Said: in the context of the conversation between the two men, this may be better translated “responded” (Bible en français courant) or “answered” (Good News Translation) in many languages.

The ark and Israel and Judah: while the Hebrew makes these three nouns the subject of a single verb, it may not be natural to do so in other languages. Israel and Judah go together very well, and this, of course, refers to the soldiers of Israel and Judah who were away at war, and does not refer to civilians, as some have argued. They had taken The ark with them into battle to ensure that the LORD would save them from their enemies (compare Josh 6.6; 1 Sam 4.3). But in many languages a different verb may be required for the Covenant Box. A possible model is “the soldiers of Israel and Judah have left home to fight, and the Covenant Box is with them on the battlefield.”

Dwell in booths: this expression may be seen as having virtually the same meaning as are camping in the open field. The idea is that of living in temporary quarters or nonpermanent dwellings. New Jerusalem Bible has “are lodged in huts.” Others have speculated that perhaps there were reserve troops being housed in huts, while those on the front lines had even less protection from the elements. This idea is given some support by the fact that additional forces led by David himself are in fact called in to finish off the Ammonite capital in 12.28. That booths or temporary dwellings were used in military campaigns is shown in 1 Kgs 20.12-16, so it is probably best to retain this idea in translation. However, Anchor Bible takes the word translated booths as a name meaning “Succoth”: “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in Succoth.” The Anchor Bible translation eliminates the difficulty of having soldiers sleep in booths rather than tents, but it introduces a more serious problem: Succoth is located around forty kilometers (about twenty-five miles) northwest of Rabbah.

My lord Joab and the servants of my lord: Joab and his officers were, of course, a part of Israel and Judah already mentioned, but the repetition with added detail is a way of making the statement more emphatic. The two occurrences of the words my lord may refer to two different people. The first is clearly stated as Joab, and the second (either King David, as in verse 13, or Joab) is only implied. Since Uriah is addressing David directly, it may be better to say “General Joab and your [other] officers” (Bible en français courant). Good News Translation, on the other hand, takes both as referring to Joab and therefore translates “my commander Joab and his officers.” Either way, the meaning remains practically the same.

Shall I then go to my house? This question is an emphatic way of saying “I cannot possibly go to my house!” In the light of the facts that Uriah has just cited, he felt obligated to refuse the joys of food and drink and sex in his own home. The understanding of Deut 23.9-14 required that military men give up these pleasures in time of war in order to preserve their strength for battle and in order to remain ritually pure (see also 1 Sam 21.5-6).

Lie with my wife: see verse 4 and 1 Sam 2.22.

As you live: instead of the words As you live, a couple of manuscripts of the Septuagint read “as the LORD lives,” which is found frequently elsewhere as an oath. In light of the context the words As you live also seem repetitious. The expression as your soul lives is found together with “as YHWH lives” (see, for example, 1 Sam 20.3; 25.26). New Jerusalem Bible therefore translates “as Yahweh lives and as you yourself live….” Other versions adopting this solution are New American Bible, Moffatt, An American Translation, Osty-Trinquet, and Anderson. This solution has considerable appeal, and translators can not be faulted if they decide to follow it. The Good News Translation rendering “I swear” seems weak whichever solution is adopted. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and suggests that the repetition is intended to underline Uriah’s complete devotion to David.

On the expression as your soul lives, see the discussion under 1 Sam 17.55; 20.3; and 25.26.

This thing: this probably refers back to the idea of returning home. But in some languages it may be more natural to say “these things,” referring to the details of eating, drinking, and having sex that are implied in the notion of going home.

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 .