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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One important aspect of addressing someone else in one’s or someone else’s family is by selecting the correct word when referring to them. One way to do this is through the usage of an appropriate title within a conversation as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
When the speaker humbly refers to his or her father in the presence of respected interlocutor(s), chichi (父) is often used as in the case of Jacob’s sons referring to their father before Joseph (in Genesis 43:28). This form is very appropriately chosen as they refer to their father as “your servant” and bowed down before Joseph the prime minister.
In some conversations, archaic honorific forms for “father” are chosen that also contain chichi (父) and typically indicate a greater level of respect. These are o-chichi-ue (お父上) (only in Genesis 48:1), and chichi-gimi (父君) in few occasions (2 Samuel 10:3, 2 Samuel 13:5, and 1 Chronicles 19:3).
Yet another, ore often-used term is chichi-ue (父上) (see addressing one’s or someone else’s father respectfully in Japanese (父上)). An interesting contrast can be found in the message sent from Asa the king of Judah to Ben-hadad the king of Aram (1 Kings 15:19). In this utterance, commonly translated as “my father and your father” in English, Asa humbly refers to his father as chichi (父) but respectfully refers to Ben-hadad’s father as chichi-ue (父上). Similar contrasts can be found in 1 Kings 20:34 and 2 Chronicles 16:3 as well.
While chichi can carry this humbling effect in reference to the speaker’s father, in some types of dialogues/utterances such as in poetry, including prayers (e.g. Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:9) and proverbial teachings (e.g. “honor your father and mother” in Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16 et al.), chichi is used without the humbling effect. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Solomon’s message to King Hiram of Tyre begins here and continues through verse 10. Contemporary English Version indents the entire message to help readers easily see the extent of the quotation. Likewise, Contemporary English Version indents all of Hiram’s reply in verses 11-16. Translators may wish to consider using this format in their own language.
And Solomon sent word to Huram the king of Tyre: Instead of sent word, the Hebrew has only the verb “sent” with no direct object, but this verb introduces the rather long quotation. It will be better rendered in some languages as “sent messengers” (La Bible du Semeur), “sent this message” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), or “sent … the following message” (Bible en français courant).
For Huram the king of Tyre, see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Huram is the spelling in most Hebrew manuscripts. Some translations (Good News Translation, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), in agreement with the Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate, spell this name “Hiram,” because it is written that way in other passages where this king of Tyre is mentioned (see 2 Sam 5.11; 1 Kgs 5.1; 1 Chr 14.1). The spelling “Hiram” also serves to distinguish this king from the artisan who was important in the actual building of the Temple and whose name is also written “Huram” or sometimes “Huramabi” (2 Chr 2.13; 4.16). The Phoenician form of his name was Ahiram.
As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me: See 1 Chr 14.1. The Hebrew verb translated dealt with and deal with is the common verb meaning “to do” or “to make,” so a more literal translation would read “As you did to/for David … do to/for me.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “Do as you did for my father David….” But this very general meaning is clarified when Solomon adds sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in. Others have translated this verb as “Do business with” (Good News Translation) and “collaborate with” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Sent is a literal translation of the Hebrew. According to 1 Kgs 5, David paid Hiram for the cedar wood. This is apparently the reason for the Good News Translation rendering “sold.” For cedar see the comments on 1 Chr 14.1. Good News Translation says “cedar logs” for clarity (so also NET Bible). Since David was a king, many versions render house as “palace” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt) or “royal residence” (Revised English Bible).
The clause so deal with me is not actually in the Hebrew text, but it is implied in the structure that begins with As you dealt with David my father….Revised Standard Version and most other versions have added this clause as the sense requires. Nouvelle version Segond révisée places the implied clause in parentheses at the beginning of the sentence instead of coming after the comparison with David, and this may be the more logical position to place this implied information in certain other languages. Rather than adding words as Revised Standard Version has done, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh simply uses a long dash at the end of the verse to show that the thought has not been completed. For the same reason Osty-Trinquet ends the verse with three dots.
If it seems more natural to restructure this whole sentence, Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie provide a possible model, saying “You furnished cedar logs to my father David so that he could build his palace. Do the same for me.” New Century Version has “Help me as you helped my father David. You sent him cedar logs so he could build himself a palace to live in.”
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 .
2:3a Then Solomon sent word to Hiram king of Tyre:
This is the message Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre: -or-
King Solomon sent messengers to King Hiram the king of Tyre. ⌊This is what they said to him⌋ :
2:3b “Do for me as you did for my father David
“Send me the wood of cedar trees as you (sing) did for David, my father. -or-
“⌊In the past,⌋ you sent my father King David wood of cedar trees. Send some to me too.
2:3c when you sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in.
⌊You did this⌋ when he was building his palace. -or-
When he was building a royal house to live in, you sent him this wood.
2:3b–c (reordered)
“You sent cedar wood to my King David my father so that he could build his palace. Do the same for me.
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