23Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 3:23:
Kupsabiny: “The king said, ‘But this issue catches my mouth/leaves me speechless! Here/now this one is saying my son is alive and the one of the other has died, the other one also says that the child which is alive belongs to her, the one of the other has died.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then the King said, "One says, ‘This is my son, the dead one is your son,’ and the other one says, ‘No! Your son is the dead one, the living one is my son.’"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The king said, ‘Each one of you (plur.) wants to own/claim the living child, and none of you (plur.) wants to own/claim the dead child.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then the king said, ‘Both of you are saying, ‘My baby is the one that is alive and the one that is dead is yours.’ ’” (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.”
Then the king said: Then reflects the common Hebrew conjunction, but in this context it may be translated in such a way as to show that Solomon had heard enough of the arguments of the two woman and that he was moving toward a decision. Contemporary English Version connects this verse with the previous one and translates “until finally he said.”
The Hebrew text does not refer to the king by name, but since Solomon has not been mentioned for several verses, Good News Translation introduces him by name again.
The Hebrew verb rendered said may also mean “to think” in some contexts (for example, Gen 44.28). Revised English Bible assumes this sense here with “The king thought to himself.” But most versions seem to prefer the more literal interpretation of the verb and retain the idea of speaking out loud.
The one says … and the other says …: In the Hebrew, which is reflected in the Revised Standard Version translation, the two direct quotations of the women’s words are contained within the quotation of what King Solomon says. Good News Translation restructures here by making the words of the two women into indirect speech. This approach may be a helpful model in other languages also.
Contemporary English Version, in a way that is even more brief than that of Good News Translation, summarizes the two conflicting statements as a single assertion: “Both of you say this live baby is yours.” No mention is made of the dead baby since that is really not the crucial issue.
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 .
3:23a Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’
Then the king said, “This woman says, ‘My son/boy is alive and yours(fem) is dead.’ -or-
⌊Finally⌋ King Solomon said, “The first woman says that her son is alive and the other woman’s son is dead.
3:23b but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
That ⌊other⌋ woman says, ‘No! Your(fem) son/boy is the dead one, and mine is the living one.’ ” -or-
The ⌊second/other⌋ one contradicts/denies this. She says that the dead baby is the first woman’s son, and that her son is the one who is alive!”
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