The logical transition marker, So, is not essential in this context, but if it is natural in the receptor language, it is certainly acceptable. New American Bible has “therefore” in the first part of this verse.

That Samuel took a suckling lamb for the sacrifice indicates that he was observing the law of Moses (see Lev 22.27). The term suckling lamb (literally “a lamb of milk”) refers to a young lamb that is still taking milk from its mother. New American Bible speaks of “an unweaned lamb.” If there exists a well-known technical term for a lamb of this type, it may be used here. Otherwise it will be sufficient to say simply “a young lamb” as in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version, or “a baby lamb” as in New Century Version.

Whole burnt offering: see the comments at 6.14. In this kind of offering the entire animal is burned on the altar (see Lev 1.1-17). The word whole does not mean that the animal was burned without being cut up into smaller pieces. Rather, after being cut up, the entire animal was burned.

Cried to the LORD: this is the same verb as used in the request of the people of Israel in verse 8 and should probably be translated in the same way in the receptor language.

The order of the Hebrew text involves sacrifice followed by prayer. Contemporary English Version reverses this order, indicating that Samuel prayed first and then offered the sacrifice. But it is doubtful that this should be followed by other translators.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The wording of the Hebrew text indicates simultaneous action. So the translation should also indicate that the Philistines were moving into position to attack the people of Israel at the same time that Samuel was in the process of offering the sacrificial lamb.

Thundered with a mighty voice: probably a violent thunderstorm (see also 2.10; 2 Sam 22.14). But this may be difficult to translate naturally in certain languages. Some possible models are “the LORD roared like thunder” and “the LORD shouted from heaven and his voice sounded like thunder.”

Threw them into confusion: the same meaning may be conveyed by making the Philistines the subject of the sentence instead of keeping Yahweh as the subject. God caused the Philistines to be confused, so it is possible to say “they were confused” or “they were so frightened they became confused” (New Century Version). In Psa 55.2, where the Psalmist says “I am distraught,” the same Hebrew verb is used.

They were routed before Israel: see the same verb in 2 Sam 22.15. Verse 11 states that the Israelites pursued the fleeing Philistine soldiers, but here in verse 10 the Israelites have no part in the defeat of the Philistines. It is God alone who defeats the Philistine army in the presence of (before) the soldiers of Israel. The fighting was done by God, and all that remained for Israel was to pursue the fleeing Philistines (verse 11). It seems wise, therefore, not to follow those translations such as New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Living Translation, and Bible en français courant, which state at the end of this verse that Israel defeated the Philistines or “they were routed by Israel.” In languages that must use an active form of the verb, it will be necessary to say that “God routed the Philistines before Israel” or “God caused the Philistines to flee.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The men of Israel in this context probably refers to the Israelite soldiers. Bible en français courant has “the army of Israel.” But some versions say simply “the Israelites” (New American Bible).

The archaic verb smote is rendered literally in modern English as “struck … down” (New Revised Standard Version), but the meaning is “killed.”

Beth-car: this is the only mention in the Old Testament of this village in the territory of Benjamin. Its exact location is unknown, but it seems to have been located somewhere between Mizpah and the territory ruled by the Philistines. This village was therefore probably located at a lower altitude than Mizpah. That the Israelite army pursued the Philistines as far as below Beth-car will therefore mean that they went as far as Beth-car and then continued downward some distance past the village. New American Bible says “down beyond Beth-car.” The difficulty is that we do not know where this city is located. If it was located at a higher altitude than Mizpah, then the Hebrew means “almost as far as Bethcar” (so Good News Translation and New Century Version). New Revised Standard Version probably presents the correct understanding: “and struck them down as far as beyond Beth-car,” implying that they reached Beth-car and continued on farther. Knox provides what may be a helpful model for some languages, “all the way to the slopes of Beth-car.” But others may say simply “until they arrived at a place near Beth-car.” Nueva Biblia Española translates the name “Casalcordero,” that is, “Lamb’s-House.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Took a stone and set it up: the verb translated set … up is literally “placed” (New American Bible). The wording of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation makes it sound as if this may have been some sort of elongated stone rather than a rounded one. If this is the case a different word may be required in some languages. But there is nothing in the noun or the verb that indicates that this is necessarily the case. The stone involved would certainly have been a relatively large one, so translators should avoid a meaning like “pebble” here.

