The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “justice” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that describes the quality or principle of fairness, righteousness, and impartiality in treating other people. A literal back-translation of the signs are “FOLLOW(God is implied) ACTIONS, DECISIONS JUST-RIGHT”. A more idiomatic back-translation would be: “actions and decisions are right/fitting/just in accordance to God’s will.” The movement in the signs itself helps to indicate that this is a noun, not a verb. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Justice” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 7:7:
Kupsabiny: “Solomon again built a third house which was called the House of Kingship/Rulership where they would solve cases. Cedar planks/boards were fixed/nailed on that house from the bottom/floor to top/ceiling.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He built a large throne room, that is to say, a justice hall, and there he did justice. He paneled it from the floor to the rafters with cedar wood.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He also had-built a building where he had-placed his throne. This is also the place where he was-making-judgements. He had-overlayed this with cedar woods from the floor to the ceiling.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then they made a building called the Hall of the Throne. It was also called the Hall of Judgment. That was where Solomon decided/judged concerning people’s disputes. The walls were covered with cedar boards, from the floor to the rafters.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Description Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
And: The common Hebrew conjunction again introduces the next Hall (or, “room”) that was built. Translators must decide whether the beginning of a new paragraph is adequate to make this transition. If not, a transition word such as “also” (New Century Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) may be used here. It should be noted that a few interpreters think that this building is the same as the building mentioned in the previous verse, that is, the Throne Room and the Hall of Pillars are the same.
The Hall of the Throne is another name for the Hall of Judgment. This large room was the place where people met officially with the king, who would normally be seated on his throne. People probably had to pass through the Hall of Pillars to enter this room. New American Bible translates the Hall of Judgment as “the tribunal.”
Where he was to pronounce judgment may be expressed as “where he judged people.” The judgment in question here was most likely that of deciding between the merits of the arguments of two people involved in a dispute over something.
It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters: Rafters translates the ancient Syriac and Latin Vulgate. The Hebrew noun for “rafters” is qoroth. Most translations follow these ancient versions, including New International Version and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, which usually follow the Masoretic Text. The Hebrew reads “floor” (qarqaʾ). Compare New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh: “It was paneled with cedar from floor to floor.” If the Hebrew is followed, the sense may be “… from the floor of one wall to the floor of the opposite wall.” Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament does not discuss this textual variant. If translators choose to follow the Masoretic Text, a literal translation such as that in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh may have little meaning. It will be necessary therefore to say something like “… from the floor of one wall to the floor of the wall on the other side.”
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 .
7:7a In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge.
Solomon also built a hall for his throne, the Hall of Justice. This is where he sat to judge ⌊the people⌋. -or-
Solomon also had his workmen build a large room for his great/royal seat. ⌊He wanted/planned⌋ to sit there and judge ⌊the people of Israel⌋. This room was called Judgment Hall.
7:7b It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.
He paneled this room/porch from floor to ceiling with cedar wood. -or-
He had the ⌊inside walls of⌋ this room covered from the ground to the rafters with pine wood.
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