complete verse (1 Kings 20:37)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 20:37:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, that prophet found another person and he said to him, ‘Hit me.’ Then that (person) hit him and wounded him.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The prophet went to another man and spoke like this, "Strike me with your weapon!" So he struck him and injured him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The prophet found another man and said to him, ‘Well, hit/[lit. hurt] me.’ So (he) hit/hurt him and he got-wounded.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the prophet found another prophet, and said to him, ‘Strike me!’ So that man hit him very hard and injured him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 20:37

Then renders well the common Hebrew conjunction since it introduces the next event in the story here.

He found: The pronoun he refers to the prophet in verse 35, who wanted someone to strike him, so Good News Translation says “this same prophet.”

Another man: There is no indication that this man was a fellow prophet like the one who refused the first prophet’s request (but see the comments on verse 35). In all likelihood he was just a passing stranger.

Strike me, I pray: See the comments on verse 35. The prophet wanted someone to strike him so that the king would think he had been in the battle.

The man struck him, smiting and wounding him: The words struck and smiting translate the same Hebrew verb and refer to the same action, so in some languages these two verb are rendered by a single verb. Smiting and wounding him is literally “smiting and wounding.” Revised Standard Version adds the direct object pronoun him as the sense requires.

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 20:37

20:37a Then the prophet found another man and said,

Then the prophet found a different man. He said ⌊to him⌋,
-or-
Then the prophet went to someone else and he asked him

20:37b “Strike me, please!”

“Please attack ⌊and injure/wound⌋ me.”
-or-
to hit/strike him.

20:37c So the man struck him and wounded him,

That man did hit and injure/bruise him.
-or-
And this other man gave the prophet a blow, leaving him bruised/injured.

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