Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 18:23:
Kupsabiny: “So/Therefore, go ahead and test my master, the king of Assyria, so you can learn from that. He says that, ‘If you are able even to find two thousand soldiers who ride on horses, well, he will give you (plur.) two thousand horses!’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “’Now make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses. Look, are you able to put riders on them or not? ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘Now my master, the king of Asiria has an offer for you (sing.). We (excl.) will-give you (sing.) 2,000 horses, if that you (sing.) also have 2,000 horsemen!” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So I suggest that you make a deal between you and my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but I do not think that you are able to find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!” (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.”
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
The second person verbs in the previous verse were plural, but in verses 23-24 they are singular, as if the Assyrian official is addressing Hezekiah directly.
Come now is literally “And now.” These transition words in the original text are sometimes ignored by modern versions, but many languages will require something at this point. The words signal the fact that the speaker is moving from a general discussion to a more specific proposal. New Jerusalem Bible attempts to show this by beginning the verse with “Very well, then.” Revised Standard Version may also be including the Hebrew particle of entreaty in its rendering Come now. Nouvelle Bible Segond begins with “Now … I pray”
Make a wager is literally “pledge yourself,” which is followed by the Hebrew particle of entreaty (see the comments on verse 19). The Hebrew verb used here is related to the noun translated elsewhere as “surety” (Gen 43.9; Pro 11.15). According to the proposition that follows later in this verse, the deal would be one in which each party would be required to do something, but if Hezekiah failed in his part of the bargain, the Assyrian king would not have to keep his part. Many modern versions retain the word wager, and Contemporary English Version even has “make a bet.” But this seems misleading. Revised English Bible is probably better with “make a deal.” La Bible du Semeur provides another possible model, saying “I issue you a challenge.”
With my master: The Assyrian official is not proposing that Hezekiah go to the king of Assyria and make a deal there. Rather, he is suggesting that a deal be made on the spot between the kings of Judah and Assyria with himself acting on behalf of the Assyrian king. Good News Translation and La Bible du Semeur seek to convey this idea by adding the words “in the name of.” Something similar may be required in other languages. For the whole clause still others may use a reciprocal verb meaning something like “let’s make a deal between you and my master.”
I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders upon them: In some cases the order of the clauses here may need to be reversed, placing the if clause first, in order to make it sound more natural; for example, some may say something like the following: “If you [singular] can find two thousand men who can ride horses, then I will give you two thousand horses.”
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 .
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