So: the common conjunction is properly translated to show the logical relationship between previous events and what follows. New American Bible translates “Accordingly.”

Showed themselves means simply “let themselves be seen” (New Jerusalem Bible) or, avoiding the passive, “allowed the Philistines to see them.” Some languages may even have to say “came out of hiding.”

Look renders the Hebrew interjection often translated “behold.” In this case it is a device used by some Philistines to draw the attention of others to the fact that Jonathan and his armorbearer were approaching.

Hebrews: see the comments on 4.6 and 13.3.

Coming out of the holes where they have hid themselves: the word translated holes here is the same word used of holes where animals live. Perhaps this explains why Moffatt translates “look at the mice creeping out of their hiding-holes.” But this is probably a case of overdramatizing the text 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 .

Since the Philistines call for Jonathan and his armorbearer to go up to them, Jonathan knows that God will cause him to be victorious.

Garrison: the Hebrew noun here is different from the Hebrew noun rendered garrison in verses 1, 4, 6, 11, and 15; but both words are based on the same root. This noun may also be rendered “outpost” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

The verb translated hailed is literally “answered,” but the context requires something like “shouted to” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “called across to” (Revised English Bible).

The words of the Philistines we will show you a thing may be understood as a mere statement. Compare New Revised Standard Version and Revised English Bible, which say “we will show you something.” More likely, however, these words should be understood as a defiant challenge to Jonathan and his armorbearer. Compare “We’ll teach you a lesson!” (New Century Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and similarly New American Bible).

The LORD has given …: see the comments on this clause in verse 10.

Regarding the expression into the hand of, meaning “into the power of,” see the comments on 4.8. Good News Translation correctly expresses the meaning as “victory over 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 .

Climbed up on his hands and feet: this expression is probably intended to show the steepness of the ascent, although some readers may possibly take it to indicate that Jonathan and his armorbearer disappeared from view and crawled stealthily toward the Philistines in order to surprise them. Translators should ensure that readers do not adopt this mistaken notion.

They fell: that is, the Philistine soldiers. The text seems to mean that Jonathan first knocked the Philistines unconscious and then his armorbearer “finished them off behind him” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). But others take the verb fell before to be a euphemism for dying in battle. If this is the case, the meaning would then be that “some fell to Jonathan himself, and some to the squire [armorbearer] as he came up behind him” (Knox). And it is true that in some contexts “fall before” someone means to be killed (Lev 26.7, 8).

After him: the pronoun him may refer to the armorbearer rather than to Jonathan, as in Revised Standard Version. The sense will then be that the armorbearer killed those who attacked him from behind. Contemporary English Version goes along with the general idea of Knox: “Jonathan killed the Philistines who attacked from the front, and the soldier killed those who attacked from behind.”

The interpretation most widely accepted is that found in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, and it is the one recommended in this Handbook. Compare New American Bible: “he [Jonathan] cut them down, and his armor-bearer followed him and finished them off.”

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 first slaughter: this implies that there will be more events of this type to come later in the narrative, but we have no further specific evidence to this effect, unless verse 22 below is intended to imply a second slaughter. In some languages this information will be more naturally placed at the end of this verse rather than at the beginning and may require a separate sentence.

Half a furrow’s length in an acre of land: a literal translation is “as in half a furrow a yoke of field,” but the meaning of the Hebrew is not clear. New Jerusalem Bible does not even attempt to translate this phrase, placing instead three dots at the end of the verse. Anchor Bible considers the original text to have been “In this first engagement Jonathan and his weapon-bearer struck down about twenty men” and does not even translate this last part of the Hebrew verse.

It is possible that the Masoretic Text contains an error, and that the text originally compared the killing to the action of a farmer plowing a furrow across a half-acre field. Compare Revised English Bible, which follows the ancient Syriac in reading “like men cutting” instead of as it were half: “In that first attack Jonathan and his armour-bearer killed about twenty of them, like men cutting a furrow across a half-acre field.”

The entire verse in the Masoretic Text should be translated as it stands, however. Good News Translation understands this phrase to indicate the size of the area in which the fighting occurred. See also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “within a space about half a furrow long [in] an acre of land.” Fox also follows the Masoretic Text but includes within parentheses information that seems to be implicit: “(over) about half a furrow (that) a brace [= yoke] (of oxen might plow) in a field.” In some languages translators may have a difficult time finding an equivalent for an “acre.” Contemporary English Version says “before they had gone a hundred feet,” although some commentators estimate the distance to be more like fifteen or twenty meters (Klein, Driver). Bible en français courant has a more general expression, “in a very restricted space.”

