Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 22:4:
Kupsabiny: “He also arranged for an enormous amount of cedar boards, because the people of Sidon and those of Tyre brought much cedar wood to him.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “And David also collected a great deal of cedar wood. For the men of Tyre and Sidon had brought a great deal of cedar wood.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He also gave cedar trees that the numbers could- not -be-counted. These trees were-brought to him by the those of/from-Sidon and those of/from-Tyre.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “He also provided money for buying a large amount of cedar logs. Because there was a huge number of them, no one was able to count them. Those were logs that men from Tyre and Sidon cities sent to David.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
And cedar timbers without number: For cedar see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Cedar timbers may be rendered “cedar wood” or “cedar logs” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Without number (literally “there was no number”) is a way of saying “a great number.” This expression is parallel to beyond weighing in the previous verse. In some languages it may be appropriate to render the beginning of this verse as “it was impossible to count the cedar logs” or “so many cedar logs that the logs couldn’t be counted” (God’s Word).
For the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David: The connecting word for introduces a detailed explanation of the extremely large number of cedar logs that were made available to David for the Temple. The Sidonians and Tyrians were the inhabitants of the Phoenician cities of Sidon and Tyre on the Mediterranean coast, north of Palestine. Tyre was actually built on an island about 700 meters (765 yards) from the mainland (see 1 Chr 14.1). The Hebrew verb rendered brought should probably be translated “had brought” (New International Version, New Living Translation, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, Nueva Versión Internacional), since the people of Sidon and Tyre had already brought the cedar logs. The text is not entirely clear whether these people were paid for the cedar wood or whether they donated the lumber and their labor. Probably the sense is that they donated the lumber because even these non-Israelites recognized the importance of this temple project. Great quantities is literally “in abundance.”
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 .
He also provided more cedar logs than anyone could count. (New International Reader’s Version) -or-
and more logs of cedar wood than anyone could count.
22:4b for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.
Those were logs that men from Tyre and Sidon cities sent to David. (Translation for Translators) -or-
He/David had bought the wood from ⌊the cities of⌋ Tyre and Sidon. Men from those cities brought the logs to Israel.
22:4:a–b (combined)
The people from Tyre and Sidon had brought a lot of cedar wood to David. So he provided for the temple more pieces of cedar wood than anyone could count. (EEB)
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