And: in some languages the beginning of a new paragraph here may adequately translate the common conjunction. This begins a new statement about the heroes in David’s army, so it will be important to let the reader know that this is not a continuation of the previous episode. Contemporary English Version sets this story apart by beginning the new paragraph “One year [at harvest time] ….”

Three: the Masoretic Text reads “thirty,” but the margin of the Hebrew text, as well as the Septuagint, indicates that “three” should be read here. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the reading in the margin. These three men are not named, and it is not clear whether they are the same three men named in verses 8, 9, and 11.

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament suggests that the words of the thirty chief men is not the original reading of the Hebrew. The original reading was “of the elite [or, special] troops,” as in verse 8. See the comments on this difficulty, page 1159. But a scribe changed the rare word shalishim to the more common word “thirty” (sheloshim). So the overall meaning is either “three of the heroes” or “thirty of the heroes.” And the word “heroes” refers to those soldiers who served directly under the king’s orders and carried out special assignments from the king. However, as noted at the beginning of this section, this interpretation is not common in English translations, most of which translate “three of the Thirty [chiefs]” as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

About harvest time: while some interpreters see in this a link with the previous story, which included an agricultural theme, the reason for including this detail is probably to add to the idea of thirst. This was a time of year when there was little water in the cisterns and none in the streams that dried up at harvest time. It was also very hot during this period.

The cave of Adullam: as indicated in the Good News Translation translation of 1 Sam 22.1, this was a “cave near the town of Adullam” rather than a cave belonging to a person called Adullam.

Band: while this English translation will probably make readers think of a relatively small group of fighting men, the corresponding Hebrew term is not necessarily so limited. New Jerusalem Bible has “a company,” New American Bible and Anchor Bible use the word “clan,” and Contemporary English Version says simply “the [Philistine] army.”

The valley of Rephaim: on the term Rephaim see the comments at 5.18, 22; 21.16-22. And note that Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje and Knox have “the valley of the Giants.”

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: this adverb of time is used twice in this verse, but both seem to refer to the same time and so may be translated by a single term in many languages. It was while David was at his stronghold that the Philistine forces were occupying Bethlehem.

The word stronghold is sometimes translated “fortress” and is generally thought to refer to a high place that is well protected. However, in this case (as in 1 Sam 22.1-5) the word seems to be used as another way of speaking of the cave of Adullam. Since this was a protected place, the identification of the cave as the stronghold is not unreasonable. This means that the Good News Translation rendering is probably off the mark. New Century Version perhaps translates more correctly, “in a protected place.”

The word translated garrison is used in 1 Sam 13.23 and frequently in 1 Sam 14. The English word usually refers to a more or less permanent military installation. Another way of saying that the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem is to say “the Philistine soldiers had taken up positions in the town of Bethlehem” or “… had taken control of Bethlehem” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

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 .

David said longingly: literally “David longed and he said.” The verb “longed” actually means “crave,” “covet,” or “desire greatly,” but it has no object in this context. In other contexts the translation of this verb includes the idea of “heart’s desire” (1 Sam 23.20) and of “wanton craving” (Psa 106.14). It is clear that David had a deep desire for something, but the problem is to determine what he wanted so badly. New International Version has “longed for water and said…,” but it seems unlikely that he was merely thirsty. Rather, he was homesick; he “felt a yearning” (Anchor Bible); “felt a craving” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh); “had a strong craving” (New American Bible). The two verbs may possibly be translated as in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, “expressed this desire….”

O that some one would give me water: literally “who will give [or, supply] me water…?” The English words “will give me water” translate a single verb with a suffix in Hebrew. In some languages it will be more natural to translate the question as in Hebrew than to try to reflect the resigned sigh of Revised Standard Version. In other cases it may be better to begin the sentence “I really wish someone would give me water….”

Instead of the verb give, it may be more appropriate in many languages to use something like “bring,” since there was no such water nearby at the time the statement was made.

The well of Bethlehem which is by the gate: the order of the elements here may need to be altered for the sake of naturalness and clarity. Some languages may say “the well of Bethlehem, the one that is by the gate” or “the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” Also, the margin of the Hebrew text in some manuscripts reads “cistern” (so New American Bible), a word that is similar in Hebrew to the word for “well.” But it is best to translate well. And in any case some languages may not even distinguish between the two terms. In English a well is a hole dug in the ground where water is found naturally. A cistern, on the other hand, is a place where water is stored, but the water has to be brought from another source elsewhere or is collected there when it rains.

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: this represents the common Hebrew conjunction and not the temporal adverb used twice in the previous verse. It is merely a transition marker, but in this context some may find it natural to translate it “So” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New American Bible, and others), since what happens next is a result of the situation described in the two previous verses. New Jerusalem Bible makes the connection by beginning the verse with “At this….”

The three mighty men: this refers to the three men mentioned in verse 13.

