Here, as elsewhere in the chapter, Judah and Israel refer to the people of the southern and northern parts of the united kingdom.
Safety translates a Hebrew noun meaning “security,” “without worry,” or “safety.” Peregrino says “quietly,” and New Living Translation has “peace and safety.”
From Dan even to Beersheba: The city of Dan, which was located at the southern foot of Mount Hermon, was the northernmost limit of ancient Israel. Beersheba was located in the Judean Negeb, and stood as the southernmost point. From Dan even to Beersheba became a fixed phrase to refer to the entire country from the extreme north to the extreme south (for example, Jdg 20.1; 2 Sam 3.10; 17.11; 24.2, 15; 1 Chr 21.2).
Since many readers will not know that these two towns represent the extreme northern and southern borders of Israel, this information should be made explicit. There are several ways to do so: (1) place this information in a footnote as does Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; (2) keep the names of the towns in the text and make explicit their location, for example, “from the town of Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south” (Contemporary English Version; similarly Parole de Vie, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente); (3) omit the names and translate the sense of this fixed phrase, for example, “from one end of the country to the other” (compare Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).
Solution (2) has the advantage of translating the meaning while also reinforcing for the reader the locations of these two towns, and is the translation that we recommend. In either option 1 or 2, it will be important to add the classifier term “town” to indicate to readers what Dan and Beersheba refer to.
Every man under his vine and under his fig tree: Every man is not intended as an individualistic statement, nor is it to be understood as limiting the meaning to male members of the society. The idea is that every family unit would be able to live securely and without any fear of problems from outsiders. And each family would have its own source of the basic essentials of life.
Vine is “grapevine” and it was the most important plant in Israel. The fig tree grew to a height of about five meters (sixteen feet) and provided a lot of shade as well as being an important source of food. The vine and the fig tree are often used together in the Old Testament to symbolize safety and prosperity (for example, 2 Kgs 18.31; Isa 36.16; Mic 4.4). English translations traditionally render the Hebrew as under his vine and under his fig tree. Cogan (2000, pages 213-214), however, notes that the Hebrew word translated under can also mean “at the foot of,” and that this idiom is better translated “at the foot of his vine and at the foot of his fig tree,” since people did not sit under vines.
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 .