21Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married” and similarly in Makonde, “a slave who is/was a wife.”
In Kwere it is translated as “small wife.” This is the term for subsequent wives when polygamy is practiced among the Kwere. While they enjoy most of the same rights and privileges as the first wife, their status is not necessarily the same. In Kalanga it is likewise translated with balongwana or “small wife.” (Source for all: project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Newari it is translated as “illegitimate wife” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that shows a couple, in a legitimate union between a man and a woman with the left hand. The right hand refers to another woman, who is subordinate to the lawful wife; therefore, the X shape symbolizes “submission and obedience.” (Source: Missão Kophós )
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “daughter of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system . This means that for instance in Luke 2:36 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Anna the daughter of Phanuel” becomes “Anna Fanúelsdóttir” or in Jeremiah 52:1 “Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah” becomes “Hamútal Jeremíadóttir” where in both cases the “-óttir” means “daughter of.
In cases where “daughter of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage (or is uncertain), however, this system is not used. So in 1 Chronicles 1:50 “Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Me-zahab” is translated as “Mehetabeel, dóttir Matredar, dóttur Mesahabs.” (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)
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 11:21:
Kupsabiny: “Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty concubines. All those women bore to Rehoboam twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. But his wife Maakah was his favorite.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Rehoboam loved Maacah more than the other wives and concubines [lit.: illegitimate wives]. All together he had 18 wives and 60 concubines [lit.: illegitimate wives]. He was the father of 28 sons and 60 daughters.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Rehoboam loved Maaca more than his other wives. Rehoboam had 18 wives and other 60 wives who were slaves. And his children (are) 28 sons and 60 daughters.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Rehoboam loved Maacah more than he loved any other of his wives and slave wives. Altogether he had 18 wives and 60 slave wives, and 28 sons and 60 daughters.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines: The fact that Rehoboam loved Maacah more than any of his other wives or concubines may be expressed in a variety of ways in other languages. One English translation has “Maacah was Rehoboam’s favorite wife.” The Hebrew repeats here that Maacah was the daughter of Absalom. Some versions omit that information here for reasons of style (so Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible). If it is retained, it should be translated in the same way as in the previous verse.
Concubines were servant women who, although not wives, had sexual relations with their masters. They had important legal rights, and their masters were referred to as their husbands. Contemporary English Version defines concubines in a footnote as “women who were legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife.” Contemporary English Version calls them “other women,” which is a rather weak translation of the Hebrew noun here. New Century Version has “slave women,” which is somewhat better. They are referred to in Bible en français courant as “wives of second rank.” In some other languages they have been called “servant-wives.”
He took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters: Large families were a sign of God’s blessing (see also 2 Chr 13.21).
The structure of this verse is fundamentally changed by Good News Translation and some other modern versions. The material that Revised Standard Version takes as parenthetical at the end of the verse is moved to the beginning and sets the stage for what is said about Maacah. Such restructuring may provide a more reasonable model for other languages.
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 .
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