The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 9:15:
Kupsabiny: “Solomon prepared/arranged two hundred large shields covered/plated with gold. He made each one them from three kilos of gold.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “King Solomon made 200 shields of gold sheet metal. He used about 7 kilograms of gold beaten with a hammer to make each shield.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “King Solomon made 200 large shields wherein each shield was-overlaid/covered with about seven kilos of gold.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “King Solomon’s workers took this gold and hammered it into thin sheets and covered 200 large shields with those thin sheets of gold; they put almost 7-1/2 pounds of gold on each shield.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
King Solomon made two hundred large shields of beaten gold: In some languages it will be more fitting to say that Solomon had these shields made (so Bible en français courant) or that he caused workmen to make them. The verb made is not to be taken in its most literal sense.
The Hebrew noun rendered large shields refers to rectangular shields that protected the whole body of the warrior (see the comments on 1 Chr 12.8). It differs from the Hebrew noun for “shields” in verse 16, which Good News Translation renders “smaller shields” (similarly La Bible Pléiade). It is possible that the shields were made of gold, but more likely they were made of wood or some kind of metal and “covered” with gold (so Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
The adjective beaten translates a Hebrew participle from the verb usually meaning “to slaughter.” In this context it is usually understood to mean “to beat”; that is, the gold was beaten or hammered into very thin sheets that covered the shields made of wood. Most modern versions are based on this understanding of the Hebrew verb and say “beaten gold” (Revised Standard Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “covered with gold.” However, according to Holladay, the Hebrew verb should be understood in light of a similar verb in Arabic which means to mix wine with water. In this case the Hebrew verb will mean “mixed” or “alloyed,” that is, the gold was mixed with some other kind of metal. This understanding is followed in Bible en français courant, which says “gold alloy.”
Six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield is literally “six hundred beaten gold….” The noun shekels is understood and is supplied in the Revised Standard Version translation here, as also in the next verse. When a unit of weight is left unnamed in Old Testament texts, it is normally the shekel. For shekels see the comments on 2 Chr 1.17. In pounds the equivalent of six hundred shekels is “about fifteen pounds” (Good News Translation). In kilograms the equivalent is about “six kilos” (Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or “seven kilos” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Instead of adding the word shekels here, New International Version adds the word “bekas” (see the comments on the next verse for an explanation).
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 .
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