Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:5

As in the previous verse, translators should again consider other possibilities in translating the verb said in the context of conversation.

The man: this, of course, refers to Saul. In many languages it will be wise to make this clear in translation by using the name, as Good News Translation, New Century Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have done.

Consumed: the verb used here literally means “to cause to be finished,” “annihilated,” or “exterminated.” But this cannot be literally true, since there is a remnant. Some interpreters therefore think it means “massacred” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “nearly annihilated” (see Anderson). Anchor Bible, on the other hand, adopts the reading of one manuscript of the ancient Greek version and translates “set himself against us and persecuted us.” But few English versions follow this option. The simplest solution appears to be to take the verb in its literal sense as an exaggeration. The result of this is a translation like that of New Jerusalem Bible, which uses the verb “decimated.” But in many languages the way to say this will be “killed nearly all of us.”

Planned to destroy us …: the meaning of this part of the verse is also uncertain. Goldman gives a more or less literal rendering, “devised against us, so that we have been destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel.” But this is very awkward English. The meaning is expressed well by New American Bible, “who intended to destroy us that we might have no place in all the territory of Israel.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:6

While the sentence begun in verse 5 continues in Revised Standard Version (reflecting the Hebrew), it will be better in most languages to break it up and begin a new sentence here as Good News Translation has done.

While the actual number of victims was very likely seven, this number may also have a symbolic value. The number seven is often used in Scripture to represent completeness or totality. The death of these seven men will mean that the family of Saul is totally destroyed symbolically, even if not literally.

The passive expression let … be given to us may be easily rendered actively as “please give us,” “we are asking that you give us…,” or simply “we want…” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Sons: the word is used here in the sense of male descendants that can include grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As seen in verse 8, it turned out to include two children and five grandchildren. So the translation here should not be limited to “sons” in the literal sense of the word. Revised English Bible translates “descendants,” while New International Version speaks more specifically of “male descendants.”

The meaning of the verb translated hang is uncertain. In the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel, it seems to mean “dislocated” (Revised Standard Version “put out of joint”; Gen 32.25). In Jer 6.8 it is translated “alienated.” And in Ezek 23.17-18 the meaning appears to be “turned away from.” Holladay gives the meaning for the form of the verb here as “be exposed with broken limbs.” In the present context it has been translated in a variety of ways, including “impale” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Fox, and New Revised Standard Version), “hurl … down” (Revised English Bible), “dismember” (New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), “crucify” (Knox), and “be killed” (New International Version), as well as the traditional understanding, “hang” (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Goldman, and others). The idea of being impaled or fastened onto a stake after having been run through by it may be the best translation of a very uncertain term.

Before the LORD: Contemporary English Version takes this to mean “where the LORD is worshiped.” If this is true, it would be a kind of ritual killing associated with the worship of Yahweh carried out in order to satisfy divine justice.

At Gibeon: the traditional Hebrew text has “in Gibeah of Saul,” which Good News Translation takes to mean “at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul” (according to 1 Sam 15.34, Saul lived in Gibeah). The following versions go along with the traditional Hebrew text and the meaning found in Good News Translation: New Century Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also recommends the reading followed by Good News Translation, giving it a {B} rating.

Some, however, think that the reference to the mountain in verse 9 must be a reference to Gibeon, so they alter the Hebrew to read “at Gibeon.” Those versions favoring the reading of Revised Standard Version are New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Moffatt, and An American Translation.

On the mountain of the LORD: the words so translated present yet another textual problem. The traditional Hebrew text has rather “the chosen one of the LORD” (referring to Saul), and this is recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, which gives it an {A} evaluation. It is also reflected in Good News Translation and others that have “in Gibeah of Saul” above. The emendation of Revised Standard Version is similarly followed by the same versions that read at Gibeon in the previous problem. In Hebrew the word “the chosen one” is similar in spelling to the word “the mountain.” The meaning adopted by Good News Translation is recommended to translators, that is, Saul is described as the king whom Yahweh has chosen to be king.

I will give them: literally “I will give.” Though the Hebrew has neither a direct object nor an indirect object at the end of this verse, it may be necessary to add them in some languages, that is, “I will give them to you.”

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:7

But: the common Hebrew conjunction here marks contrast, in that the sparing of Mephibosheth is contrary to what some readers might expect. However, the reason for this exception is clearly given. It was because of the oath that David and Jonathan had taken (see 1 Sam 18.1-4; 20.14-17, 42).

The order of this verse has been altered by Good News Translation. Translators will have to consider the different possibilities and decide which one sounds more natural in their own language. Translators should also be consistent here in the name used for Mephibosheth, using the same form that is used earlier in this writing.

The verb translated spared sometimes means “to be sorry [for],” as it does in 2 Sam 12.4, where Revised Standard Version renders it “he was unwilling.” But another meaning of this verb is “to spare” or “to save back.” This is the meaning here, as also in 1 Sam 15.15, where it is said that the people “spared” the best of the animals.

