complete verse (2 Chronicles 32:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 32:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “he held a council meeting with (the) other leaders who were in charge of soldiers and (he/they) prepared to close off the water springs that were outside the city because he did not want the Assyrians to get that water. Those people gathered many other people and then they closed all the springs together with the small river that flowed through the middle of the city of Jerusalem.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He took counsel with his officials and the leaders of the army to block the waters of the springs outside the city. They gave him help in this.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “he talked/(ask for counsel) to his officials and to the leaders of his soldiers. They decided to stop the flowing of the springs outside the city.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “he consulted with his officials and army leaders. They said among themselves, ‘Why should we allow the king of Assyria and his army to come and find plenty of water to drink?’ So they decided to stop the water from flowing outside the city. So a large group of men gathered together and blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through that area.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 32:3 - 32:4

Verses 3 and 4 are combined in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version, presumably because the final clause of verse 3, and they helped him, comes logically after the first part of verse 4. But most other versions do not restructure these two verses.

He planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city: The pronouns He and his refer to Hezekiah. They may be replaced by the proper name in those languages where necessary to make the meaning of the text clear. As Revised Standard Version shows, the Hebrew refers to two groups here: officers and mighty men. The Hebrew word for officers is the same as the one rendered “princes” in 2 Chr 31.8 (see the comments there), and it is so translated by An American Translation here, but the meaning is adequately expressed by the rendering of Revised Standard Version. For mighty men, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.10. Good News Translation includes both groups together in one group, saying “officials.” But in most languages there should be no problem in finding distinct terms for civilian officials and military officers; for example, Dillard says “officials” and “military staff.”

And they helped him: The civilian and military officials helped Hezekiah to cut off the water supply outside the city.

A great many people were gathered: The officials organized a huge crew to do the work.

And they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land: Some scholars believe the brook refers to what is known as “Hezekiah’s Tunnel.” According to 2 Kgs 20.20, Hezekiah had made a pool and tunnel to bring water into Jerusalem. Today there is a tunnel nearly 600 meters (1,970 feet) long, hewn out of solid rock, to the east of the city. Some scholars believe that this is what the Chronicler is talking about here; for example, Bible en français courant renders and the brook that flowed through the land as “as well as that which flowed through an underground canal.” Parole de Vie similarly says “in particular that which flows in a canal located underground.” However, other scholars take this phrase to be an allusion to “the running stream in the valley nearby” (New American Bible). In this context the land does not refer to the whole country of Judah but rather to a smaller region of the country, that is, the area of Jerusalem.

Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?: The Masoretic Text has kings in the plural, but both the Septuagint and the Syriac have the singular, referring to Sennacherib. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has the singular, but the plural should be retained in translation since the textual evidence for the singular is weak. The question here is rhetorical, meaning “The kings of Assyria will not find much water when they come here.” But the direct quotation may have to be made into indirect discourse in some languages. This may be done by saying “They were telling each other that they certainly did not want the kings of Assyria to find an abundance of water if they arrived near Jerusalem.”

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 .