Cast his spear at him: that is, “at Jonathan.” The name will have to replace the pronoun him in many cases.

Saul’s attempt to kill Jonathan with his spear recalls his earlier attempts to kill David (see 18.11 and 19.10). The Septuagint says that Saul “raised” his spear, not that he cast his spear. With a change of the vowels only in the Hebrew verb, the verb changes in meaning from cast, or “throw,” to “raise.” The Septuagint is the basis for several modern translations such as Revised English Bible (“Saul picked up his spear”) and New American Bible (“Saul brandished his spear to strike him”). This problem is not treated in Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, so the standard Hebrew text should be followed at this point.

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 .

Rose from the table: while the traditional Hebrew text has the common verb meaning “to get up,” evidence from Qumran and the Septuagint suggests a much stronger verb, one that would fit the context quite well. It has been translated “sprang up” (New American Bible, Anchor Bible) and “jumped up” (Klein). Contextual translation may require something like this, even if the textual evidence favors rose.

Food: literally “bread” (see verse 24).

The second day of the month: that is, the second day of the celebration of the appearance of the new moon. Good News Translation makes this implied information more explicit by referring directly to “the New Moon Festival.” See the comments on verse 5.

He was grieved for David: the wording of Revised Standard Version is awkward. While the Hebrew is passive in form, the meaning is that Jonathan was “upset about David” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Disgraced him: the pronoun more than likely refers to David, although it could possibly point to Jonathan himself. New International Version is probably correct in translating “at his father’s shameful treatment of David.”

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 .

1Sam 20.35-42

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 .

Find: in place of this verb, a manuscript from Qumran has a technical term that means “to gather [an arrow].” The translation “fetch the arrow” (New American Bible) is based on this Qumran manuscript. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} evaluation to the Masoretic Text and recommends that it be followed. The Hebrew has the particle of entreaty with the verb find. Fox says “Run, pray find the arrows.” Most translations, however, do not attempt to translate this particle here.

In cases where indirect discourse is preferred, the first part of this verse may be translated “He told the boy to go and find the arrows he was about to shoot.”

Beyond him: that is, “over his head” (Revised English Bible). This would permit Jonathan to give the proper signal to David to allow him to get away from Saul.

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 place of the arrow: that is, “the place where the arrow was lying.” It will be redundant in some languages to say which Jonathan had shot. When mention is made of the arrow, this will be understood as implied.

Jonathan’s question to the boy is introduced with a Hebrew particle that has an exclamatory nuance. The question may be translated by a statement, “But the arrow is in front of you!”

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 .

Jonathan articulates three imperatives in succession. In Hebrew, the word Hurry is an adverb but functions as an imperative. These words are directed at the young boy who has gone after the arrows, but in fact they are meant to encourage David to leave as quickly as possible. If it is impossible to find three separate ways of saying the same thing in the receptor language, this may be reduced to two. But the cumulative effect of the three is important and if possible should be retained.

The arrows: the Hebrew text says “the arrow.” The scribal correction in the margin of the Masoretic Text reads “the arrows” (see verse 36). Since the record here indicates that only one arrow has been shot (verse 37), Good News Translation and New American Bible say “the arrow.” The introduction of the plural may perhaps be explained by the fact that verse 20 speaks of Jonathan’s planning to shoot three arrows.

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 is taken as parenthetical by New International Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, since it is apparently considered somewhat incidental to the primary narrative. But most versions consider it a part of the main story.

Knew nothing: that is, nothing about the purpose of Jonathan’s shot and the words that he shouted. What is implied is that he did not understand the signals that had been passed from Jonathan to David, although he had heard everything that was said. To clarify the meaning, some languages will require that the word the matter be transposed to the first part of the verse to say “knew nothing about the matter.”

Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente may provide a helpful model: “He was in the dark about everything. Only Jonathan and David understood the meaning of these words.” Compare also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, “The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.”

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 .

His weapons presumably refers to “his bow and his arrows” (La Bible du Semeur) that Jonathan had been using in order to convey the warning to David.

To the city: from the countryside (verse 35) back to the city. The city is not named, but it may have been Saul’s hometown of Gibeah (10.26).

If the receptor language favors indirect discourse, the Good News Translation model may prove helpful to 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 .

Some scholars consider verses 41 and 42 as a later addition to the text because of the intricate plan of communication that Jonathan and David had set up in order to avoid a face-to-face meeting. But translators have no alternative but to translate the text as it stands today.

This verse is difficult to translate because of several textual problems.

From beside the stone heap: the Masoretic Text says “from beside the south [the negeb].” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates this “David emerged from his concealment at the Negeb,” which makes little or no sense. If the Hebrew text is followed, perhaps Fox expresses the intended meaning: “David arose from the Negev direction,” that is, from the south side of the stone where he was hiding. Septuagint says “from the argab” (see the comments on verse 19). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {D} evaluation to the text of the Septuagint on this variant. This may be translated “from beside the stone heap,” as Revised Standard Version has done, or “from beside the mound” (Contemporary English Version, New American Bible, and Revised English Bible, “from behind the mound”).

Fell on his face … bowed: a common sign of respect (for example, 24.8; 25.23, 41; 28.14; 2 Sam 24.20).

Kissed: see the comments on 10.1.

And wept with one another, until David recovered himself: the verb rendered recovered himself in Revised Standard Version means “to be [or, become] great” in its base form. The form in which it occurs in this verse means either (1) “to make something great” or (2) “to make oneself great.” The translation in the text of Revised Standard Version follows the second meaning, that David made himself great by taking courage and recovering from his expressions of grief. Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, and New Revised Standard Version (“David wept the more”) are based on the first sense, that is, that David made his grief great, exceeding the grief of Jonathan. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (“David wept the longer”) and New International Version (“David wept the most”) are quite similar. This interpretation seems a bit more probable than the other.

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 .