The six hundred men who were with him: see 27.2.

The brook Besor is mentioned in the Old Testament only here and in verses 10 and 21. It was one of the two major brooks (or wadis) in the western Negeb (see verse 1). This wide brook (100-150 meters, or more than a hundred yards), like many in Palestine, carried no water during the dry season. In the rainy season it drained water from the desert westward into the Mediterranean Sea. On the word brook see the comments in 15.5, where Revised Standard Version translates “the valley.” The width of this wadi leads some translators to speak of a “gorge” (Contemporary English Version) or a “ravine” (New International Version, New Century Version).

Where those stayed who were left behind: verse 10 states that two hundred men from the group of six hundred stayed here at the brook Besor because they were too tired to continue traveling. These words, considered by some to be a later addition to the Hebrew text, are omitted by some modern translations (so Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Anchor Bible, and Osty-Trinquet). The repetition of information in verses 9 and 10 may lead some translators to combine the two verses in translation. See, for example, the model for this kind of restructuring given at the end of verse 10.

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 two hundred who stayed behind should not be understood to mean that four hundred men started out and then two hundred of these men became exhausted and ceased to travel with David. The two hundred are those men who, with the four hundred others, made up the group of six hundred (verse 9). Good News Translation and New Century Version make this clear by adding the word “other,” that is, “the other two hundred men.”

The brook Besor: see the comments on verse 9.

Contemporary English Version restructures verses 9 and 10 together as follows:

• David led his six hundred men to Besor Gorge, but two hundred of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other four hundred men crossed the gorge.

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 .

Those who found an Egyptian were the four hundred men who continued traveling with David, not the two hundred who stayed behind. This should be made clear in translation, since the pronoun They at the beginning of this verse may be misunderstood.

An Egyptian: the Hebrew text does not state here that this Egyptian was a young man. That information is not given until verse 13. Good News Translation, however, has moved this information forward to verse 11.

Bread is often used to refer to food in general. This is very likely the intended meaning here (so Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and others).

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 .

Depending on the structure of the translation in verses 11 and 12, it may be more natural to say “they also gave him” these additional items, which would have been useful and perhaps essential for travel in a dry region.

Cake of figs and … clusters of raisins: see the comments on 25.18.

His spirit revived: literally “his breath returned in him.” New Century Version says “He felt better after eating.”

He had not eaten bread: the word bread is used here, as in the previous verse, in reference to food in general (see also 28.20).

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 .

David said to him: in many languages it will be more natural to say that David “asked him.” David asks two questions. The first, To whom do you belong? means “Whose slave are you?” (Revised English Bible) or “Who is your master?” (Contemporary English Version). The second question is more geographical in nature. The young man answers the second question first and then responds to the first.

A young man of Egypt: if the information regarding the youth of this Egyptian is shifted forward to verse 11 as in Good News Translation, it may be unnecessary or even unnatural to repeat it here. One may say simply “I’m from Egypt” (Contemporary English Version).

The Hebrew word rendered servant in Revised Standard Version covers a wide range of meanings, including “employee,” “guest,” “one who is subject to a king,” “servant,” and “slave.” The translation “slave” seems preferable in this context.

Amalekite: see the comment on 14.48. The Amalekites are the people who had destroyed Ziklag (verses 1-2).

The transition word and, which introduces the slave’s explanation of why David’s men had found him alone in the area, may be considered out of place if translated literally into other languages. Certain versions (Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version) use the conjunction “but”—perhaps because it would be considered cruel and unusual that a sick slave would be left in the desert to die.

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 Revised Standard Version the Amalekites had raided three territories: (1) the Negeb of the Cherethites, (2) [the Negeb] which belongs to Judah, and (3) the Negeb of Caleb. Compare New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, “We had raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, and [the Negeb] of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb.” See also New Jerusalem Bible, “We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, and the Negeb of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb too.” According to Good News Translation, however, only two territories are named. The following comments will indicate that Revised Standard Version should be followed here.

The Negeb of the Cherethites: regarding the Negeb see verse 1 above. The Cherethites lived in the Negeb to the south and southeast of the Philistine city of Gaza, along the southwest coast of Palestine. It is not known whether they were a subgroup of the Philistine people or whether they were a separate ethnic group. Most scholars think that the Cherethites came from the Mediterranean island of Crete. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, in fact, calls them “Cretans.” The Cherethites are often mentioned along with the “Pelethites” as a mercenary group among David’s soldiers (see 2 Sam 8.18; 15.18; 20.7, 23).

The Negeb of the Cherethites is translated “the southern area of the Kerethites” (New Century Version) and “in the south of the country of the Cherethites” (La Bible du Semeur). But the meaning is not “the southern part only of the territory where the Cherethites live.” Rather the sense is “that part of southern Judah [the Negeb] where the Cherethites live.”

And upon that which belongs to Judah: Good News Translation takes these words in apposition to the Negeb of the Cherethites. But this phrase more likely is an elliptical expression referring to “that [Negeb] which belongs to Judah.” This is a second area, in addition to the Negeb of the Cherethites, that New Jerusalem Bible calls “the Negeb of Judah.”

The Negeb of Caleb: Caleb had been one of the twelve spies whom Moses sent to spy out the land of Canaan (Num 13.6). He was later given the city of Hebron in southern Judah (Josh 14.6-15; 15.13). The Negeb of Caleb apparently refers to the region around the city of Hebron.

We burned Ziklag with fire: regarding Ziklag, see verse 1. Many versions omit the words with fire, since burning, by definition, is normally by fire.

One possible rendering of this verse is:

• We had raided the Cherethites, who live south of the Philistines, and we raided the southern part of Judah, including the territory of the clan of Caleb; and we burned down the city of Ziklag.

The words “who live south of the Philistines” seem justified in light of the words “from the land of the Philistines” in verse 16.

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 .

Will you take me down…? is literally “Will you cause me to go down…?” Some other possible renderings are “Will you guide me…?” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “Can you show me where to find…?”

This band: that is, the group referred to in verse 8. New Century Version says “Will you lead me to the people who took our families?” Contemporary English Version says even more directly “Will you take me to those Amalekites?”

And he said: the subject pronoun refers to the young Egyptian. In languages where most people will hear the text read, it may be best to say “And the young man said” or “The Egyptian replied” (La Bible du Semeur).

The response of the Egyptian is positive but conditional. In some languages it may be more natural to shift the last part of the response to the beginning by saying “I am willing to lead you to them if…” or “Yes, I will take you to the raiders. But first you must….” In other cases it may be quite natural to specify the conditions first, as Revised Standard Version does.

Into the hands of: see the comments on 4.8.

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 .

And when he had taken him down: New Century Version says “So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites.”

Behold: the focusing particle here focuses on the discovery of the enemy camp. See general comments in “Translating the Books of Samuel,” page 18 and following.

They were spread … eating and drinking: the pronoun they refers to the Amalekite raiders.

The word translated dancing may be understood in the more general sense of celebration, since the basic meaning of the verb seems to be “to celebrate a festival.” A number of modern versions translate this broader meaning: “celebrating” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version); “making merry” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh); “in a festive mood” (New American Bible). In this context it may be more appropriate to translate eating and drinking as “having a banquet” (Nueva Biblia Española), since this is not simply the everyday practice of eating and drinking but rather of doing so in the context of a celebration.

Because of all the great spoil …: the writer provides the reason for the Amalekites’ celebration. The raiders were very happy because their success in battle had resulted in large amounts of plunder taken from their enemies.

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 .