There are textual problems both at the beginning and at the end of this verse. Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation follow the Septuagint in both parts of the verse. In the first part of the verse, however, the Masoretic Text makes sense, and there is no need to follow the Greek. The main difficulty lies in the translation of the Hebrew adverb rendered “quickly” in the footnote in Revised Standard Version. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament supports this rendering of the Hebrew adverb.

This adverb may be translated “very much.” New Revised Standard Version says “you shall go a long way down; go to the place where you hid,” but the sense of the English rendering “go a long way down” is not clear. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “You will go down a lot.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates more naturally “go down all the way to the place where you hid.”

Anchor Bible proposes that the Hebrew should be written with different vowels to read “But on the third day you will be long gone,” that is, by the third day of the festival Saul will no longer be looking for David, and it will be safe for David to return in secret. See also the Anchor Bible translation of verses 20-21 below.

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests that the verb “go down” means “you shall go southward.” Compare Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, which says “go toward the south.” It is difficult to choose among the various possible translations, but La Bible Pléiade (“you will go down quickly”) or New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (“go down all the way”) seem to make the best sense of the Hebrew.

On the third day: compare verses 5 and 12.

You will be greatly missed: if the Revised Standard Version reading of the text is accepted, this passive will have to be handled in a way similar to “you will be missed” in the previous verse. That is, in those languages where passive forms are not naturally used, translators may say something like “they [or, people] will miss you very much.”

The place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand: the reference is to 19.1-3.

When the matter was in hand: literally “the day of the business [or, matter].” The literal rendering of the New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh footnote is “on the day of the incident.” Some other possible translations of the meaning here are much simpler and more natural sounding: “earlier” (New Revised Standard Version); “before” (Contemporary English Version); “the other time” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

Yonder stone heap is based on the Septuagint, which reads “by that argab.” Argab in Hebrew means “heap stone.” The Septuagint is followed by many translations, including New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible. The actual word in the Hebrew is ha-ezel, and some have suggested that the word is probably a scribal error, reversing the letters z and l for the Hebrew demonstrative pronoun hallaz, which means “this,” that is, “this stone.”

Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {C} rating to the Masoretic Text. If translators follow the Hebrew text, there are two possible ways to render the word ezel. (1) It may be a proper noun, designating that particular stone, the Ezel stone (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). (2) The word ezel may be based on a verb meaning “to leave,” “to depart.” La Bible Pléiade understands ezel to refer to a stone that marked the route one should follow and renders this “the guide [or, route] stone.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament renders it “the departure stone.” Contemporary English Version translates this idea with the more colloquial “Going-Away Rock.” See also comments on verse 41.

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 .