Although the subject of the two verbs in this verse is singular, referring to Saul, it should be obvious that as king he represents his whole army. If there is any danger that the readers or hearers will think that Saul acted alone, it will be better to translate “Saul and his soldiers” or something similar. Contemporary English Version deals with the problem by indicating that Saul “led them [the army] to a valley.”

The city of Amalek: there is some doubt that the nomadic Amalekites ever had a central capital city. Some therefore understand the word city in this context to mean “fortified camp.” Others, however, suggest that this city was located nearly eleven kilometers (seven miles) east-southeast of the city of Beer-sheba. Still others think it was located near Kadesh-barnea, in northern Sinai. It is probably best to keep the word “city” here, but it may be confusing to say the city of Amalek as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. A better model may be that of New Revised Standard Version, “the city of the Amalekites.”

Lay in wait: the meaning of the corresponding Hebrew word is uncertain here. The verb seems to come from the root meaning “to dispute” or “to quarrel.” But it is also possible that it is an irregular form of the verb “to lie in wait” or “to lie in ambush.” The latter certainly fits the context better. Probably it indicates that Saul and his men “prepared an ambush,” as indicated by the translations of New International Version, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible. But Revised English Bible takes the verb to mean simply “halted for a time.” The same verb, however, is used in Deut 19.11; Josh 8.2; Judges 9.25, and a number of other passages where the idea of an ambush seems quite clear.

The valley: this term occurs also in 17.40; 30.9, 21; and 2 Sam 15.23; 17.13; 23.30; 24.5. Though sometimes translated valley in this verse (so Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Revised English Bible), this term refers to a small river or stream. It often refers to a dry riverbed, called a “wadi,” that carries water only in the rainy season. New Jerusalem Bible renders this term “the riverbed,” and Fox says “in the wadi.”

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 .