complete verse (2 Kings 13:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 13:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that, Joash defeated Ben-hadad three times and recovered/returned all the cities that had been taken from his father.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jehoash, king of Israel defeated Ben-hadad son of Hazael three times. He took back the cities Israelite that Ben-hadad had taken during the reign of his father, Jehoahaz.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jehoash defeated Aram three times, and he recovered from Ben Hadad the towns that were-conquered by the father Ben Hadad which-is Hazael when he fought against Jehoahaz the father of Jehoash.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The army of King Jehoash of Israel defeated the army of King Ben-Hadad three times, and recaptured the cities that Ben-Hadad’s army had captured during the time that Jehoash’s father Jehoahaz was ruling Israel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 13:25

Then: The transition word here properly introduces an additional step in the sequence of history. But in some languages it will be quite natural to omit the transition marker at this point as in several modern versions (Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

Took again: The text literally has two verbs at this point, saying “turned and took.” But this is rightly understood as a way of saying that Jehoash “took back” (New American Bible, New Century Version) what had once belonged to Israel. Some other modern renderings of the double verb construction are “recovered” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “recaptured” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). It is, in fact, synonymous with the verb recovered at the end of the verse.

The cities which he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war: The subject of the Hebrew verb rendered had taken is ambiguous, and Good News Translation incorrectly makes “Benhadad” the subject. But commentators are agreed that it was Hazael who had captured these cities (see 2 Kgs 10.32-33; 12.18). Better translations include “all the towns Hazael had captured in battle from his father Jehoahaz” (Contemporary English Version) and “the towns that Hazael had taken from Jehoash’s father, Jehoahaz” (New Living Translation).

Three times Joash defeated him: Some translators may need to know whether this means that the Syrians were defeated in the same place three times or in three different places. Some commentators seem to indicate that the victories were all at Aphek, but this seems unlikely since Jehoash captured several different cities. It will be recalled that Jehoash hit the ground three times in verse 18 and Elisha’s comments in verse 19 indicated that he would be victorious in only three battles. The text does not indicate where these cities were located, but most likely they were on the west side of the Jordan River. It was apparently Jehoash’s son, Jeroboam II, who recaptured territory east of the Jordan (2 Kgs 14.25).

For the spelling “Jehoash” (Good News Translation) instead of Joash, see the comments on verse 9.

It will sound unnecessarily redundant in some languages to say recovered the cities of Israel at the end of this verse since this is a repetition of information already given earlier in the verse (so Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .