And translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Since verse 2 states what Joab did as a result of seeing how David felt about Absalom (verse 1), Good News Translation connects verse 2 to verse 1 with the English conjunction “so.”

Sent to Tekoa: some will have to say “sent someone to Tekoa” (New International Version) or “sent a messenger….” The name Tekoa is used in the Old Testament for a wilderness (2 Chr 20.20) and for a town (2 Chr 11.4) that was located about ten miles (sixteen kilometers) south of Bethlehem. In this case the reference is almost certainly to the town. In some languages it will be helpful to add the classifier term in an expression like “the town called Tekoa” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Fetched: the verb so translated may be better rendered “brought” (New International Version, New Revised Standard Version). But in some languages the verbs sent and fetched may be translated by a single verbal expression as in Good News Translation. Others may use a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, “sent a servant to get [a certain wise woman…].”

A wise woman: or “a clever woman” (Moffatt). Note that the same expression is used in 20.16 in the story of Sheba’s rebellion. The translation should make it clear that this was not just any wise woman in the town of Tekoa but a specific person who had a reputation for wisdom. Some may prefer to say “a certain woman who was known to be very wise” or something similar.

Note that Good News Translation explicitly supplies the information “When she arrived” before going on to the instructions that Joab gave her. This information may need to be supplied in other languages as well.

Pretend to be a mourner: literally “cause yourself to mourn.” As in 13.5, where Jonadab urges Amnon to pretend to be ill, here the reflexive form of the verb is used as Joab asks the woman of Tekoa to make believe that she is mourning for someone who had died. The same kind of expression as was used in the earlier story can probably be used here.

Since the introductory words of Joab’s speech to the woman, Pretend to be a mourner, are a kind of summary of what follows, they are considered unnecessarily repetitious by some translators. The words behave like later in the verse carry the same meaning as pretend.

The Hebrew text contains a particle that may be translated “I pray thee” (Goldman, King James Version) or “please” (New American Standard Bible) but is not represented in Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation. It will be quite natural to include such an element in some languages, but it will probably come before the verb Pretend rather than after it.

Put on mourning garments: the Hebrew again contains the particle of entreaty after this verb, but neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation attempt to translate it. The Hebrew noun translated garments is a general word used for a wide range of clothing. Here it refers to clothing such as the coarse sackcloth that was worn in times of mourning.

Do not anoint yourself with oil: this is the opposite of what a person would do to make himself or herself attractive to other people. Compare Ruth 3.3, where Ruth is encouraged to do this. Contemporary English Version‘s “don’t use any makeup” seems to be a needlessly modern expression, and Good News Translation‘s “don’t comb your hair” may be too limited. More in keeping with the culture of the Old Testament are “don’t put lotion on yourself” (New Century Version) or “don’t rub yourself with oil” (Anchor Bible).

Behave like: the verb used here is actually a form of the verb “to be.” In some cases this may have to be translated “I want you to be…,” or “you should be…,” or “you should appear as….”

Many days: this expression simply means “a long time” and may be so translated in some languages.

The dead: this, of course, does not refer to the dead in general but to some specific related person. For this reason it may be better to say “a relative who has died” or “the death of a loved one” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .