fir

The Cilician fir Abies cilicica grew abundantly in the forests of Lebanon along with cedars, evergreen cypresses, and Grecian junipers. The Hebrew word berosh probably included fir, cypress, and juniper. According to 1 Kings 5:8 and elsewhere, berosh was used in King Solomon’s building projects. The reference in Ezekiel 27:5 to the use of berosh for the timbers/planks of ships could well be talking about fir trees since they are very straight, but the association of berosh there with Mount Senir rather favors the Grecian juniper, which was abundant there.

The Cilician fir is a tall and almost perfectly straight evergreen tree, in the same family with pines, cedars, and cypresses. It can reach a height of 25 meters (82 feet). Its flat seeds are contained in cones that fall from the tree when mature. Firs are the major source for turpentine, used by painters to dilute paint and clean brushes.

The Abies genus is represented throughout the world in temperate climates at high altitudes (for example, in Kenya, Japan, and North America). Since there are no firs or anything quite like them in tropical Africa, translators can use a transliteration, for example, firi or pir. In Ezekiel 27:5 we recommend following Zohary by rendering berosh as “fir.” The majority of English translations are divided among “fir,” “cypress,” and “pine.” In 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles we recommend rendering berosh as “fir” or “juniper.” Elsewhere berosh may be considered a generic word referring to cypress, fir, pine, or all of them together. In those places a general word for this type of cone-bearing tree should be used.

Cilician fir in North Lebanon, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also cypress.

complete verse (1 Kings 6:34)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 6:34:

  • Kupsabiny: “He also made two shutters of cypress which would fold into two when they were opened.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He made two doors of pinewood, both of which turned in the opening.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “It has also a double doors made of cypress wood, and each of these have two parts that could be-fold.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They made two folding doors from cypress wood and fastened them to the door frame.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 6:34

Two doors of cypress wood: Regarding these two doors, see the comments on verse 33. For cypress wood, see the comments on 1 Kgs 5.8.

The two leaves of the one door were folding: The translation of the Hebrew noun rendered leaves is uncertain. The Hebrew word comes from a root word meaning “rib.” Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other translations take the word to mean leaves of a door. The exact meaning of the Hebrew word translated folding is also uncertain. It comes from a Hebrew root meaning “to roll.” Based on this, some translations say that each door was “decorated with two carved rings” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie). Most interpreters, however, understand these words to mean that the doors were made of two parts that folded in half. But other interpreters think the Hebrew word for folding refers to hinges or “swivel-pins” (Revised English Bible) upon which the doors turned. For the whole verse Revised English Bible says “and a double door of pine, each leaf having two swivel-pins.”

Other attempts to make sense of the Hebrew for the whole verse include “The two doors were of fir wood; each door was banded by a metal strap, front and back” (New American Bible) and “and the two leaves of juniper; one leaf had two ribs binding it, and the other had two ribs binding it” (New Jerusalem Bible). The meanings of these two translations, however, are not clear.

Instead of reading and the two leaves at the end of the verse, the Masoretic Text says “and the two curtains.” The Hebrew nouns for leaves (tselaʾim) and “curtains” (qelaʾim) have a similar sound, which may have led to a copyist’s error in the Masoretic Text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {C} rating to the reading “leaves” in the Septuagint.

For reasons of English style, Good News Translation avoids the repetition from describing each door separately and combines this information in one single statement.

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 6:34

6:34a The two doors were made of cypress wood,

He made double doors from cedar wood.
-or-
Solomon ⌊had his workmen⌋ make two ⌊folding⌋ doors from the wood of the cypress tree.

6:34b and each had two folding panels.

Each ⌊section/panel of the⌋ door had two parts that could fold together.
-or-
Each door had two sections/panels that turned on pivots/hinges.

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