The ark of the covenant of the LORD: the Septuagint reads “the ark of the Lord” and is followed by New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Osty-Trinquet. See also comments on verses 3-4. As in the previous verse, receptor language considerations may determine the precise form to be used in this case.

All Israel refers to all the Israelites present in the camp on that day. In some languages it may be better to say “all the Israelites there.”

Gave a mighty shout is literally “shouted a great shout.” The noun and the verb have the same root. But in many languages the most natural rendering will be “shouted loudly” (as in New American Bible) or “raised a mighty shout” (Moffatt). In some cases translators will need to show that this was a shout of joy, not one of fear. It was definitely the case that they “gave a great shout of joy” (New Century Version). This is behind the use of the verb “cheered” in Contemporary English Version.

The earth resounded: the precise meaning of the Hebrew verb is uncertain. Most understand it to mean “to be thrown into confusion” or “to be in an uproar.” But it is also important to realize that the word translated earth does not in this case refer to the whole world but rather to the ground in the area where these events took place. It is for this reason that Contemporary English Version, like New International Version, translates “the ground shook.”

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 .