Solomon’s message to King Hiram of Tyre begins here and continues through verse 10. Contemporary English Version indents the entire message to help readers easily see the extent of the quotation. Likewise, Contemporary English Version indents all of Hiram’s reply in verses 11-16. Translators may wish to consider using this format in their own language.
And Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre: Instead of sent word, the Hebrew has only the verb “sent” with no direct object, but this verb introduces the rather long quotation. It will be better rendered in some languages as “sent messengers” (La Bible du Semeur), “sent this message” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), or “sent … the following message” (Bible en français courant).
For Huram the king of Tyre, see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Huram is the spelling in most Hebrew manuscripts. Some translations (Good News Translation, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), in agreement with the Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate, spell this name “Hiram,” because it is written that way in other passages where this king of Tyre is mentioned (see 2 Sam 5.11; 1 Kgs 5.1; 1 Chr 14.1). The spelling “Hiram” also serves to distinguish this king from the artisan who was important in the actual building of the Temple and whose name is also written “Huram” or sometimes “Huramabi” (2 Chr 2.13; 4.16). The Phoenician form of his name was Ahiram.
As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me: See 1 Chr 14.1. The Hebrew verb translated dealt with and deal with is the common verb meaning “to do” or “to make,” so a more literal translation would read “As you did to/for David … do to/for me.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “Do as you did for my father David….” But this very general meaning is clarified when Solomon adds sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in. Others have translated this verb as “Do business with” (Good News Translation) and “collaborate with” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Sent is a literal translation of the Hebrew. According to 1 Kgs 5, David paid Hiram for the cedar wood. This is apparently the reason for the Good News Translation rendering “sold.” For cedar see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Good News Translation says “cedar logs” for clarity (so also NET Bible). Since David was a king, many versions render house as “palace” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt) or “royal residence” (Revised English Bible).
The clause so deal with me is not actually in the Hebrew text, but it is implied in the structure that begins with As you dealt with David my father…. Revised Standard Version and most other versions have added this clause as the sense requires. Nouvelle version Segond révisée places the implied clause in parentheses at the beginning of the sentence instead of coming after the comparison with David, and this may be the more logical position to place this implied information in certain other languages. Rather than adding words as Revised Standard Version has done, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh simply uses a long dash at the end of the verse to show that the thought has not been completed. For the same reason Osty-Trinquet ends the verse with three dots.
If it seems more natural to restructure this whole sentence, Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie provide a possible model, saying “You furnished cedar logs to my father David so that he could build his palace. Do the same for me.” New Century Version has “Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.”
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 .