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, 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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 4:26:
Kupsabiny: “Solomon had four thousand horses for pulling chariots. He had twelve thousand soldiers who would travel on horses.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Solomon had four thousand stalls to keep the horses for his chariots. He had twelve thousand horses.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Solomon had 40,000 stalls for his horses for chariot, and he had 12,000 horse-rider.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Solomon had 4,000 stalls for the horses that pulled his chariots and 12,000 men who rode on horses (OR, in the chariots).” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
Revised Standard Version has added the word also according to the context; that is, in addition to the peace that Solomon had with the surrounding countries, he also had many horses and chariots and was prepared for war.
Forty thousand: Some interpreters correct the text here to read “four thousand” in agreement with the parallel text in 2 Chr 9.25; this is the basis for “four thousand” in New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation, and Osty-Trinquet. This correction is also recommended in Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. It may be noted here that Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia rather frequently suggests in the notes at the bottom of its pages that the Masoretic Text should be corrected to a different reading. The Hebrew Old Testament Text Project committee, however, was much less inclined to change the Masoretic Text, especially when there is no evidence in the ancient manuscripts for such changes. While it must be admitted that the figure in the Masoretic Text seems exaggerated, it should not be changed to agree with the text in 2 Chronicles. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text, which is followed by both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament says that the Masoretic Text should be followed and does not even give it a rating since this is not really a textual problem here. That is, the reason that some scholars and translators change the text here is because they think the text originally had the same number that the parallel passage in Chronicles has, but there is no support for this change in the ancient manuscripts.
Stalls of horses are enclosures in which horses are kept and cared for. Archaeological evidence shows that buildings for housing horses followed a standard pattern. These were long, roofed buildings with a double row of pillars that ran the length of the building, dividing the building into three aisles.
For chariots see 1 Kgs 1.5.
The difficulty in translating the Hebrew noun rendered horsemen is that this Hebrew word sometimes refers to horses and sometimes to horsemen. When it does refer to horsemen, it probably always refers to men who managed horses and not to men who rode on horses. This ambiguity of the Hebrew noun leads to the following renderings, all of which are acceptable: “horsemen” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “cavalry horses” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente,Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Peregrino), and “chariot soldiers” (Contemporary English Version, God’s Word). Here “horses” seems to fit the context better than horsemen, although either is possible.
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 .
4:26 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
The Masoretic Text reads “forty thousand stalls.”
Solomon had 40,000 stalls for the horses that pulled his chariots. He had 12,000 horses. -or-
King Solomon also owned twelve thousand (12,000) horses and forty thousand (40,000) places in which to keep/stable them.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.