The pronoun references in this verse are not completely clear in Revised Standard Version, but translators should ensure that their readers will understand that it was Uriah who ate in the presence of the king, that it was King David who got Uriah drunk, and that Uriah was the person who went out to lie on his couch. Languages have very different ways of indicating which person is being spoken of in a story, but whatever language features are available should be used to ensure that the readers know who is referred to by the various pronouns in this verse.

Invited him: Good News Translation supplies what the Hebrew and Revised Standard Version only imply, namely that Uriah was invited to the evening meal. This information may be required in some other languages.

He made him drunk: David was hoping that if Uriah became drunk he would return to his wife and have sex with her. This would conceal the guilt of David. Some languages may use a causative verb form to convey this idea. But others may have to say something like “gave him much wine to drink so that he became intoxicated.”

His couch: while this translates the same Hebrew term as in verse 2, it is a very general word that really means “something on which to lie down.” The fact that Uriah was a mere soldier while David was the king may justify a different translation of this word in the two contexts. However, many languages may have the same kind of general word that will easily apply to both cases.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .