like “Absalom’s men.”

Some translators may prefer to change the order of the last part of this verse. It provides the reason for the advice to move quickly across the river. And in some languages it will be better for this to be given before the actual imperative forms Arise, and go quickly …, which are both second person plural, referring to David and his men. The pronoun you is also plural. If this is made into indirect discourse, translators may wish to say something like “what Ahithophel had planned against David and his men.”

Thus and so: as in verse 15 above, this expression is used as a kind of summary of what was actually said. For this reason it may be necessary that this part of the direct quotation be made indirect in other languages.

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 .

Then: what happens next is the result of the advice given in the previous verse. The common conjunction therefore serves as a logical connector. Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, like Good News Translation, begin the sentence with “So….”

The use of the verb form in the singular, arose, followed by mention of the additional subject, all the people who were with him, is common in Hebrew, but such word order may be very awkward in other languages. The meaning is clearly that David and all his men acted together, but the focus is on David. As has been noted elsewhere, the verb arose does not mean they were necessarily sitting or lying down. The sense if that they started doing something.

By daybreak: literally “until the light of morning.” Contemporary English Version translates “By sunrise,” while New Jerusalem Bible and New Century Version have “by dawn.”

Not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan: the two negatives in this statement cancel each other so that the meaning is positive and rather emphatic. This may be better translated in a positive way in certain languages. It will be possible, for example, to say “every single one of them had crossed the Jordan” or something similar.

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 .

At this point the scene shifts back from David and his men to Ahithophel, whose advice had been rejected. So the beginning of a new paragraph will be essential in most languages. The whole verse is almost parenthetic to the main flow of the story, which goes back to the conflict between Absalom and David in the next verse.

His counsel was not followed: this passive expression may be translated actively by saying something like “Absalom did not follow his advice” or “Absalom rejected his advice.”

Saddled his ass: in some languages there will be no special term for saddled. What is involved is the placing of material on the donkey’s back in order to make the journey more comfortable for the rider. See 16.1 and Gen 22.3.

His own city: readers learned in 15.12 that the home town of Ahithophel was called Giloh. If there is any danger that this expression will be understood to mean that Ahithophel somehow owned the city, it will be better to translate “the town where he had been born” or “the place where he had come from.”

Set his house in order: this same expression is used by the prophet Isaiah speaking to the dying King Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20.1; Isa 38.1). It probably refers to a solemn act in which a person gives directions about what is to happen to his property and his family members after his death (compare Deut 21.16). It is a kind of advance preparation for death. Some possible translations are “he set his affairs in order” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “left orders concerning his family” (New American Bible), “gave orders for his family and property” (New Century Version), “told his family and servants what to do,” or “he arranged all his affairs.”

Hanged himself: this is the only case in all the Old Testament of suicide, apart from military men taking their lives rather than being killed by the enemy. Some languages that lack specific terminology for this kind of action may require a more graphic description of what happened. Some possibilities are “he tied a rope around his neck and jumped so that he died” or “he killed himself by using a rope around his neck.”

Was buried: this will have to be translated “they [indefinite] buried him” or “his relatives buried him” in languages where the passive is not possible or is unnatural.

In the tomb of his father: this expression most likely refers to a family burial place in general rather than a grave belonging to Ahithophel’s father, or to the specific grave where his father had been buried. At this time in Israelite culture, tombs were cut into rocky hillsides. There were stone shelves on which the body was placed until it decomposed, leaving only the bones. Then the bones were placed into a pit beneath the shelves and the tomb was reused. Such family tombs are intended by the expression the tomb of his father. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “in his ancestral tomb.”

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 .