And David took from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers: The Hebrew verb translated took has the nuance of “capture,” which fits this context well (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and many other versions). Chariots of Syria at this time were light vehicles with two wheels and six or eight spokes on each wheel. The body of the chariot had a front and two sides that came to about mid-thigh level and had an open back. Iron was used to strengthen the rims of the wheels. The earliest chariots were pulled by two horses, but later chariots were pulled by teams of three or four horses. For a good discussion on chariots, see WTH, pages 110-111|fig:WTH.chariot.110-111.html. The translation of the Hebrew word for horsemen is debated. While many understand it to mean “cavalry” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), there is archaeological evidence to suggest that the horsemen were rather men who rode in the chariots. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has a word list entry under “war-chariot” in which it is explained that these chariots usually had two men: the driver and an archer. Sometimes there was also a shield-bearer. The Hebrew term should be translated “charioteers” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “chariot drivers” (Contemporary English Version).

And David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for a hundred chariots: The Hebrew verb rendered hamstrung literally means “to pluck up [by the roots]” in its base form. It is used in its more literal sense in Eccl 3.2; but in some other contexts where the verb has a doubled consonant in the middle of the verb, it conveys the idea of a simple operation to cripple animals such as oxen (Gen 49.6) or horses (Josh 11.6, 9). Most English versions take it in this sense here (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). But this verb is also used in its base form in a figurative sense meaning to “uproot,” “exterminate,” or “destroy” as in Zeph 2.4. It is more likely that the reference here is to the crippling operation as the majority of versions indicate. Many versions use the technical term hamstrung, but Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and New Century Version use the more common verb “crippled.” French versions say that David “cut the hocks” (Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “had the hocks cut” (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur), using the rather technical term for the tendon that is cut to make an animal lame. If the name of this tendon is well known in the receptor language, then this may prove to be good translation model. Parole de Vie translates “cut the hocks” and then provides a footnote explaining that the hock of a horse is “the place where the hind leg bends.” The reason for crippling the horses is not stated; perhaps it was to prevent the enemy troops from using the horses again if they should recapture them.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .