But: The common Hebrew conjunction here is translated in the same way by New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, because there is a contrast between the expectation that Hiram would be happy with what he found and the fact that he was unhappy.

Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities: In this context the Hebrew verb rendered to see may appropriately be translated “to inspect” (Revised English Bible).

They did not please him is literally “they were not pleasing in his eyes.” He inspected the towns and “they did not satisfy him” (Revised English Bible). In certain languages it will be unnatural to make the cities the subject of this sentence. It will be more natural to say “he [Hiram] was unhappy with them [the cities]” or “[he] was not satisfied with them” (New American Bible).

Good News Translation abbreviates this verse by leaving implicit the detail that Hiram came from Tyre and by substituting the pronoun “them” for the cities which Solomon had given him.

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 .