round

In Gbaya, the notion of something round is emphasized in the referenced verses with kirkiti, an ideophone that designates a round object.

In 2 Chronicles 3:5 it refers to the round stems of (artificial) palm trees around which chains were circled and in Zechariah 5:7 to a round lid that was lifted.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

fir

The Cilician fir Abies cilicica grew abundantly in the forests of Lebanon along with cedars, evergreen cypresses, and Grecian junipers. The Hebrew word berosh probably included fir, cypress, and juniper. According to 1 Kings 5:8 and elsewhere, berosh was used in King Solomon’s building projects. The reference in Ezekiel 27:5 to the use of berosh for the timbers/planks of ships could well be talking about fir trees since they are very straight, but the association of berosh there with Mount Senir rather favors the Grecian juniper, which was abundant there.

The Cilician fir is a tall and almost perfectly straight evergreen tree, in the same family with pines, cedars, and cypresses. It can reach a height of 25 meters (82 feet). Its flat seeds are contained in cones that fall from the tree when mature. Firs are the major source for turpentine, used by painters to dilute paint and clean brushes.

The Abies genus is represented throughout the world in temperate climates at high altitudes (for example, in Kenya, Japan, and North America). Since there are no firs or anything quite like them in tropical Africa, translators can use a transliteration, for example, firi or pir. In Ezekiel 27:5 we recommend following Zohary by rendering berosh as “fir.” The majority of English translations are divided among “fir,” “cypress,” and “pine.” In 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles we recommend rendering berosh as “fir” or “juniper.” Elsewhere berosh may be considered a generic word referring to cypress, fir, pine, or all of them together. In those places a general word for this type of cone-bearing tree should be used.

Cilician fir in North Lebanon, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also cypress.

complete verse (2 Chronicles 3:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 3:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “He fixed boards of a tree called cypress on the Outer Room of that house and smeared pure gold on (it) and then he carved on it things like palm trees and chains.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “[He] put pine paneling on the walls of the main room and overlaid it with pure gold which he engraved with chains and palm trees.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He caused-to-be-walled/paneled the major temple with pine wood and caused-to-be-overlaid with pure gold, and caused-to-be-decorated with palm designs and chains.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Solomon’s workers used panels/boards of pine wood to line the main hall of the temple. Then they covered those panels with very thin sheets of pure gold. Then they decorated the walls with carved images of palm trees and designs that resembled chains.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 3:5

The nave he lined with cypress: For nave see the previous verse. The pronoun he refers to Solomon again. He almost certainly did not do the actual work here, but had it done by others. As Bible en français courant makes explicit, it was the “walls” that were lined. Moffatt correctly uses the technical term “wainscoted,” which means “to line with boards or paneling.” But “wainscoted” is perhaps too high a language level for many readers of English. For cypress see the comments on 2 Chr 2.8. A common language way of expressing the meaning of this clause is “He caused the main room to be covered by planks of fir wood.”

And covered it with fine gold is literally “and he overlaid it with good gold.” There is no apparent difference between “pure gold” (verse 4) and fine gold.

And made palms and chains on it: The Hebrew noun for palms refers to “palm trees” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). But these were not actual palm trees; rather they were models of real trees. The word chains is rendered “chain designs” (New International Version), “chain patterns” (Good News Translation), and “designs that looked like chains” (Contemporary English Version). The significance of the chain patterns is not known. But the translation should not give the impression that there were actual metal chains present. The Hebrew word here refers to ornamental chains. A different Hebrew word refers to heavy metal chains used by laborers. The palm trees and chains were “carved” on the wood panels (so Revised English Bible, Moffatt). For this whole clause God’s Word says “and decorated it with designs in the form of palm trees and chains.”

Contemporary English Version provides a clear and helpful translation of this entire verse:

• Solomon had the inside walls of the temple’s main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains.

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 3:5

3:5a He paneled the main room with cypress,

He paneled the main hall of the temple with juniper wood
-or-
He covered the inside ⌊walls⌋ of the main room with panels of juniper wood

3:5b which he overlaid with fine gold

and covered it with fine gold.
-or-
and covered the panels with ⌊thin sheets⌋ of high quality gold.

3:5c and decorated with palm trees and chains.

He decorated the gold with pictures of palm trees and chains.
-or-
He made designs of palm trees and chains in the gold.

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