He will take: see the comments on verse 11.

The Hebrew text states explicitly that the king will take both menservants and maidservants. Good News Translation has combined the two words into one (“servants”), but such a reduction may lose some of the force of the Hebrew. Translators may therefore prefer to say “your servants, both men and women” or something similar.

On the idea of the best, see verse 14.

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, along with most modern translations, have followed the Septuagint in reading cattle instead of “young men” of the Hebrew text. Translators, however, are urged to translate the meaning “young men,” following the Masoretic Text (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), to which Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating.

And put them to his work: in place of these words the Septuagint reads “and will take the tenth of them for his works.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, which is followed by nearly all modern translations. The whole expression means simply “take for his own use” (New International Version) or “make them work for him” (New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation). This meaning will be best translated by a causative verb form in certain languages.

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 will take the tenth: see the comments on this expression in verse 15.

The word flocks may refer in some contexts to sheep alone, but in some cases it is a general term for both sheep and goats, as in Lev 1.10. Bible en français courant reflects this broader understanding of the term, translating “flocks of sheep and goats.” It is very likely that goats were included in the meaning in this passage.

Israelites were forbidden by their laws to take other Israelites as slaves (so Lev 25.39-46). But Samuel now summarizes the meaning of all he has said up to this point: the people of Israel will become slaves to their new king. The term used here is the same as that translated servant in 3.9 and 10, but the context indicates that slaves may not be too strong a translation here. In Hebrew the verb form you shall be indicates that the subject is second person plural. The presence of the second person plural pronoun adds emphasis, which Good News Translation correctly expresses as “you yourselves” (so also Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

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 that day: no particular twenty-four-hour day is intended. Good News Translation captures the sense with the words “When that time comes.” This refers to the time when the people of Israel will suffer because of their king. See also New American Bible, “When this takes place.”

Cry out: in this context the verb depicts a loud verbal protest because of some anguish or suffering. The word used of mourning the death of a person may be appropriate in some languages. The same verb is used of the complaining of the people of Israel lamenting their condition as slaves under the Egyptians (Exo 2.23), and of the people of Ekron who suffered because of the presence of the Covenant Box earlier in this book (1 Sam 5.10).

Because of your king: the Hebrew preposition may express either cause (“because of”) or location (“in front of”). Most translations understand the sense to be “because of” here. But compare Nueva Biblia Española (“you will cry out against your king”), which takes the preposition more in the sense of location, as if the people are standing before the king protesting against him. Revised English Bible and New American Bible also say “against,” and this may be a good model in many other languages.

Whom you have chosen for yourselves implies that it is their own fault. Contemporary English Version says “the king you wanted.”

The LORD will not answer you: that is, “the LORD will remain silent” or “will take no action.”

The repetition of the words in that day may be considered awkward and unnecessarily repetitious in some languages. If this is the case, the second occurrence may be left implicit.

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 common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse introduces the response of the people of Israel following Samuel’s detailed explanation of what it would be like to have a king. Since they may have been expected to react differently, the conjunction But is used by Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New Revised Standard Version. Several other versions have “However” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

Refused to listen: the people had, of course, already listened to the discourse from verse 11 through 18. But the point here is that they would not heed the clear warning of Samuel. In such a context some languages will say “refused the words of Samuel” or “rejected the advice of Samuel.”

To the voice of Samuel is a literal translation of the Hebrew. The expression means that they refused to take seriously what he said and refused to accept his negative advice.

The negative response, represented by the word No! in Revised Standard Version, is at the same time both a denial of what Samuel had said about the behavior of kings and a refusal to take seriously Samuel’s advice. New American Bible translates the negation “Not so!” The clear implication is that they did not believe that what Samuel was saying would really happen. The rendering of La Bible du Semeur (“It makes no difference”) gives a different impression and is not recommended.

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 .

That: Revised Standard Version rightly shows that this verse reveals the purpose that the Israelites had in mind in asking for a king. In certain languages it may be better to make a separate sentence, beginning with the idea “We want….”

We also: the expression is emphatic, but the emphasis seems to be lost in Good News Translation. In those languages that have emphatic pronouns, it will be appropriate to use one here.

All the nations: see the comments on verse 5.

Govern: see the comments on verse 5.

