Let each of us state what one thing is strongest is literally “Let each of us say one word, which is stronger than anything else.” The phrase “is stronger than anything else” translates one Greek verb. Five “things” will be suggested as the strongest of all “things”: wine, the king, women, reliability (or truth), and God. The translation problem here is (a) to find some noun that can be applied to all five of these, or (b) to restructure and find another way to express the idea. In English one thing does not work, since the king, women, and God cannot be called “things.” There is also a possible problem with the word strongest, which means one thing when applied to wine, another when applied to people, another when applied to reliability, and another when applied to God. In this context one thing is strongest is better rendered “the most powerful of all forces” or “the most powerful force in the world” (see also the comments on 1 Esd 4.35). We can speak of wine, the king, women, reliability and God as being powerful, and can speak of them as forces that exert pressure on events and people.

And to him whose statement seems wisest, Darius the king will give rich gifts and great honors of victory: The three bodyguards propose that the king judge which of them is correct, and somehow assume that he will give rich rewards to the winner of the contest. Statement (literally “word”) refers to the short written responses of each man in verses 10-12. Later in the narrative we learn that when the king reads what the men have written, each will have a chance to defend his choice by speaking in favor of it. Nothing prepares the reader for why the king should agree to all this, particularly the giving of prizes, but it is necessary to the story. In a number of languages Darius the king will need to be expressed with more respect, for example, “his majesty Darius,” “his esteemed majesty Darius,” or even “our most honorable majesty King Darius.”

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• They agreed that each of them would decide what he thought was the most powerful of all forces [or, the most powerful force in the world], and would write it down. King Darius would then judge which man gave the wisest answer, and award the winner expensive gifts and great honors.

• They thought to themselves, “Each of us will decide what he thinks is the most powerful force in the world, and write it down. Then we will ask his majesty King Darius which of us has given the wisest answer, and he will award that person with expensive gifts and great honors.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.