The Hebrew says that Huram was the son of a widow. Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying “His father, who was no longer living.”

Huram’s mother is said to be from the tribe of Naphtali, but according to 2 Chr 2.14 she was from the tribe of Dan. However this difference is to be explained, translators should not change either text to agree with the other. The tribe of Naphtali was located on Israel’s northern border, and so was the tribe of Dan. Slotki argues that the words of the tribe of Naphtali refer to Huram, not to his mother, and that his father (a man of Tyre) was not a native of Tyre but rather was an Israelite who resided in Tyre. Though it is possible to read the Hebrew this way, it is not the most natural reading and is motivated by the desire to harmonize this account with that in 2 Chr 2.14.

A worker in bronze: The Hebrew term rendered bronze means both “bronze” and “copper,” but “bronze” is probably what is intended here. Copper is a reddish metal, and bronze is a man-made alloy (compound) of copper and tin (and sometimes other elements). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh uses the word “copper” when the reference is to the natural product and “bronze” when the reference is to the object made with the alloy of copper and tin. Anchor Bible calls Huram’s father “a coppersmith.” Where copper and bronze are unknown, translators may have to resort to a more general term meaning “metal.”

For the first half of the verse, New Living Translation reads “He was half Israelite, since his mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a foundry worker from Tyre.”

He was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill: The three nouns wisdom, understanding, and skill are similar in meaning. Here they do not refer to intellectual wisdom in the abstract but rather to practical knowledge of his craft. The rendering “he was full of skill, intelligence, and practical knowledge” (Gray) better expresses the correct meaning in English.

The words He came to King Solomon are to be understood in the light of the previous verse, which states that Solomon summoned Huram. Good News Translation makes this clear by saying that “He accepted King Solomon’s invitation.”

His work refers to Solomon’s work.

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 .