A possible model for restructuring this verse may read as follows:

• That day Jonathan and the young man killed twenty men or more in an area of about half an acre. That was the first of several such feats that they performed.

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 .

Good News Translation omits any mention of the panic in the camp at the beginning of the verse because the last sentence repeats and reinforces this idea. The word here translated panic is elsewhere rendered “fear” (Pro 29.25) and “trembling” (Isa 21.4; Dan 10.7).

Raiders: see the comments on 13.17.

Trembled: see the comments on 13.7.

The earth quaked: an indication that God himself was responsible for the victory (see 7.10).

A very great panic: literally “a panic of God.” The word “of God” in Hebrew may be understood in two ways: (1) a panic or terror sent by God (so New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, andParola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), or (2) a great panic (so New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bible en français courant). Sometimes the noun phrase “of God” functions as an intensifier when used with another noun, and it may be translated “great” or “very great.” Either interpretation fits the context. Some translations place one rendering in the text and the alternative rendering in a footnote (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible); and this may be a useful approach in other languages also.

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 .

As previously, the people refers to the “soldiers” or “the force” (New Jerusalem Bible) that was with Saul. In view of the command given to these people, it is not unreasonable to call them “his officers” (Contemporary English Version).

Number: in Hebrew this verb is followed by a particle of entreaty, similar to “Please” in English, which most versions do not translate here, possibly because a royal command requires no entreaty form in most languages. The imperative verb has no object, but the context makes it clear that it is the troops that are to be counted in order to determine who was missing. While the command is in the form of a direct quotation, it is equally legitimate to translate as indirect speech: “Saul told his officers to count the soldiers to find out who had left the ranks.”

Behold: attention is here focused on the fact that it was Jonathan and his helper who were missing.

Armor-bearer: as in verse 7.

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 .

According to the Hebrew, Saul asks Ahijah (see verse 3) to Bring … the ark of God. Since Ahijah is mentioned for the first time since verse 3, Good News Translation restates here that he is “the priest.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text, claiming that the Hebrew text (which speaks of the ark of God) is more difficult than the Septuagint (which has instead “the ephod”), and that the Septuagint has changed the text to agree with the larger context, including verse 3, where Ahijah is said to be carrying (or, “wearing”) the ephod. Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and New International Version are based on the Masoretic Text.

The Septuagint, however, says that Saul asked him to bring the ephod, which, according to verse 3, he was carrying. Since the ephod apparently held the Urim and Thummim, Saul wanted to discover God’s will concerning the battle. The Septuagint is followed by many translations in addition to Good News Translation (An American Translation, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible). But the Masoretic Text, as represented in Revised Standard Version, should be translated.

For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel: as the footnote in Good News Translation indicates, a literal translation of the Hebrew makes little sense. For this reason many translations, including Good News Translation, follow the Septuagint here.

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text here and claims that this use of the conjunction “and [the people of Israel]” is one of the rare cases in which this Hebrew conjunction means “with.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament therefore recommends the following translation of this verse: “And Saul said to Ahijah, ‘Bring the ark of God.’ For at that time [or, on that day] the ark of God went with the sons of Israel.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Thereupon Saul said to Ahijah, ‘Bring the Ark of God here’; for the Ark of God was at the time among the Israelites.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible also follows the Masoretic Text.

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 .

This verse, which begins in Hebrew with the transition marker “And it happened,” describes two simultaneous actions. At the same time that Saul was speaking to Ahijah, the confusion among the members of the Philistine army was increasing. The translation should make it clear that these two things were going on at the same time.

The word translated tumult may be rendered “noise.” In 4.14 the same word is translated “outcry.” But in this context it seems to refer to the utter confusion and chaos in the Philistine camp. New Jerusalem Bible uses the word “turmoil.”

Increased more and more: literally “was going on, going on and becoming great.” The idea seems to be that the confusion among the Philistines just kept on getting greater.

Withdraw your hand: seeing that the battle with the Philistines was about to begin, Saul told the priest Ahijah not to continue what he had begun. The ephod was used as an instrument of divination; and if the Septuagint reading is accepted in verse 18, then Saul and the priest were using the ephod to determine God’s will. If the Masoretic Text is followed in verse 18, then it is less clear what role the ark was to play. Quite possibly the ark also was somehow used to determine God’s will through divination or oracles.

In either case translators should not follow the example of New Century Version here in saying “There’s not time to pray now!” Saul was most likely not seeking to know God’s will through prayer but rather through some form of divination. In any case some languages will be able to use a very general expression appropriate to telling someone to drop what he is doing, since it is no longer useful. Some may say “Forget about that” or “never mind!” (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 .