1King Ben-hadad of Aram gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were with him, along with horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria, laid siege to it, and attacked it.
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Samaria” in English means “a watch mountain,” “a place of watching,” “guardianship.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 20:1:
Kupsabiny: “One day, Ben-hadad who was the king of Syria gathered all his soldiers. That king had made an alliance with 32 other kings/rulers and (he/they) had horses and carts that were pulled. Then they went to surround the city of Samaria.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Ben-hadad, King of Aram, assembled his whole army. With him were also 32 kings who had horses and chariots. Together with them he went up and attacked Samaria, the capital of Israel, by laying siege to it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Now, King Ben Hadad of Aram gathered all his soldiers to fight. The 32 kings who were-allied of Ben Hadad, who had horses and chariots accompanied them. And they went-out to attack Samaria.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, gathered all his army, and he persuaded 32 other kings to join him with their armies and horses and chariots. They marched to Samaria city, the capital of Israel, and surrounded it, and prepared to attack it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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:
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.”
Ben-hadad the king of Syria: The name Ben-hadad refers to at least two different Syrian kings in the Old Testament (see the comments on 1 Kgs 15.18). Benhadad I, a son of Tabrimmon, was king early in the ninth century B.C. and is referred to in 1 Kgs 15.16-22 and in the parallel text in 2 Chr 16.1-6. Benhadad II, son of Hazael, ruled later, at the end of the ninth century during the reign of King Joash of Judah. He is mentioned in 2 Kgs 13.3-7, 22-25.
Some interpreters consider the Ben-hadad of 1 Kgs 20, 22 and 2 Kgs 6–8 to be Benhadad I. Others consider him to be a third king who reigned between Benhadad I and Benhadad II. Many interpreters today, however, think that the reference here is to Benhadad II, but that the stories about his reign have been incorrectly placed in the reign of Ahab and his sons Ahaziah and Joram.
New Jerusalem Bible has a footnote stating that the reference is to Benhadad II. Since there is uncertainty, translators may wish to use a footnote and state that it is not known whether this refers to Benhadad I, mentioned in chapter 15, or to Benhadad II, mentioned in 2 Kgs 13.
The word translated Syria is literally “Aram” (so New Revised Standard Version, New International Version). See the comments on 1 Kgs 10.29 and 11.25.
The thirty-two kings who were with Benhadad were not equal in power with him but were subordinate to him, as verse 24 makes clear. They were “vassal-kings” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “territorial chieftains allied with him” (De Vries, page 248). A translation such as the one in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is recommended here (also in verse 12) in order to make clear the relationship of these thirty-two kings to the king of Syria. If no technical term such as “vassal-kings” exists in the receptor language, then this may be expressed as “thirty-two lesser kings” or “thirty-two kings who were under the Syrian king.” New Living Translation calls them “thirty-two allied kings.”
For chariots see the comments on 1 Kgs 1.5-6.
He went up: The movement from Syria to Samaria involved an increase in elevation, but this is only incidental to the story. For this reason some modern versions omit any reference to upward movement in the verb phrase went up; for example, New Revised Standard Version says “marched against,” Contemporary English Version “marched to,” and New Jerusalem Bible “marched on.”
Besieged: See the comments on 1 Kgs 8.37 and 15.27.
Samaria was the capital of the kingdom of Israel (see the introductory comments on 1 Kgs 16.21-28). While Bible en français courant makes it explicit that Samaria was a “city,” translators may wish to be more explicit in the receptor language. Compare New Living Translation “Samaria, the Israelite capital.”
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 .
20:1a Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army.
Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, ordered his whole army to gather/assemble. -or-
The king of Aram/Syria, Ben-Hadad, called for all of his men/soldiers to come together ⌊to go to war⌋.
20:1b Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots,
Thirty-two ⌊minor/lesser⌋ kings and their horses and chariots came/gathered as well. -or-
Thirty-two ⌊other⌋ chiefs/rulers joined them, bringing their horses and war carts.
20:1c he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.
Ben-Hadad ⌊led his armies/men⌋ against ⌊the city of⌋ Samaria. They surrounded the city and started attacking it. -or-
They marched against Samaria, ⌊the chief city of Israel⌋. They camped in a circle around it to force it to surrender.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.