Be of good courage: similar to the exhortation in 1 Sam 4.9, these are words of mutual encouragement for the two leaders. The root meaning of the verb used here has to do with being strong. Although formally a simple imperative, this is not just a matter of Joab’s telling Abishai to be strong, but a wish for both of them. For this reason it is probably better to translate “let us be strong” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) rather than simply “you be strong.” The form of the following exhortation does focus more on the fact that the two men were joined in a common endeavor.

Let us play the man for our people: the wording play the man actually comes from a significant moment in English church history, but it is definitely not a literal rendering of the Hebrew here and should not be imitated in other languages. The verb is actually another form of the one translated Be of good courage just discussed in this same verse. This form probably means simply “be courageous” or “be brave.” However, some commentators argue that it should be translated “we’ll exert ourselves” (Anchor Bible) or “we are bound to prevail” (Anderson). Translators are strongly advised against imitating Revised Standard Version. New Revised Standard Version has retranslated this as “let us be courageous,” and New International Version has “let us fight bravely.”

The cities of our God: while the Hebrew is clear at this point, scholars have suggested several modifications to the text. Among the suggestions are “the ark of our God” (Moffatt), based on the fact that the ark was present in the Israelite camp according to 11.11; “the altars of our God” (New English Bible footnote); and “the servants of our God.” But there is no compelling reason to change the text of this verse. The reference is probably to cities located to the south on the east side of the Jordan River, where the God of the Israelites was worshiped. It is possible but less likely that the reference is to Israelite cities in general.

May the LORD do what seems good to him: this same expression is used in the story of Eli and Samuel (1 Sam 3.18). As in that case, it shows a willingness to accept whatever turns out to be the will of God. In some languages it will have to be put in the form of a prayer: “I ask that the LORD will do whatever he wants to do” or “I pray that what the LORD wants will actually happen.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .