A god: translators must make two decisions before rendering this noun here. (1) Is the reference to the one God of the Israelites (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible), or is the reference to one or more of the pagan gods? (2) If the reference is to pagan gods, is the noun singular (Revised English Bible, New International Version) or plural (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) in meaning?

In the Hebrew Old Testament this noun, sometimes called “an honorific plural,” occurs about two thousand five hundred times. Even when it is used to refer to the God of Israel, it is plural in form; but it usually takes adjectives and verbs in the singular.

To begin with the first question: is the reference to God or to a pagan god or gods? It is often assumed that the reference is to a pagan god or gods for these two reasons: (a) the noun, adjectives, and verb in verse 8 are all plural; and (b) the pagan Philistines, who worshiped numerous gods, would not be speaking about a single God as the Israelites did.

But in response to (a), it can be said that a few times in the Old Testament the noun “God” does sometimes take plural adjectives and verbs, even when referring to the God of Israel. In response to (b), it may be said that, at various points in 1 Samuel, non-Israelites speak as Israelites, reflecting the viewpoint of the Jewish author (see, for example, “guilt offering” in 6.3). In chapter 6 as a whole, the Philistines speak of “the God of Israel.” The evidence needed to answer the first question is too ambiguous. Either choice seems equally possible.

As for the second question: is this noun singular or plural in meaning here? The Hebrew word has a plural ending and is sometimes used of pagan gods, but it is also the word commonly used for the one true God of Israel. Many translations say “a god” (Revised English Bible, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), but others such as New Revised Standard Version and New American Bible say “Gods have come into the camp.” As already noted, the same noun occurs with a plural verb and plural adjectives in verse 8, which may support the understanding that the reference is to “gods.” Either “a god” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “gods” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) fits the context equally well.

At the same time, as the above paragraphs have stated, the reference may well be to the God of Israel. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “God has come to the camp” (see also the New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translation of verse 8 cited below). Most traditional translations also reflect this understanding (so King James Version, Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Reina-Valera revisada, Almeida). Whichever decision translators make, the rendering here in verse 7 should be consistent with that in verse 8.

Before: literally “yesterday and the day before yesterday.” The same idiom occurs in Exo 5.8 and Ruth 2.11. But the meaning is simply “previously” or “at any time up to the present.” Knox translates “till now.”

Woe to us! Such a lament is often used in the Old Testament to express a sense of anguish or extreme sadness in the face of impending or actual misfortune. It is used in times of mourning for others who have died and as a kind of self-pity when threatened by adversaries. In some languages such a lament is expressed by repeating a sound related to mourning, by crying, or by some other expression of grief. In other cases people may say something like “We are doomed!” “We’re in trouble” (New Century Version), “We are lost!” (Revised English Bible) or “Disaster!” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Nothing like this has happened before: literally “it was not like this yesterday and the day-before” (Fox). This idiom “yesterday and the day-before” means “in the past” or “recently.” The Philistines are clearly concerned about their own plight, so the words “to us” (Good News Translation) are implied. Another way of expressing this idea may be to say “We have never been in such a predicament before.”

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 .