Because of the oath of the LORD which was between them: the word used here for oath is not the same as found in 1 Sam 18.3, which has the more common term for “covenant” (Revised Standard Version) or “agreement.” But David considered his promise to Jonathan divinely sanctioned. This whole expression may be more naturally translated “because they had made a promise to each other before the LORD” or “because of the promise he had made to Jonathan in the LORD’s name” (New Century Version).

The repetition of the idea found in which was between them and between David and Jonathan … is really unnecessary, and the two may be reduced to a single statement in most languages, since the meaning of the pronoun them is clarified in the second statement.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:8

There is no transition word in Revised Standard Version reflecting the Hebrew conjunction in this case. But in most languages a rather strong transition word will be required here. Several translations have “but” (New International Version, New Century Version, New American Bible, Revised English Bible, Anchor Bible, and Goldman), and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “instead.”

According to 3.7 Rizpah was a concubine of Saul. But this is the only mention of her two sons. Saul had both a son and a grandson named Mephibosheth. In addition to Jonathan’s son, mentioned in the previous verse, there was another person named Mephibosheth, one of Saul’s sons by his concubine Rizpah. In order to avoid confusing the reader, some translators may wish to make this implied information clear by saying something like “another man named Mephibosheth” in this case.

In some languages it will be much more natural to put the names before the description of their lineage, rather than afterward as in Revised Standard Version and the Hebrew original. Naturalness in the receptor language should be the determining factor in deciding what order to follow here.

Merab: the traditional Hebrew text, which has “Michal” at this point, is followed by a number of versions, including King James Version, New King James Version , Bible en français courant, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. “Michal” is almost certainly a mistake, since 6.23 says that Saul’s daughter Michal had no children, although it is recommended by Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives it only a {D} rating. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament suggests that the name “Michal” here is another name for the woman named Merab in 1 Sam 18.19, and that those manuscripts that read Merab here reflect attempts to avoid a contradiction with 6.23 and do not give evidence that Merab was the original reading of the Hebrew. If translators follow the recommendation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, they may wish to state this explanation in a footnote.

Two Hebrew manuscripts as well as several ancient versions have the name “Merab” at this point. And both New American Standard Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, which are normally very close to the traditional Hebrew text, actually translate “Merab” in this case. Other versions adopting the same reading as Revised Standard Version are New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New Century Version as well as Good News Translation.

In an apparent attempt to combine the two readings and solve the problems of the text, Living Bible speaks of “the five adopted sons of Michal that she brought up for Saul’s daughter Merab.” While this follows the traditional explanation of the textual difficulty here, it is definitely not recommended that translators put this in the actual text of the receptor language translation. Such speculation should appear, if at all, only in a footnote.

Barzillai: this person should not be confused with “Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim” mentioned in 17.27 and 19.31-39.

The Meholathite: see 1 Sam 18.19.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:9

It may be wise to translate the pronoun he at the beginning of this verse by the name “David” in some languages, since a number of other persons have been talked about in the previous verse.

Gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites: that is, David turned the seven descendants of Saul over to the Gibeonites. Some other possible models for translating the verb here are “gave,” “delivered,” or “surrendered [them]” (New American Bible).

Hanged: see the comments on this verb at verse 6 above.

The mountain: if the textual problem of verse 6 is resolved in such a way as to do away with the reference to the mountain of the LORD, then the use of the definite article with the word mountain here is a problem. What specific mountain does this refer to? New Century Version takes it as a nonspecific reference and translates “a hill.” It is, however, more likely that the definite article designates a specific mountain located near a place where the people of Israel worshiped the LORD.

Before the LORD: see verse 6 above.

Perished: literally “fell.” Anchor Bible speaks of the seven “lying prostrate together.” But this verb is often used in the Old Testament as an euphemism for “died” (New Century Version), and this is the most likely meaning in this context.

In the first days of the harvest …: this whole phrase may be more literally rendered “in the days of harvest, during the first ones, at the beginning of the harvest of barley.” Barley was one of the first grain crops harvested (see the comments on 14.30); it was brought in during the month of April well before the wheat crop, which was harvested in early May in the Jordan valley. Compare Ruth 1.22. Some commentators see this timing as an attempt to show that the killing of these men was somehow related to the offering of the first fruits, but probably it is only a time reference that all readers were able to understand. The overall meaning of the phrase in question may be easily translated “at the very beginning of the harvest of barley,” or possibly by two separate sentences as in New Century Version, “They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season. (The barley harvest was just beginning.)”

This time reference is also related to the time mentioned in the following verse.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:10

Note that Good News Translation reminds the reader that Rizpah had been the concubine of Saul. This information is given indirectly in verse 8 and earlier in 3.7. It is also provided in verse 11, but it is vitally important to the story, and for this reason it should probably be brought to the attention of the reader at this point by shifting it forward from the following verse. Bible en français courant identifies Rizpah by saying “Rizpah, widow of Saul.”

