This is the first time that Saul speaks, since he is said to have been sleeping in verse 7. While the text does not say so directly, it is quite clear that Saul had awakened from his sleep at some point. In some languages it may be necessary to make this implicit information explicit, since this is certainly not a case of his talking in his sleep.

This verse contains the verb said two times. The first introduces a question and the second the response. So they may be better translated “asked” and “answered” in some languages. But in view of the distance between the speakers, it may be more natural to continue using verbs like “call out” and “shout back.”

My son David: see the comments on 24.11.

The vocative, O king, will be better rendered in some languages by a different term of respect.

In languages where indirect discourse is favored, the following model may be helpful for this verse:

• Saul thought it was David’s voice he had heard. So he asked if it was really David. And David answered politely that it had indeed been his voice.

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 .