Broke through the camp: both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation make it sound like a fierce battle took place in broad daylight. But it is more likely that it was a secret operation at night. Although this was a great risk to the three men who did it, there was probably no overt fighting. For this reason New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses the verb “got through,” and Anchor Bible translates “infiltrated the Philistine camp.” Contemporary English Version uses more common language, “sneaked into … the camp.” And Revised English Bible has a somewhat more neutral rendering, “made their way through the Philistine lines….”

It will be unwise in some languages to imitate Revised Standard Version in the use of the two verbs took and brought when a single verb will serve the same purpose.

Poured it out to the LORD: the vocabulary used here is that of a “drink-offering” (as in Gen 35.14 and Lev 23.13). Although David wanted very much to drink the water, he offered it to the LORD as a sacrifice. New Jerusalem Bible says “poured it out as a libation to Yahweh.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente specifies that he poured it out “on the ground.”

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 .

Far be it from me: on this emphatic way of denying an action, see 20.20. Compare also Gen 44.17; 1 Sam 2.30; 12.23; Job 27.5. Several versions use exclamation marks in an attempt to show how strong this is. Some possible alternative ways of wording this denial are “There is no way that I will do this” or “I cannot possibly drink this.” Revised English Bible includes the reference to God by saying “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing.” In some languages this may be a good solution to the problem of the position of the vocative, O LORD. But others may simply shift it forward to the beginning of the sentence, as Good News Translation has done.

Do this: it will be appropriate in many languages to spell out more clearly the fact that this refers to drinking the water that the three men had brought to David. Instead of do this translators may say “drink this water.”

When David asks the question Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? he is really making another extremely strong statement of something that he could not do. But even if the question is changed into an affirmative statement, there is still the matter of figurative language that may be very misleading to some readers. David is not talking about literally drinking blood, but about drinking water that men had risked their lives to bring to him. Some translators may prefer to make the question into a comparison and say something like “It would be like drinking the blood of the men….”

Therefore: this translates the common Hebrew conjunction, but such a rendering may be considered appropriate in this context.

The last sentence of this verse is actually a kind of summary statement about the three famous soldiers, and for this reason it is a separate paragraph in most versions. Translators are advised to do likewise.

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 .

Now: the common Hebrew conjunction here marks the beginning of a new story, which is indicated in Good News Translation and most other versions by a new paragraph.

Zeruiah was the mother of Joab and Abishai (see the comments on 1 Sam 26.6). It is possible to misunderstand the text to mean that only Abishai was the son of Zeruiah. But since Joab and Abishai did not have different mothers, Good News Translation says “their mother….”

Chief of the thirty: though modern translations say either “three” or “thirty” here, it is most likely that neither is correct. The Hebrew word rendered thirty in Revised Standard Version is probably a technical term referring to a special group of soldiers. See the comments on this phrase, page 1159. Textual evidence is divided with regard to the Hebrew word translated thirty in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Instead of of the thirty, some interpreters follow the Septuagint and the correction in the margin of the Masoretic Text, which read “of the three.” Compare “of the Three” (New International Version, New Century Version, and Goldman), “of another three” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “of the cavalrymen” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The Syriac version is the source of the reading of Revised Standard Version and the majority of modern versions, of the thirty. But the traditional Hebrew text has rosh ha-sheloshi. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that the vowels be corrected to read rosh ha-shalishi as in verse 8. This is the recommendation of this Handbook also. The verse states that Abishai belonged to the special group of warriors who served directly under the king’s command, just as Josheb-basshebeth did.

And he wielded his spear … and slew them: literally “and he [was] the one brandishing [or, waving proudly around in the air] his spear against three hundred pierced [or, killed].” The sense is that Abishai himself killed these three hundred enemy soldiers and then proudly waved his spear around in the air. Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible all say that he “brandished” his spear over the slain soldiers, and this captures the sense in English better than either Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation.

And won a name: literally “and to him [there was] a name….” Other languages may have very different ways of expressing the idea of becoming famous. Some may say something like “many people knew his name” or “other people praised him greatly.”

Beside the three: once again there is confusion as to whether the original text said “three” or “thirty.” Some evidence suggests “among the thirty” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible as well as Good News Translation), but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends the reading “three.” There is also a question as to the meaning of the Hebrew preposition translated beside in Revised Standard Version. New International Version, New Century Version, and Contemporary English Version take the whole expression to mean “He was as famous as the Three.” The more natural reading of the Hebrew is “among the Three” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), in the sense of “in the eyes of the Three.”

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 textual confusion between the thirty and “the three” continues in this verse. But most versions translate “thirty” as the first number in this verse. This is the recommendation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives a {D} rating to this reading, and it certainly seems to make more sense if the number “thirty” is read in verse 18, although that is not the reading recommended in this Handbook. It is odd that Abishai is said to be the leader of a group that he is apparently not even a member of (see, for example, verses 17-18 in New Century Version, which says “… He was captain of the Three … He became their commander. But he was not a member of them”).

