Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageSo he changed his behavior before their eyes — playing the madman in their grasp, scrawling on the gate doors and letting his saliva drool down into his beard.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GSo he altered his manner before their eyes — he acted the madman in their hands, scratching marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard.
KJV
King James VersionAnd he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleSo he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
Footnotes
The verb *vayit-holel* (וַיִּתְהֹלֵל) is the Hitpael of *halal* — to perform madness, to simulate insanity. The same root in a different form gives us *tehillah* (praise) and *Hallel* — a haunting wordplay: the great Psalmist of praise is reduced to performing *hitholel* (feigned madness). The visceral detail of saliva on the beard is deliberately humiliating; in ANE culture, the beard was a primary marker of dignity and honour. Psalm 34's superscription links this episode to the psalm's composition 'when he feigned madness (*shinotah et ta'mo*) before Abimelech' — where Achish is given the generic Philistine royal title, possibly equivalent to 'Pharaoh.' FOG renders 'acted the madman' to preserve the performative force; FOG Message uses 'playing the madman.'
