Solomon

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Solomon” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about King Solomon (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Solomon .

complete verse (1 Kings 11:40)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 11:40:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam fled to the land of king Shishak of the country of Egypt. He stayed there until Solomon died.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After that Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to King Shishak in the land of Egypt, and he lived there until Solomon died.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Shishak, the king of Egipto, and he stayed there until Solomon died.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Solomon found out what Ahijah told Jeroboam, so he tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam escaped and went to Egypt. He went to Shishak, the king of Egypt, and stayed with him until after Solomon died.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 11:40

Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam: This verse is connected to the preceding verse with the common Hebrew conjunction. Verse 40 indicates the result of what preceded; that is, Solomon’s action is the result of his having learned what God was going to do. Revised Standard Version renders the conjunction therefore and Good News Translation says “so.” The Hebrew does not state explicitly that Solomon learned what God was going to do, but translators may wish to make this clear in the receptor language, as Contemporary English Version has done by saying “When Solomon learned what the LORD had told Jeroboam, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam.”

The verb rendered kill is causative in Hebrew. But this does not come out in most English versions. Since Solomon almost certainly did not attempt to kill Jeroboam by his own hand, certain modern versions say “put … to death” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “have killed” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant). Others may say “cause to die.”

Jeroboam arose, and fled: Regarding the idiomatic use of the Hebrew verb for arose followed by another verb, see the comments on 1 Kgs 2.40. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh expresses the sense of the verb here by stating that “Jeroboam promptly fled” (also New Revised Standard Version). Knox says “he was up and gone.”

Shishak is mentioned again in 1 Kgs 14.25. He was the founder of the twenty-second dynasty in Egypt and ruled for twenty-one years, approximately 931–910 sB.C. He may also be the Pharaoh who is referred to in verses 18-19.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Kings 11:40

11:40a Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt,

Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Shishak, the king of Egypt.
-or-
Solomon tried to have Jeroboam killed/assassinated. But Jeroboam ran away to Egypt ⌊and found safety/asylum there⌋ with King Shishak.

11:40b where he remained until the death of Solomon.

He stayed there until the death of Solomon.
-or-
He remained in Egypt until Solomon died.

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