OET interlinear 1SA 6:7

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וְ⁠עַתָּ֗ה

and=now

And now was a common expression that speakers in this culture used to introduce their main topic. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. The UST models one way to do that.

Note 2 topic: translate-symaction

קְח֨וּ וַ⁠עֲשׂ֜וּ עֲגָלָ֤ה חֲדָשָׁה֙ אֶחָ֔ת וּ⁠שְׁתֵּ֤י פָרוֹת֙ עָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עֲלֵי⁠הֶ֖ם עֹ֑ל

take and,prepare cart new one and,two_of cows milch which/who not come on,them yoke

Putting the sacred Box on a cart that had never been used for any other purpose, and having cows pull the cart that had never done pulling work before, were symbolic actions that treated the Box with special reverence. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of these actions. Alternate translation: [in order to treat the Box of the God of Israel with special reference, take and make one new cart, and two nursing cows upon which a yoke has not gone up]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys

קְח֨וּ וַ⁠עֲשׂ֜וּ

take and,prepare

This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with and. The word take tells in what way the priests and diviners wanted the Philistines to make this cart. They do not mean that they want the Philistines to take it somewhere before making it. Rather, the word take has the sense of “undertake,” of taking measures to accomplish something. Alternate translation: [carefully make] or [prepare]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וּ⁠שְׁתֵּ֤י פָרוֹת֙ עָל֔וֹת

and,two_of cows milch

The priests and diviners are leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [and get two nursing cows]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עֲלֵי⁠הֶ֖ם עֹ֑ל

which/who not come on,them yoke

The priests and diviners are using a common expression of their culture. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [that have never been yoked] or [that have never pulled a plow]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הַ⁠בָּֽיְתָ⁠ה

the,home,to

While in this culture people sometimes did keep animals in a lower area of the house in which they lived, in this context, the term house probably refers to a stall or pen. You could indicate this explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [to their stalls]