Verses 2-3 include a quotation within a quotation. David first responds to Ahimelech; and then within his reply, David reports the words that he claims came from King Saul. Good News Translation changes the direct quotation of the king’s words into an indirect quotation introduced by the words “He told me.” This may be a very helpful model in many other languages.
And David said to Ahimelech the priest: for reasons of English style, Good News Translation says simply “David answered.”
The king has charged me with a matter suggests that the king had given David a specific command. Although this was not true, David tells it as if it were the truth. He goes on to quote words that he claims came from Saul but which in fact were from his own imagination. The fact that David was being deceptive may make a difference in some languages in the verb chosen to introduce his words. For example, some may have to say something like “David lied saying ‘The king gave me a job to do.’ ”
I have made an appointment: Revised Standard Version follows a Hebrew manuscript from Qumran, in which two consonants are reversed from the form of the verb found in the Masoretic Text. The Hebrew verb in the Qumran manuscript means “to arrange a meeting or an appointment.” The verb found in the Masoretic Text is an unusual form of the verb “to know,” and the meaning is not certain. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} evaluation to the text followed by Revised Standard Version.
The young men are the companions of David (see 22.6). There is no particular emphasis on the youth of these men. For this reason several versions say simply “my men” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Century Version). New Jerusalem Bible says “the guards.” Others may prefer to translate “my soldiers.”
Such and such a place: these words may be part of what David said to Ahimelech. If so, then David is trying to keep the hiding place a secret from him. These words may then be rendered “I have stationed my men somewhere around here” (Klein). But it is also possible that these words are a “pseudo-quotation” (see the comments on 18.24) or a summary substitute by the author of a longer conversation. Good News Translation, unlike Revised Standard Version, does not suggest that David is deliberately hiding the place from the priest. Other possible translations are “I told my men where to meet me” or “I have arranged a place for the guards to meet me.”
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 .