There was again war: marking yet another episode in the list of battles against the giants.

Son of Jaareoregim: Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that the separate Hebrew word oregim be omitted. The additional syllables reflected in Revised Standard Version are thought to have been introduced into the Hebrew text by a scribe who mistakenly copied the word for “weavers” (ʾoregim) from the end of the verse. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that the consonants of the remaining name in the Masoretic Text not be changed, and that the name be understood as “Jari.” The name “Jair,” found in Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Anchor Bible, Anderson, and most other translations, is based on a slight change in the Hebrew consonants. The recommended reading of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament also corresponds to the wording of the parallel passage in 1 Chr 20.5, although with a different form of the same name. Translators should follow the recommendation of Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament in omitting “ʾoregim” but they should translate the name “Jair” or “Jari” with the same spelling here and in 1 Chr 20.5, even though the Hebrew spelling is not quite the same in the two verses.

According to 1 Chr 20.5, Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath and not Goliath himself; and according to 1 Sam 17 David is presented as the killer of Goliath. Some interpreters explain the obvious contradiction in the traditional Hebrew text by maintaining that it is defective in the present passage because copyists made two or three crucial errors. They contend that the original manuscript of 2 Sam 21 would read as the parallel in 1 Chronicles if it could be found. However, such a text has never been discovered, and translators are obliged to translate the text as it exists today. This means translating something that is contrary to the other passages mentioned. An explanatory footnote is acceptable, but there is insufficient evidence to allow translators to change and harmonize the text at this point.

Like a weaver’s beam: in Old Testament times, when a person was weaving cloth, a set of threads was tied to a large wooden stick while another set of threads was woven between them. This large stick was known as the weaver’s beam. Some languages may say “like the large stick used in weaving cloth.” Compare 1 Sam 17.7, where a different and more probable explanation of the Hebrew term is given (see also 1 Chr 11.23 as well as the parallel in 1 Chr 20.5).

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 .