Then: the transition word here seems to indicate that King David’s next action is a direct result of what he had just learned. Although Good News Translation leaves it untranslated, it is possible to render it “At this…” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “At that…” (Knox). Other languages may even use something like “Therefore” or “So” at this point.

Rent his garments … their garments: see the comments on the similar expression at verse 19.

Lay on the earth: the impulsive nature of this action, which the context seems to suggest, is more clearly brought out by the renderings of Good News Translation and Revised English Bible (“threw himself on the ground”). David almost certainly did not calmly lie down on the ground but rather threw himself to the ground. However, compare also 12.16, where David spent all night lying on the ground.

Following the last two phrases New Century Version provides an explanation of the meaning of these actions by adding “to show his sadness.” Something like this may be helpful in other languages as well.

The servants mentioned in this verse may have been officials, that is, “officers” (New Jerusalem Bible, Nueva Biblia Española, La Bible du Semeur: “ministers”), or subordinate household servants (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible). The context is ambiguous and translators must simply choose between the two possible senses.

Who were standing by: this is taken by most interpreters to mean “who were present” at the time that David heard the news and reacted to it by showing his sadness. Others, however, take it to mean that the servants “remained standing” (Contemporary English Version, similarly Revised English Bible), in contrast with David, who had thrown himself to the ground. In this context the latter sense seems to fit better.

Rent their garments: in Hebrew the participle rent is passive in form, and the subject of the participle is the word garments. This Hebrew construction focuses more on the result of the process of tearing than on the action itself. For this reason Revised English Bible more accurately captures the sense of the Hebrew, with “all his servants were standing round him with their clothes torn.” The Hebrew leaves implicit that the servants had torn their garments. But for reasons of translation it may be necessary to state that they tore their clothes and not merely say that their clothes were torn.

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 .