18When King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, the people of Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam hurriedly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Rehoboam” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” + “divide” + “south.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 10:18:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Rehoboam sent Adoniram to go and force the people of the land of Israel of North. But those people threw stones at Adoniram until he died. Then Rehoboam climbed immediately into his cart that was pulled and fled to Jerusalem.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then King Rehoboam sent to their place, Adoniram the foreman of slave labor. But the Israelites stoned him to death. [lit.: killed him by throwing rocks]. King Rehoboam, however, staying in his chariot, escaped to Jerusalem.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Now, King Rehoboam sent/[lit. cause-to-go] Hadoram to the Israelinhon, the one-(who)-supervise the people who are-forced to work. But the Israelinhon stoned him until (he) died. Then Rehoboam hurriedly rode his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then King Rehoboam went with Adoniram to talk to the Israeli people. Adoniram was the man who supervised all the men who were forced to work for Rehoboam. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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.”
Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor: By sending the man who was in charge of the forced labor, Rehoboam transmitted a clear message to the northern tribes of Israel that he intended to deal harshly with them and was not going to grant their request that he lighten their load. The text does not state why Rehoboam sent Adoniram, but the meaning is clearly “to restore order” (New Living Translation).
In the parallel passage of 1 Kgs 12.18 Hadoram is called “Adoram,” and in 2 Sam 20.24 the man in charge of the forced labor under King David is also called “Adoram.” But the ancient Greek and Syriac translations of these two verses have the name “Adoniram.” In 1 Kgs 4.6 and 5.14 the name of the man holding this position during the reign of Solomon is “Adoniram.” Although some interpreters think it is not probable that the same person held this office for some forty years, it is likely that “Adoram” and Hadoram (so the Masoretic Text here) are simply variants of the name “Adoniram.” Good News Translation and New Living Translation use the name “Adoniram” in all of these passages.
Who was taskmaster over the forced labor is literally “who was over the forced labor.” Revised Standard Version supplies the word taskmaster. Similarly, Revised English Bible adds the word “commander” and New American Bible has “superintendent.” In many languages something will need to be added in order to make the clause complete. New International Version says “who was in charge of forced labor.” The practice of using forced labor existed also in neighboring countries at that time. The people were forced to build buildings and fortified walls around cities and to do other construction projects (see 2 Chr 8.3-8). The function of Adoniram may be expressed in some languages as “captain of those who worked against their will” or “chief of those who compelled other people to work.”
And the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones: And renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Since the reaction of the people here is unexpected, it may be better in many languages to use the connector “but” (New International Version, New Living Translation). As in verse 16, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch identifies Israel as “the northern tribes,” which may be a good model for other languages. Stoned him to death with stones is redundant in English since the action of stoning someone implies that it was with stones. For this reason Good News Translation omits the words with stones (so also New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Many languages will say simply “executed him with stones” or “killed him by throwing stones on him.”
And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem: The Hebrew does not state that Rehoboam had also gone from Jerusalem into the northern kingdom, but this sentence implies that he must have gone with Adoniram. Made haste is literally “strengthened himself” or “proved to be strong.” Most interpreters understand the form of the Hebrew verb here to mean “with haste” or “hurriedly” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Others understand it to mean “to persist in something.” For made haste to mount, HALOT suggests the translation “managed to mount” (also New American Bible); that is, Rehoboam persisted (and succeeded) in mounting his chariot. A rendering of the whole sentence that expresses this sense is “and King Rehoboam had to struggle to get up into his chariot in time to flee to Jerusalem.”
Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation suggest that Rehoboam got into his chariot to flee after Adoniram had been stoned to death. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh clearly makes the one action follow the other action in time by saying “Thereupon, King Rehoboam hurriedly mounted his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.” However, the form of Hebrew verb for made haste may be understood as expressing simultaneous action; that is, while the people were in the process of stoning Adoniram, Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot and flee. If this understanding of the Hebrew verbs is correct, then Rehoboam did not wait to flee until after Adoniram had been killed.
For chariot see the comments on 1 Chr 18.4 and 2 Chr 1.14.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
10:18a Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of the forced labor,
Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram who was the supervisor of the forced work. -or-
Adoniram was the overseer of people who worked for the king. King Rehoboam sent him ⌊to make the people of the northern clans work⌋.
10:18b but the Israelites stoned him to death.
But the people of Israel killed him with stones. -or-
But ⌊they did not listen to him⌋ and they threw stones at him until he died.
10:18d And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste
So King Rehoboam hurried to get in his chariot -or-
⌊When King Rehoboam saw this,⌋ he quickly got in his war cart.
10:18e and escaped to Jerusalem.
and fled to Jerusalem. -or-
He was able to run away and go back to Jerusalem.
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