complete verse (1 Kings 5:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 5:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “There were also other people who were in charge of all the workers. Those people who were in charge of the others were thirty thousand and sixty (3,600).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Solomon also had 3,300 foremen to supervise the work of these men.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He has also 3,300 foremen who supervised the work and the workers.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “And he also assigned 3,600 men to supervise their work.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 5:16

The Hebrew words rendered besides have been translated “apart from” (Revised English Bible) and “in addition to” (New American Bible). But in many languages it may be wise to begin a new sentence at this point, adding simply “He also had….”

Three thousand three hundred chief officers: Chief officers renders two Hebrew nouns, which are literally “chiefs of the officers.” The Hebrew word for “officers” is the same noun used in 1 Kgs 4.7 to refer to the district governors. Some translations take the two nouns here as referring to the same people; for example, New Jerusalem Bible says “the administrators, officials who supervised the work.” But the sense is most likely “officers who worked under the district governors” (similarly Bible en français courant). A number of English translations use the technical term “foremen” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Moffatt) or “supervisors” (New Revised Standard Version) for chief officers. If such a technical term exists in the receptor language for someone who supervises the work of other laborers, that term may be used here.

The Masoretic Text, which is followed by nearly all translations, says “3,300,” but some Greek manuscripts say “3,600,” as does the parallel passage in 2 Chr 2.2, 18. New Living Translation reads “thirty-six hundred” here, but this is not recommended.

The people who carried on the work are those who cut the stones out of rocks, carried them, and did the building. The Hebrew uses the noun people, but New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates it according to the context as “[work] gangs.”

The whole verse seems to say the same thing three different ways. To be a chief officer was to be over the work and these people also had charge of the people who carried on the work. In some languages this kind of repetition may be seen as unnatural and should be reduced; for example, one possible model is the following:

• There were also 3,300 head men who told the other workers what to do.

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 5:16

5:16 not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.

⌊He/Solomon⌋ also ⌊had⌋ 3300 chief officers/officials who managed the work. They were in charge of the men doing the work.
-or-
There were also three thousand three hundred (3300) managers/supervisors to oversee the building project ⌊for Solomon⌋. The workers/laborers followed their directions/instructions.

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