1Now King Hiram of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always been a friend to David.
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)
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
Now translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Here it simply expresses the continuation of the story. If a new section is begun here, it may not be necessary to translate the conjunction.
Hiram king of Tyre: Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew order of name, title and area of rule, but the Good News Translation translators felt that it is more natural in English to speak of “King Hiram,” putting the title first. Naturalness in the receptor language should be the determining factor in deciding the order of these elements.
Tyre was the leading city of Phoenicia. David, and later Solomon, established treaties with Hiram, who supplied material and craftsmen for construction projects (1 Kgs 5.1-12; 1 Chr 14.1; 2 Chr 2.3-16).
Servants: The word so translated has a wide range of uses. Servants of a king include domestic servants, officers, and even ambassadors (see 1 Kgs 1.2 and the discussion on “servant,” in “Translating 1–2 Kings,” page 12). In this context these representatives of King Hiram were more than mere servants. A number of translations use terms that reflect the official nature of this visit, for example, “envoys” (Revised English Bible), “messengers” (New Century Version), “a delegation” (Bible en français courant), “an embassy” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Peregrino), and “officials” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Contemporary English Version).
When he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father: Hebrew uses an indefinite third person plural verb for anointed, without making explicit the subject of the verb. The implied subject is probably the priests of Israel. It will be noted, however, that in 1 Kgs 1.34 and 1.45 the subjects of the verb “anoint” are a priest and a prophet. Contemporary English Version says simply “When Hiram learned that Solomon was king,” but this translation eliminates the focus on the act of anointing, as does the translation in Good News Translation. If possible, the act of anointing should be kept as part of the meaning. Regarding the meaning and translation of anointed, see the comments on 1 Kgs 1.34. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “When he learned that Solomon had been consecrated king….” This will be a good model for those languages where passive verb forms are common.
For Hiram always loved David: The Hebrew conjunction translated for frequently introduces a clause indicating why something happened. In this case it was because of his friendship with David that King Hiram took the action indicated.
In some contexts loved may be more appropriately translated as “was a friend of” rather than with some form of the verb “to love.” Compare New Revised Standard Version: “for Hiram had always been a friend to David” (similarly Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The terms “to love” and “to hate” are frequently used in the Old Testament for loyalty and disloyalty in a political sense (see 1 Sam 16.21; 20.17); and loved probably carries the meaning here of being political allies. The word always renders the Hebrew words “all the days.”
It may be helpful in some translations to reverse the order of information in this verse, as Good News Translation and others have done. Bible en français courant (similarly Parole de Vie) provides a good model for the entire verse:
• Hiram, king of the city of Tyre, had always been a friend of David. When he learned that Solomon had been consecrated king in order to succeed his father David, he sent a delegation to present him his best wishes.
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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