complete verse (2 Chronicles 20:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 20:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “The soldiers of the Ammonites and those of the Moabites fought against the soldiers of the people of Seir destroying them completely. After that, also the Ammonites and Moabites fought one another until destroying one another.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The Ammonites and Moabites attacked the people from Mount Sier and completely destroyed them. Having finished slaughtering the people of Seir, they attacked one another.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “for the Ammonhon and Moabnon attacked the soldiers of those of/from-Mount of Seir and they were- totally -destroyed. When they had-finished killing, they in-return killed-each-other.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The soldiers from Ammon and Moab started to fight against the soldiers from Edom, and they completely annihilated the soldiers from Edom. After they finished slaughtering the men from Edom, they started to attack each other.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 20:23

For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir …: Revised Standard Version renders the common Hebrew conjunction as For since this verse tells how the LORD defeated Judah’s enemies. He did it by having them kill each other. For the men of Ammon and Moab and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, see the comments on verse 10. Rose against may be rendered “attacked” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version).

Destroying them utterly is literally “to put under a ban and destroy.” The first of the two Hebrew verbs here carries the idea of complete destruction (see the comments on 1 Chr 4.41, where it is rendered “exterminated”). The adverb utterly does not render a separate word in the Hebrew but correctly expresses the force of two separate Hebrew verbs. The idea of the complete destruction of the Edomites is expressed in New Living Translation as “and killed every one of them.” Knox translates “cutting them down till there was nothing left of them.”

And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another: After the armies of the Ammonites and the Moabites killed all the Edomites, they began fighting each other and ultimately demolished each other. They all helped to destroy one another is literally “they helped, a man against his friend, to destroy.” The meaning is simply “they killed each other” (New Century Version). Similar acts of self-destruction of the enemies of God’s people are recorded in the story of Gideon’s battle against the Midianites (Jdg 7.22) and in the story of Saul’s battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 14.20). The Hebrew verb translated helped may be from a root with the same consonants as the verb “to help.” This other root means “to launch an attack.” The evidence for such a root comes from the Ugaritic language, but the evidence is uncertain.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Chronicles 20:23

20:23a The Ammonites and Moabites rose up

The Ammonites and Moabites attacked
-or-
⌊First,⌋ the soldiers from Amon and Moab fought

20:23b against the inhabitants of Mount Seir,

the men from Mount Seir
-or-
⌊against their allies,⌋ the soldiers from Mount Seir.

20:23c devoting them to destruction.

to destroy and kill them all.
-or-
They killed all their soldiers.

20:23d And when they had made an end to the inhabitants of Seir,

After they finished killing the men from Seir,
-or-
After they killed the soldiers from Seir,

20:23e they helped to destroy one another.

they started to kill one another.
-or-
they attacked each other.

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