Used to rise early: the verb form here and in the following verses (through verse 6) indicates a repeated or habitual action, showing that the activities described in the passage were typical of Absalom’s activities over a considerable period of time. Languages that have habitual verb forms should use them here. In other languages there will be other ways of indicating frequently repeated actions over a period of time. It may be necessary to begin with “every morning” here and “every day” later in this passage.
Implied in the text is the fact that Absalom went from his house to the city gate. Some languages may find it necessary to say “got up early and went to the gate….”
Beside the way of the gate: this probably refers to the principal road leading into Jerusalem that passed through the main gate to the city. Anyone going to talk with King David about a problem would have normally passed this way. The gate may possibly refer to the actual entrance to the king’s palace, but it is more likely that it was the city gate, or as Fox says, “the main gate.” Absalom positioned himself in such a way as to intercept those people who were going to speak to the king about a matter of concern.
Suit: the noun used here refers generally to a contest or a controversy. The same term is found in 1 Sam 25.39, where David says “Praise be to the LORD who upheld my suit [or, cause] against Nabal.” And this same noun is rendered as “disputed cases” in 2 Chr 19.8. Here it has been rendered by various English translations as “a case” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Revised English Bible), “a lawsuit” (New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), and “a complaint” (New International Version and Contemporary English Version).
Would call … and say: the habitual aspect of this action should be brought out in translation. This did not happen just one time but on many occasions. In some languages the two verbs will be better translated as one. For example, “he used to ask each person….”
Your servant: in the response the subject uses the third person self-reference to show respect, but in many languages this will be better rendered by the first person pronoun, if the direct quotation is retained, and a term like “sir” (Revised English Bible) can be used to show respect. However, the direct quotation will be more naturally rendered indirectly in many cases—especially in view of the content of the response. In a direct quote a person would have probably named a particular tribe but would not have said of such and such a tribe or even “one of the tribes of Israel” (New Century Version), which is actually a more literal rendering of the Hebrew. An indirect quotation will be better in most languages here.
In Israel: while most interpreters take this to refer to the whole of Israel, some scholars think that it is a more exclusive reference to the northern tribes. This interpretation gives the impression that Absalom was preparing his rebellion by flattering only those who responded to his question by stating that they were from the north. Contemporary English Version adopts this interpretation and translates the response “I’m from a tribe in the north.” Compare also Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “I’m coming from such and such a town in the northern territory.” However, it is probably best not to include this interpretation so directly in the translation.
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 .