The most renowned of the thirty: in some languages this may be reworded as “more people knew his name than any of the rest of the Thirty.” And in some cases it will be necessary to turn this sentence around to say “among the Thirty, people praised him the most.”

Became their commander: it is unknown whether he was elected by the group of Thirty or named to this position by King David. But the important point here is that “he was the commander” (Contemporary English Version).

He did not attain to the three: that is, he did not reach the level of the three most famous warriors. The verb translated attain is a very general one, but the context shows that what is intended is that he did not achieve membership in the most elite group, although by making this statement it is implied that he was very close to this rank. Some other ways that this has been translated are “he was not equal to the Three” (New Jerusalem Bible), “he was not a member of [the Three]” (New Century Version), “he could not rival the first three” (Knox), and “he was not promoted to a place in the Trio” (Moffatt).

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 beginning of a new paragraph should be adequate to show that a new subject is now under consideration. It is therefore probably unnecessary to provide an overt representation of the Hebrew conjunction as Revised Standard Version does with And.

Translators should consider what will be the most natural order of the following elements used in describing Benaiah: (1) his parentage (the son of Jehoiada); (2) his city of origin (Kabzeel); and (3) his bravery, which is described in two different ways (a valiant man and a doer of great deeds) before giving the details of the particular incident that is described here.

A valiant man: the words in the Masoretic Text read “son of a living man.” But nearly all interpreters agree that a final consonant has been omitted and that the word “living” should be “valiant,” as the marginal note in the Masoretic Text reads. Rather than follow the reading “son of a valiant man,” some translations correct the text to read “a valiant man.” But Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the marginal reading of the Masoretic Text.

The son of Jehoiada was a valiant man: literally “the son of Jehoiada the son of a valiant man.” Some interpreters understand the words “son of a valiant man” as meaning that Benaiah’s father was valiant (so Segond, Reina-Valera revisada, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Segond, for example, says “Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was the son of a valiant man.” But others understand these words to mean that the father of Jehoiada was valiant (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente “Benaiah, son of Jehoiada and grandson of a valiant soldier”). Though either of these two interpretations is possible, it is probably best to understand the words “son of [a valiant man]” as an idiom meaning “having the quality or character of.” So the meaning is not that the father or grandfather of Benaiah was a brave man, but rather that Benaiah himself was a brave man (so Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation).

Kabzeel: according to Josh 15.21, this was a city in the southern part of the region belonging to the tribe of Judah. It will be important in many languages to supply the classifier term “city” to distinguish it from a region or country.

Ariels: the exact meaning of this word is unknown, as the Revised Standard Version footnote states. It may mean “lion of God,” in which case it probably should be translated as “a champion” or “warrior” (Good News Translation). King James Version translates this phrase as “two lionlike men.” Revised Standard Version, on the other hand, simply transliterates the Hebrew noun. The ancient Greek version, however, has “the sons of Ariel from Moab,” taking the term in question as a name. This is followed by New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Anchor Bible. Others, such as New American Bible, have slightly changed the Hebrew text to read “lions,” that is, “slew the two lions in Moab” (New American Bible). Moffatt also adopts this idea. But the most likely meaning is “two of the best fighters from the land of Moab.” This interpretation is followed by New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Knox, and Anderson as well as Good News Translation.

A lion: in languages where lions are unknown, a more generic expression such as “a very ferocious animal” may be used without changing the meaning of the text or falsifying the historical facts. It would, however, be unwise to translate lion by using another specific animal, since this would change the culture of the Bible. The Hebrew word translated pit is the same as that translated “well” in verse 16.

Snow: some have suggested that this reference to snow may have been given to indicate the way that the lion was tracked down by the hunter, but it is perhaps more likely that it is used to show that the severe cold drove the lion to the village in search of food. Snow is referred to some twenty times in the Old Testament, most often in the book of Job. It is very frequently used figuratively (for example, Exo 4.6; Psa 51.7). There are also two references to snow in the New Testament (Matt 28.3; Rev 1.14), both of which are figurative. But in this verse it is a question of literal snow. Translators are therefore ill advised to substitute rain or hail. In languages where snow is unknown, there are several possible solutions. Some will simply borrow the term from a world language like French, English, or Spanish, and spell it according to the rules of the receptor language. And in some cases where the word for “rain” is considered as a generic term for anything falling from the sky, it may be used as a kind of classifier term to go with the borrowed word for snow. The translation therefore says “the rain called snow.” Some translators have tried using a descriptive expression like “small cold flakes that fall from the sky like rain,” although in many languages this may become very awkward-sounding. Finally, some feel it adequate in this context to translate “in time of great cold,” although this is a less satisfactory way to resolve the problem. Whatever solution is adopted, it may be a good idea to add an explanatory footnote or include the term used in the glossary.

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 .