Go out before us: in the context these words must be connected to the following verb fight. A word appropriate for warfare may be used such as “march out before us” (Anchor Bible) or “lead us out to war” (Good News Translation). A literal translation of the last words of this verse may incorrectly suggest that the king would fight but the people would not. Contemporary English Version rewords and avoids this possible misunderstanding: “We want to be like other nations. We want a king to rule us and lead us in battle.”

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 .

All the words of the people: this may have included considerable discussion, but the end result was that they had determined that they still wanted a king. Revised English Bible says “what the people had decided.”

Repeated: in some cases this idea is expressed as “spoke over again.”

In the ears of the LORD: such a literal translation may be inadvisable in many languages. The same expression is elsewhere translated by Revised Standard Version as “in the hearing of the LORD” (Num 11.1, 18). This wording seems to emphasize the fact that the information is repeated with a certain precision: “told the LORD exactly what they had said” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .

Revised Standard Version reflects the structure of the Hebrew, in which both the words of the LORD and the words of Samuel are in direct address.

Hearken to their voice: see verses 6 and 9. But here New Jerusalem Bible perhaps provides the best model: “Do as they ask.”

The words make them a king are literally “king them a king” in Hebrew, using a verb for “kinging” someone. The sense is not that Samuel is to “train” or “educate” someone to be king. Rather he is to “set a king over them” (New Revised Standard Version), “give them a king” (New International Version), or “appoint a king to rule them” (New American Bible).

Then: the common conjunction is taken here as a temporal connector. After having heard what the LORD said to him, Samuel then sent the people of Israel home.

One or both of the direct quotations in this verse may be made indirect if it seems more natural to do so in the receptor language. A possible model without any direct quotation is:

• And the LORD told Samuel to accept what the people were saying and to establish a king for them. Then Samuel told the people of Israel to go back home.

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 five names listed in this verse are linked in Hebrew with the word “son of.” The exact number of persons referred to is not clear, however. The Hebrew text contains the words “son of” (Hebrew, ben) five times, not just four times as in Revised Standard Version. According to Revised Standard Version there are five persons, but the Hebrew refers to six persons. The Hebrew text does not say son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite but “son of Aphiah, son of a man a Yiminite.” Aphiah is the fifth person in the list, and the Yiminite man is the sixth person.

Many interpreters assume that the word “Yiminite” is a shortened form of “Benjaminite” (so Revised Standard Version). If that is the case, the Hebrew still refers to an ancestor of Aphiah, that is, Aphiah is the son of a Benjaminite. Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Almeida, and Reina-Valera revisada say “son of Aphiah, son of a man of Benjamin.” Good News Translation avoids the problem by omitting the clan name for Aphiah, and this solution may be a good model for other languages.

In some languages it will be more natural to connect all of these names in their relationship to Kish by using terms such as “son,” “grandson,” “great-grandson,” rather than linking each person to the previous person by the words “son of.”

A man of Benjamin: it may be helpful to indicate that Benjamin is not a place name but is rather the name of a “tribe” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).

Son of Becorath: the relationship of Kish to Becorath may be expressed in various ways. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “his [Kish’s] great-grandfather was Becorath.” Another model may be “great-grandson of Becorath.” Good News Translation provides still another model, taking Becorath as representative of a larger family unit.

Becorath, son of Aphiah: the name Becorath is feminine in form, but here it is clearly a man’s name. The Septuagint has a masculine form of this name, and translations are unanimous in calling Becorath the son of Aphiah.

A literal translation, following the Hebrew structure of this verse as in Revised Standard Version, could incorrectly suggest that Aphiah was a man of wealth. By restructuring this verse Good News Translation correctly indicates that these words at the end of the verse refer to Kish (see also New International Version: “There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish”).

A Benjaminite is literally “son of a Yiminite man” (see the comments above).

A man of wealth is literally “strong of power [or, wealth].” The noun translated as of wealth has various meanings depending on the context: “power,” “ability,” “wealth,” “property.” Some understand the sense here to be “a brave man” or “a stalwart man” (New American Bible). Others take it to mean “a wealthy man” (Revised Standard Version). Still others agree with Good News Translation in taking the general sense to be that Kish was “a man of standing” (New International Version) or “a person of rank” (New Jerusalem Bible).

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 .