וְאֵת֩ אֲמַצְיָ֨הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֜ה בֶּן־יְהוֹאָ֣שׁ בֶּן־אֲחַזְיָ֗הוּ תָּפַ֛שׂ יְהוֹאָ֥שׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּבֵ֣ית שָׁ֑מֶשׁ ויבאו יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וַיִּפְרֹץ֩ בְּחוֹמַ֨ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם בְּשַׁ֤עַר אֶפְרַ֨יִם֙ עַד־שַׁ֣עַר הַפִּנָּ֔ה אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת אַמָּֽה׃
13King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah at Beth-shemesh; he came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of four hundred cubits.
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Ephraim” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
For Deborah, see here.
The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “cubit” or into a metric or imperial measurement in English is translated in Kutu, Kwere, and Nyamwezi as makono or “armlength.” Since a cubit is the measurement from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, one armlength (measured from the center of the chest to the fingertips) equals two cubits or roughly 1 meter. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Klao it is converted into “hand spans” (app. 6 inches or 12 cm) and “finger spans” (app. 1 inch or 2 cm) (Source: Don Slager)
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
See also Judah.
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
(Click or tap here to see details)
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo 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.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
Good News Translation leaves implicit king of Israel and king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah since most of this information is given earlier in the chapter (see verses 1, 8, and 9). Similarly, the fact that the battle took place at Beth-shemesh (verse 11) is not repeated here.
Came to Jerusalem: The Masoretic Text reads “they came to Jerusalem,” but the correction in the margin of the Masoretic Text reads “he came to [Jerusalem].” The Vulgate and one version of the ancient Greek translation, along with the parallel passage in 2 Chr 25.23, read “he led him to Jerusalem” (so New Jerusalem Bible, La Bible Pléiade, Osty-Trinquet). The meaning is basically the same regardless of which reading is followed in the Masoretic Text since it is clear that King Jehoash was with his soldiers when he marched on Jerusalem. The singular pronoun “he” keeps the focus on the king, but it may be better in some languages to say “he and his soldiers came to Jerusalem.”
Four hundred cubits: This would be the equivalent to “two hundred yards” (Good News Translation) or “six hundred feet” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation) in the American system of measurements, but in the metric system it would correspond to “nearly two hundred meters” (Bible en français courant, Good News Translation British edition). For the word cubits, see the comments at 1 Kgs 6.2.
The text is very precise about which part of the city wall was actually torn down. It was the section from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. The Ephraim Gate was located in the northern wall around Jerusalem, facing the territory of Ephraim. The Corner Gate was located in the northwest corner of the wall. The Ephraim Gate was rebuilt during the early return of the exiles under Zerubbabel and later dedicated by Nehemiah (Neh 8.16; 12.39). The Corner Gate is also mentioned in Jer 31.38 and Zech 14.10 in addition to the parallel account in 2 Chr 25. The northwest part of Jerusalem was the most vulnerable to attack by enemy forces.
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 .