Jeshanah: as the footnote in Revised Standard Version indicates, the Masoretic Text reads “Shen” rather than Jeshanah. If “Shen” is the correct reading, this is the only mention of a town by this name in the Old Testament.

The Hebrew word shen means “tooth” and may also refer to a “tooth” of rock (see 14.4-5). Klein renders this “between Mizpah and the crag.” Nueva Biblia Española translates this place name as “Muela,” that is, “Molar [tooth]”; New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible similarly translate the name as “The Tooth.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente transliterates the Hebrew name and then places the words “The Tooth” in parentheses in the text following the Hebrew name. As in the case of Mizpa earlier (verse 5), Fox transliterates the Hebrew name Shen and gives the meaning immediately following: “put it between Mizpa and Shen/The Rock-Tooth.” According to this interpretation the name refers to a geographical feature of that area that would have been known to the original readers.

However, rather than following the Hebrew, many translations follow the Septuagint in reading Jeshanah (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, La Bible Pléiade; see 2 Chr 13.19, where this name occurs in the Masoretic Text). In support of the Septuagint reading is the fact that the city Jeshanah was located near Mizpah. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not discuss this textual problem, which suggests that the committee supports the reading of the Masoretic Text.

Ebenezer: the Hebrew name means “stone of help.” This meaning should somehow be made clear to readers and hearers of this passage. This may be done as in Good News Translation, Moffatt, Knox, and Bible en français courant, by translating the meaning directly in the text or, as in Revised Standard Version and several other modern versions, by explaining the meaning in a footnote. Another way of handling this problem is to put both the form and the meaning in the text. For example, translators may say “named it Ebenezer, which means Stone of Help” or “called it Stone of Help (that is, Ebenezer).” Fox again transliterates the Hebrew name, followed by the translation: “and he called its name Even ha-Ezer/The Stone of Help.” Since this place name is used in 4.1 and 5.1 without reference to its meaning, this last solution may be the best.

The precise meaning of the words translated hitherto is not clear. (1) The writer may have intended a temporal reference, that is, “up to this point in time” (so Revised Standard Version, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible in an alternate translation to that in the text itself). See also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, “up to now.” Or (2) he may have intended a reference to the place, that is, “up to this location [or, place]” (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and Fox, which has “Near here”). Numerous translations simply do not translate these words. Other translations reflect the ambiguity of the Hebrew (so Good News Translation). In light of the fact that the people will demand a king in chapter 8 and will reject God as their king (see 8.6-7, and especially 8.18), it seems likely that the writer intends a temporal reference. Translators should choose one interpretation for the translation, and the alternative translation may be placed in a footnote, as in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible.

Some interpreters believe the Hebrew text is incorrect here, and change the words “unto here” to read “a witness this that.” Revised English Bible is based on this proposed change of the Hebrew text: “This is a witness … that the LORD has helped us.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not discuss the text here, which suggests that the committee supports the Masoretic Text.

Good News Translation reverses the order of the place name and the explanatory statement so that the explanation comes first. In this way the name becomes more significant. Such restructuring may be appropriate in other languages as well. If the order of the Hebrew text is maintained, then the connecting word for becomes even more important. Readers must understand that the reason for the name was the fact that Yahweh had helped the people of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Subdued: this Hebrew verb may also be rendered “humbled” in some contexts; it is, in fact, the translation here in An American Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and Fox. The sense here is clearly that the Israelites inflicted a military defeat on the Philistines. The passive form of the Hebrew will need to be made active in some languages. The agent of the verb may be stated as “the Israelites” (compare Josh 3.30; 8.28; 11.33, where the same passive form is used).

The words did not again enter the territory of Israel mark a turning point in the history of Israel. Until this time the Philistines had constantly troubled the people of Israel and invaded their land. Some may wish to translate “stopped raiding the land of Israel forever” or “never again attacked the people of Israel in their land.” New American Bible says “never again to enter the territory of Israel.” The translation in Good News Translation, stating that the Philistines never entered Israel’s territory as long as Samuel lived, is an attempt to harmonize this statement with later events, when the Philistines did indeed enter Israel’s territory again. Perhaps Good News Translation has understood the two parts of this verse to be parallel in thought. But the most natural reading of this verse is to understand it as an exaggerated claim that the Philistines never again invaded Israelite territory.

