5Hezekiah strengthened himself and built up the entire wall that was broken down and raised towers on it, and outside it he built another wall; he also strengthened the Millo in the city of David and made weapons and shields in abundance.
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is transliterated as “Hezekiah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “facing the wall” referring to Isaiah 38:2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that signifies a model, a parameter for his life, referring to “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done” of 2 Kings 18:3. (Source: Missão Kophós )
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 32:5:
Kupsabiny: “Then Hezekiah took courage and rebuilt every place that had been damaged in the wall of Jerusalem. He built on top of that wall things from where one could see far. When he had finished, he built a second wall outside the first one and prepared well an area that was called Millo in the City of David. He also prepared very many spears and shields.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Picking up courage, wherever the city wall had collapsed, he repaired it and built towers on it. Outside the city wall he built another wall around it. And he strengthened the terraces that supported the City of David. He also made many weapons and shields.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then Hezekia strengthened more his defenses by repairing the stone-walls and building towers. He surrounded another stone-wall for the city outside the old stone-wall, and heaped-up soil on the lower part of the Town of David. He also made many weapons and shields.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then they worked hard to repair all the sections of the city wall that had been broken, and they built watchtowers on the walls. They built another wall outside/around the wall that was already outside the city, and they strengthened the defenses on the sloping terraces on the east side of the area called ‘The City of David’. They also made a large number of weapons and shields.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
He set to work resolutely: This clause introduces the greater detail in the rest of the verse. The pronoun He refers to King Hezekiah. He led his people in strengthening Jerusalem’s defenses. The basic meaning of the Hebrew verb translated set to work resolutely is “to show oneself courageous” or “to prove oneself strong.” A different form of the same verb is rendered strengthened in the second part of this verse. Its first occurrence has been translated “Acting with determination” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “took courage” (An American Translation, Dillard). But New American Bible shows it more plainly to be part of an introductory statement by rendering this whole clause as “He then looked to his defenses.”
And built up all the wall that was broken down: He repaired all the broken parts of the wall around Jerusalem. The passive expression all the wall that was broken down will have to be made active in some languages by saying “the wall, where there were breaches” (Nouvelle Bible Segond) or “all the broken parts of the wall” (New Century Version).
And raised towers upon it: There is a textual problem here, as indicated by the footnotes in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. The Masoretic Text says “and raised upon the towers,” which makes little or no sense. Most translations follow the ancient versions that say “and erected towers on it” (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text and suggests a rendering such as “and he added [buildings] to the towers” or “and he built higher on the towers.” Regarding the building of defense towers on city walls, see the comments on 2 Chr 14.7.
And outside it he built another wall: In addition to the existing wall, another wall was built further out, giving additional protection against the invading Assyrian army. This is probably the thick wall on the western side of the city that was found by archaeological excavations in 1969–1971. It is 6 meters (20 feet) thick.
And he strengthened the Millo in the city of David: For the Millo, see the comments on 1 Chr 11.8; for the city of David, see 1 Chr 11.5.
He also made weapons and shields in abundance: The weapons were offensive ones, while the shields were for defense. The Hebrew noun for weapons has also been translated “missiles” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “spears” (Good News Translation, New American Bible). This noun occurs seven times in the Masoretic Text, but its exact meaning is not clear. Most likely, it is a generic term used for any weapon that was hurled. The Hebrew word for shields refers to smaller shields, as in 1 Chr 5.18 and 2 Chr 9.16 (see the comments there). Since the king almost certainly did not make these weapons himself, it will be necessary in many languages to say that he had them made by others, as in Good News Translation. Contemporary English Version is similar with “He gave orders to make a large supply of weapons and shields.”
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 .
32:5a Then Hezekiah worked resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to raise up towers on it.
King Hezekiah ⌊also⌋ worked hard to repair the parts of the wall that had broken down, and he added towers on the wall. -or-
⌊In addition to stopping up the waterways⌋ King Hezekiah ⌊had his workmen⌋ repair the broken sections of the city wall. They ⌊also⌋ put up watchtowers on the walls.
32:5b He also built an outer wall and reinforced the supporting terraces of the City of David,
He built an outer wall and reinforced the stepped defences of the City of David. -or-
He had them build a new wall outside the main wall. Then they strengthened the terraces that support the wall around the part of the city called the City of David.
32:5c and he produced an abundance of weapons and shields.
He also made many weapons and shields. -or-
He/King Hezekiah also had them make many weapons and shields.
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