And translates the Hebrew verb often translated “And it came to pass” (see page 19).

Had success: this renders a participle in Hebrew. In the context of an army going off to do battle, the words had success mean that he and his troops won those battles. Contemporary English Version says “always won their battles.”

Undertakings renders a common Hebrew noun that has a wide range of meanings, including “way,” “path,” “journey,” “business,” “situation” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and “custom.” In this context the word refers to David’s military expeditions (see the comments on verse 5).

For the LORD was with him: see the comments on 16.18.

If restructuring seems advisable in the receptor language, the following model may be helpful:

• The LORD was with David. Therefore he and his army always won when they had to fight.

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 use of the pronoun he in this verse may be confusing in some languages if the form of the Hebrew is followed. The first he refers to David, and the second he refers to Saul.

In a manner similar to the previous verse, the words had great success may be translated “won all his battles” or “triumphed in war.”

Stood in awe: the range of meanings of this verb in Hebrew includes both “fear” and awe. (A different Hebrew verb is translated “was afraid” in verse 12 above.) In this context either meaning makes good sense. Some translations choose the meaning “awe” (Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version), but most agree with the interpretation found in Good News Translation. Revised English Bible, for example, says “he was more afraid of him than ever.”

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 .

But: the common conjunction here marks the contrast between Saul’s attitude of fear and the approval of everyone else in Israel.

Israel and Judah: the division of the united kingdom into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had not yet taken place. The same terminology occurs in 17.52, and it reflects the writer’s own historical situation, for by then the kingdom had been divided. But the text must be translated as it stands.

Went out and came in before them: on the meaning and translation of these words, see verse 13. Good News Translation correctly expresses the sense that David was their military leader. But perhaps Good News Translation changes the sense a little by bringing in from verse 15 David’s “success” and giving that as the reason the people loved him. Perhaps it is better to say simply “because he took the [battle]field at their head” (Revised English Bible) or “since he was their leader on [military] campaign” (New Jerusalem Bible and Bible en français courant).

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 first question, Who am I, is the first of a series of rhetorical questions, all of which have the meaning of emphatic statements such as “I am a very unimportant person, and my family also….”

Who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family: Good News Translation combines my kinsfolk and my father’s family into one, “my family.” Who are my kinsfolk in the Masoretic Text is literally “what is my life?” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and La Bible Pléiade). Hebrew Old Testament Text Project stated that the Masoretic Text is surely corrupt; but since no alternative reading exists in the ancient versions, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gave it an {A} rating. For purposes of translation, however, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommended that translators accept the conjecture that changes the vowels of the Hebrew to read “who are my kin?” instead of “what is my life?” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament goes beyond Hebrew Old Testament Text Project in recognizing that, with a change of vowels, the Hebrew word chyy may mean “my clan,” and that a scribe later added the words “my fathers’s family” to clarify the meaning when this Hebrew word chyy was no longer widely understood.

The words my father’s family are in apposition to my kinsfolk. The term family in Hebrew refers to the extended family, a group of families descended from the same ancestor, and may therefore be translated as “my father’s clan” (New American Bible, Fox, and Chouraqui). See the comments on 2.28 and 10.20-21.

Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente changes David’s rhetorical questions into a statement, “I am not worthy to become the son-in-law of the king, because my family is not important in Israel.” However, a more emphatic wording may be a better translation of the Hebrew.

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 .

But at the time: literally “And it came to pass at the time” (see page 19). Verse 19 refers to a time later than the events of verses 17-18, though how much later is not stated.

As verse 17 states, Merab was Saul’s eldest daughter. No reason is given to explain why she was given to another man instead of to David. The end of verse 17 suggests that Saul never intended to keep his promise to David. In certain languages it will sound unnecessarily repetitious to say again so soon that Merab is Saul’s daughter. This information is given in verse 17.

The two passive forms of the verb “give” (should have been given and was given) will have to be made active, with Saul as the agent, in some languages: “Saul gave Merab … to Adriel … instead of David.” Also the verb “give” will often be better translated “cause to marry” or something similar.

Adriel the Meholathite, son of Barzillai, was from the city-state of Abel-Meholah, which is mentioned in Judges 7.22. 2 Sam 21.7-9 states that Adriel’s five sons are killed by the Gibeonites because Saul had been guilty of murder.

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 .

Now translates the common Hebrew conjunction waw. But since it seems to mark contrast, it may be better to translate it “But” (Revised English Bible), “yet” (Fox), or “however” (Good News Translation).

Michal has been briefly mentioned in 14.49, where it is said that she is Saul’s younger daughter. In some languages it will be considered more precise and clearer to say “Saul’s other daughter” (New Century Version), since up to this point the writer has focused on Merab.

Loved: the form of the verb here should probably be rendered “had fallen in love with” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Fox, and see the comments on verse 28 below) or “fell in love with” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible).

The antecedent of the pronoun they is not stated. Good News Translation avoids the difficulty by rewording and stating “when Saul heard this.” Others may prefer to translate using a rather vague subject, “someone told Saul.”

The thing pleased him: literally “the word [or, thing] was right [or pleasing] in his eyes.” The same expression is found in the negative in 1 Kgs 9.12. It will, however, be more natural in many cases to make Saul the subject instead of the thing: “Saul was happy about this matter.”

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 .

Saul thought: see the comments on verse 11. If it is more natural to make the thoughts of Saul into indirect discourse, translators may wish to say something like the following: “Saul decided to give Michal to David so that he could use her to trick him and somehow get the Philistines to kill him.”

The hand of the Philistines: for the metaphorical use of hand as “power,” see 4.8.

A snare: the root meaning of the word so translated is “bait” used to lure a bird into a trap. The word is found frequently in the Old Testament (Exo 10.7; Deut 7.16; Josh 23.13; Judges 2.3). Revised English Bible may provide a good model for the whole clause: “the bait that lures him to his death at the hand of the Philistines.”

The last sentence in this verse is lacking in one important manuscript of the Septuagint. Some think that these words were added later to the Hebrew text. For this reason New American Bible places this sentence within square brackets, and Anchor Bible and Klein omit it.

A second time translates a Hebrew word meaning “by two.” Though Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other translations understand this to mean a second time (see verse 17 for the first time), other interpretations are possible. Chouraqui says “on two conditions.” Different yet is New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, “You can become my son-in-law even now through the second one,” that is, by marrying Michal, the second daughter.

There is no record of Saul saying these exact words earlier in the story. And even here the direct quotation may not be the most natural way to express the meaning. The idea is most probably that “Saul promised David a second time that he would be asked to marry one of his daughters.”

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 contains a quotation within a quotation. Good News Translation turns the first quotation into indirect discourse. If the model of Good News Translation is followed, it may be better to say “He ordered his officials to speak privately with David and tell him, ‘The king is pleased with you, and we also like you’ ” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). And in some cases the entire verse may be made into indirect discourse by continuing “… tell him that both they and the king were very happy with him. They then proposed that he marry the king’s daughter.”

His servants: see the comments on 8.14. Translators may wonder whether the servants who are speaking are the same as the servants mentioned in the quotation. If they are and if the direct quotation form is used, then it will be necessary to say something like “all of us officials.”

On the translation of Behold, see page 18 and following.

Become the king’s son-in-law: this will be more naturally rendered in many languages as “marry the king’s daughter” or “marry into the king’s family” (Revised English 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 .