The hand of the LORD was against: the preposition means “on,” or “against.” This is a common Old Testament expression to speak of God’s punishment (for example, Exo 9.3; Deut 2.15; 2 Sam 24.17). On the metaphorical use of hand, see 4.8. Here it is possible to translate “the LORD was severe with them” (New American Bible).

All the days of Samuel: the Hebrew contains no verb. Many translations will use a verbal construction as Good News Translation does, or an idiomatic expression as New International Version does, “Throughout Samuel’s lifetime.” In some cases it will be more natural to shift the phrase to the beginning of the final sentence in this verse, saying something like “As long as Samuel lived, the LORD used his power against them.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

In order to avoid the use of the passive were restored, it may be necessary in some languages to supply the implied agent, Yahweh. The translation of the first part of this verse will then be “The LORD restored to Israel all the cities that the Philistines had taken from them.”

Ekron and Gath: on the geographic location of these cities, see the comments on 5.8. It is not at all clear how the words from Ekron to Gath are to be understood in this context. Perhaps they mean that the Israelites recaptured these two cities, which had been given to the tribes of Judah and Dan in the time of Joshua. More likely the sense is that Ekron and Gath are the north and south points of a line. The Israelites recovered territory going as far west as that line, extending as far north as Ekron and as far south as Gath. This may be translated “The Israelites captured all the cities that the Philistines had taken from them, right up to the Philistine border extending from Ekron to Gath.”

The verbs were restored and rescued may seem to refer to the same event; that is, by restoring these cities to Israel, Israel rescued the territory that had belonged to Israel. The pronoun suffix their on the Hebrew noun territory is feminine plural, referring to the Philistine cities that have been captured. Their territory means “the territory around the cities.” The pronoun their does not refer to Israel, as in Good News Translation, but to the cities. The restoration of land apparently took place in two stages: first the cities, and then the territories around those cities. So the second clause may be rendered “and the people of Israel also rescued the land around the cities from Philistine control.” Other translations that make this meaning clear include “The cities the Philistines had taken from Israel returned to her, from Ekron to Gath. Israel delivered the territory [belonging to these cities] from the hand of the Philistines” (Klein) and “Israel also freed the territory of these cities from the dominion of the Philistines” (New American Bible).

On the metaphorical use of hand of, see the comment on 4.8.

Since the Philistines and the Amorites were different groups, it is important that the word also be properly emphasized.

The Amorites were one of the groups of people who lived in Palestine and in the regions east of the Jordan River before the conquest by the Israelites. Often the term is used as a synonym for Canaanites. In this verse Good News Translation uses “Canaanites,” which is the more widely known name in English. If translators retain the name Amorites, they may wish to explain this name in a Word List (as, for example, in Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Regarding the translation of the verb judged, see verse 6. A literal translation, “he judged,” may suggest in some languages that Samuel gave a negative evaluation of the people or that he was merely settling disputes. In such cases the sense of the Hebrew will be better translated as Samuel “ruled” (Good News Translation), or Samuel “was the leader” (Bible en français courant). Moffatt says that Samuel “managed the affairs of Israel.”

All the days of his life: see the similar “all the days of Samuel” in verse 13. This, of course, does not mean that Samuel was the ruler of Israel from the time of his birth, but rather for the remainder of his life. In some cases it may be wise to spell this out by translating “Samuel was ruler over Israel for the rest of his life.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

He went on a circuit year by year: literally “And he went year by year and he went in a circle [or, circuit].” The sense is that Samuel went from one town to another, taking them in the order in which he came to them, starting in Ramah and ending in Ramah (see verse 17).

Year by year: that is, each year. The Hebrew is not clear on how many times he made the circuit each year. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch states that he made the circuit “once each year,” and New American Bible says “He made a yearly journey.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, on the other hand, says “Each year he made the rounds,” suggesting that he visited each city more than once each year. In some languages this element may be shifted forward to the very beginning of the verse, as in Good News Translation.

Bethel: located about nineteen kilometers (twelve miles) north of Jerusalem on the territorial boundary between Benjamin and Ephraim (Josh 18.21-22), this city was an important religious center (see 10.3; Bethel is mentioned also in Gen 28.19; 35.1-7; 1 Kgs 12.26-33).

Gilgal: located near the Jordan River close to Jericho, the city of Gilgal was the site of major events in the history of the Israelite people (see 11.15; 13.5-15; Josh 4.19-24; 9.6; 10.6; Amos 4.4; 5.5).

Judged: as in verses 6 and 15.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .