And: the common Hebrew conjunction in this context may be translated as a logical connector. It was as a result of the events described in verse 19 that Hannah became pregnant. For this reason several modern versions use the transition word “So” (New International Version, New Century Version, as well as Good News Translation).
In due time: literally “it was in the turning of the days.” Two interpretations of this expression are most common: (1) it refers to the period of time between God’s answer to Hannah’s prayer (verse 19) and the birth of her son, or (2) it refers to the coming of the time to make the next annual trip to Shiloh (verse 21). If translators choose the second interpretation, which is probably correct, they may find the following versions to be helpful models: “Hannah conceived, and at the turn of the year bore a son” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “So when a year had passed” (Anchor Bible), that is, when a year had passed since the time of the last pilgrimage to Shiloh.
Some common language translations apparently follow the first interpretation, that is, that these Hebrew words refer to the time between Hannah’s prayer and God’s answer. Bible en français courant says simply “Hannah became pregnant,” and Good News Translation says “so it was that she became pregnant.”
Others understand these words to refer to the time between the conception and the birth. Compare Revised English Bible (“she conceived, and in due time bore a son”) and New American Bible (“She conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son”). The Brazilian Portuguese common language translation (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje) and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente are similar to Revised English Bible and New American Bible, but the word order in Hebrew does not favor this understanding.
The transition word translated for by Revised Standard Version is important because it brings out the relationship between the name Samuel and the verb “ask.” Some other possible translations are “because” (Revised English Bible, New International Version, New Century Version) and “since” (New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible).
The explanation of the name Samuel reflects a play on words in which the name has a similarity of sound to the Hebrew verb “to ask.” In fact, though, “Samuel” means “name of God” or “God’s name is El.” It is rather the name “Saul” that comes from the same root as the Hebrew verb “to ask.” Since the writer intended the readers to recognize the play on words here, translators are urged to use a footnote similar to that in Good News Translation. The footnote in the pocket edition of New Jerusalem Bible is also a useful model: “Samuel is derived from shem-ʾel (= the Name of God), but is here related to shaʾal (= ask).”
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 .