Solomon’s provision for one day: Provision translates a Hebrew noun that is often rendered “bread.” Here it refers to food in general. The context makes it quite clear that this does not refer to food eaten by Solomon alone (see verse 27). For this reason some may prefer to speak of the supplies needed for Solomon’s household. Bible en français courant translates “Each day, Solomon needed the following food for himself and for all his personnel,” and Parole de Vie says “To feed Solomon and those who served him….”

Thirty cors of fine flour, and sixty cors of meal: A cor was a unit used for measuring both liquids and grains. As a measure for dry material, it is equivalent to about 220 liters (6 bushels), although some scholars estimate it to have been as large as 500 liters (14 bushels). If this term is transliterated, readers in the receptor language will almost certainly not have any understanding of the size of this measure. For this reason it will be better to use an equivalent measure in the receptor language or to explain the size of a cor in a footnote if the Hebrew term is kept. In addition to the model of Good News Translation, another possible one is “nine tons of coarsely ground flour and eighteen tons of finely ground flour” (Bible en français courant; similarly Parole de Vie). One African language has said “eighteen wagon loads of flour and thirty-six wagon loads of flour that was well ground.” Another has said “sixty sacks/bags of … one hundred twenty sacks/bags of….” The Dutch translation De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling has “thirty donkey-burdens of … sixty donkey-burdens of….” A cor corresponds to what a donkey can carry. Such a solution avoids calculations in modern measurements and avoids the loss of the cultural setting.

Regarding the writing of numbers here, in some languages it is advisable to write out the full words, especially of large numbers, since it helps those who read the passage out loud.

The Hebrew noun translated fine flour refers to flour made from the inner kernels of wheat, which were finely ground. The Hebrew noun translated meal refers to flour made from whole kernels of wheat and bran. Contemporary English Version says “fine flour” and “coarsely-ground flour,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “semolina” and “[ordinary] flour.” Some scholars, however, consider the first Hebrew noun to refer to the more roughly ground wheat, which explains the Bible en français courant rendering “coarsely ground flour.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .