chariot

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

In Eastern Highland Otomi it’s translated as “cart pulled by horses” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98) and in Chichicapan Zapotec as “ox cart” (in Acts 8). Ox carts are common vehicles for travel. (Source: Loren Bliese)

In Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.) and in the Hausa Common Language Ajami Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

It is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also cart.

Jerusalem

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)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 9:19

Store-cities were towns that served as places for the storage of government supplies, including food. In addition to the Good News Translation model, some other possible translations are “cities where he could store grain and supplies” (International Children’s Bible), “towns as supply centers” (New Living Translation), and “storage towns” (New Jerusalem Bible).

The cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen: See the comments at 1 Kgs 1.5 and 4.26. As noted in the discussion of the same Hebrew noun for horsemen in 1 Kgs 4.26, this noun may refer to “cavalry” (New Revised Standard Version), “horses” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or “chariot soldiers” (International Children’s Bible). Whatever the precise meaning of the Hebrew noun here, it is clear that both horses and soldiers would have been stationed in these cities. For this reason the following rendering, which includes both, may be a useful model: “chariot towns, and cavalry towns” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

And whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem: Other renderings include “He built to his heart’s content in Jerusalem” (New Living Translation) and “Solomon had them build whatever he wanted in Jerusalem” (Contemporary English Version).

Lebanon: See the comments on 1 Kgs 4.33.

In all the land of his dominion: Other translations include “in all the land under his rule” (An American Translation), “throughout the entire realm” (New Living Translation), and “in all the land submitted to his authority” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

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