34But a certain man drew his bow and unknowingly struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate; so he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
The Hebrew, Latin 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)
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.”
But a certain man drew his bow: The soldier who shot the arrow that killed Ahab is identified only as a certain man. On the basis of the information in 2 Kgs 5.1, some interpreters have identified him as Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, but since this is only speculation, such information should not be introduced into the translation of this verse. These words may, however, be translated “a Syrian soldier” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie).
At a venture is literally “in his completeness/perfection.” Revised Standard Version renders the same Hebrew noun here as “[in their] simplicity” in 2 Sam 15.11. In this context the noun may be understood two different ways: (a) completeness of strength, that is, “with all his strength” or (b) completeness of integrity, that is, “with all his innocence.” Nearly all translations follow the second understanding; the soldier was not shooting at Ahab because he knew it was Ahab. He was innocently shooting at whatever enemy soldier happened to be there. This soldier who shot the king of Israel did so “By chance” (Good News Translation, La Bible Pléiade, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Other translations that express the intended meaning include “at random” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible), “randomly” (New Living Translation), and “without any special aim” (New Jerusalem Bible).
Between the scale armor and the breastplate: The meaning of the Hebrew noun translated scale armor is uncertain, but “scales [of armor]” fits the context well. In later Hebrew it came to mean “glue.” The sense seems to be that the arrow struck Ahab where there was a gap between the pieces of armor he was wearing for protection. Compare the following renderings: “where the breastplate joins the plates of the armour” (Revised English Bible), “between the joints of his breastplate” (New American Bible), and “between the joints of his armour” (Moffatt, New Jerusalem Bible). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “between the plates of the armor.” A model that may be easier for some languages to translate is this one of International Children’s Bible: “in a place not covered by his armor.”
Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot: The word translated therefore in Revised Standard Version is nothing more than the common Hebrew conjunction. But there is clearly a logical connection between Ahab’s being wounded and his exclamation to his chariot driver.
Turn about is literally “Turn your hands.” The charioteer (driver of the chariot) controlled the horses by pulling on the reins to go left or right. New American Bible says “Rein about.” Moffatt expresses this idiomatically as “Wheel round,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Turn the horses around.”
Carry me out of the battle: The Hebrew noun translated battle is normally used for the place where soldiers pitched their camp. Either the Masoretic Text incorrectly reads “camp” (machaneh in Hebrew) instead of “battle” (milchamah) or the Hebrew noun must be understood here to mean “battlefront.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “get me behind the lines,” that is, behind the battle lines where the soldiers were lined up to fight against each other.
I am wounded translates a Hebrew verb with a wide range of uses. The general use is for bodily weakness or sickness. The form of the verb here is a causative passive, and it is generally understood to mean “to be seriously wounded.” In some languages the most natural rendering of these words may be something like “they have hit me.”
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 .
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