Sackcloth: this was a coarse kind of cloth made from the hair of goats or camels and was normally used to make sacks for wheat and barley. But people who were experiencing grief (usually over the death of a loved one) often wore this rough cloth like clothing to show their sadness. New Century Version translates “the rough cloth that was worn to show sadness.” In this case Rizpah used this uncomfortable cloth to make a covering for herself as she watched over the bodies of her loved ones. However, the very mention of sackcloth in the context of the death of relatives made people think of mourning. Compare 3.31 and Gen 37.34.

Spread it for herself: this may mean either that she spread it out underneath her so that she used it as something to lie down on top of, or that she spread it above her head to form a kind of covering. Given the strong sun during the period from May to September, it is very likely that a covering over her head was needed (so Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Although the Hebrew says only the rock, Good News Translation and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente add the implicit information “where the corpses were,” and this addition may be helpful in other languages also.

Until rain fell: this provides a time reference for the end of the period of Rizpah’s vigil. Following the harvest there was usually dry weather in Israel until September or October, when the rainy season started anew. This meant to the original readers that Rizpah kept her watch over the bodies of her loved ones for perhaps nearly six months. This information should probably be provided for modern readers either through a footnote or possibly by adding “for about six months” in the translation itself. Some common language translations refer to this as the “autumn rains” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). However, some scholars find it more likely that this refers to an unusual late spring or summer rain that ended the drought and famine mentioned in verse 1 (McCarter and Hertzberg).

The pronoun used twice in the expression upon them refers to the dead bodies of Rizpah’s sons who had been killed. Some translators may prefer the more meaningful model of New Century Version, “on her sons’ bodies,” or at least “the bodies” (Contemporary English Version).

The expressions birds of the air and beasts of the field are literal renderings of common Hebrew expressions that may sound redundant in many languages. It will be much more natural in many cases to say simply “birds” and “wild animals,” as several modern versions do.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:11

Was told: this passive verb may be easily translated “heard” as in Good News Translation, or, changing the structure of the sentence, it may be better to say “When someone told David….”

The form of the Hebrew verb translated had done implies that the events described in this verse took place after Rizpah had completed her time of mourning. This should be made clear in translation.

The repetition of the detail explaining that Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah (see verses 8 and 10) may not need to be stated again in many languages, because to do so may sound unnatural.

The concubine of Saul: if this information is shifted to verse 10 above as suggested, it will probably be unnecessary to repeat it here. Without careful attention to the preceding verses, someone who reads this verse in Revised Standard Version may mistakenly think that Aiah was the concubine of Saul. But as 3.7 clearly states, Rizpah is the concubine.

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 .

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 21:12

It was apparently the example of Rizpah in looking out for the bones of her sons that reminded David that he should do something about the bones of Saul and Jonathan. Because verses 11-14 deal with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, Contemporary English Version makes this a separate section. However, this is probably not a good idea, since the bones of the seven men who had been hanged or impaled are also included (however incidentally) in verse 13.

Since the name David is used in the beginning of this sentence (in the previous verse), it will be more naturally rendered by the pronoun “he” in this verse in some languages. But this will not be the case if a new section is started at this point.

The men: literally “the owners [or, masters]” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and see the comments on this term in 1 Sam 23.11). The translation “the people” (Good News Translation) is too general and does not adequately convey the meaning of the Hebrew noun.

Jabesh-gilead: as in 2.4-5 (see also 1 Sam 11.1, 9; 31.11), it is probably better to translate this place name in such a way as to show that Gilead is a region and not simply a part of the name of the town. Some translators may say “Jabesh in the territory called Gilead.”

The relative clause, which begins who had stolen …, is a kind of parenthetic explanation that is really a flashback describing what was done previously. For this reason translators should pay special attention to the verb forms used in the last part of this verse. It may be necessary in some cases to reverse the order of verses 11 and 12 as Contemporary English Version has done.

Public square: or “broad place” (Goldman). The Hebrew term so translated refers to a level, wide space located near the entrance gate of most large cities in the Old Testament. This area was used to handle public business of various kinds. For the account of what happened to the bodies of Saul and Jonathan, see 1 Sam 31.8-13.

The Hebrew verb here translated hanged is different from the verb translated “hang” in verses 6, 9, and 13. The verb here clearly means “to hang.”

On Gilboa: as noted on 1 Sam 28.4 (which see), the Hebrew text here and there says only Gilboa, not “Mount Gilboa.” The same preposition that Revised Standard Version here renders on is rendered “at” in 1 Sam 28.4. Here, as in 1 Sam 28.4, Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible say “at Gilboa.” That Saul died on Mount Gilboa is, however, clearly stated in 1 Sam 31.8.

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 .