And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David …: The common Hebrew conjunction rendered And may be translated “Then” (New Living Translation) to introduce the next event in the story. Revised Standard Version reflects the order of the Hebrew by saying Hiram king of Tyre (name, title, and area of rule), but the Good News Translation translators considered it more natural in English to speak of “King Hiram of Tyre,” putting the title first. Naturalness in the receptor language should be the determining factor in deciding the order of the elements in this phrase. The king’s name is spelled Hiram in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings, but the writer of 1–2 Chronicles usually has the spelling “Huram” (see, for example, 2 Chr 2.1-13; 8.18). With the exception of Jewish Publication Version, most translations of 1 Chronicles use the same spelling here as in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. Tyre was located on a small island on the Mediterranean coast, north of Palestine. It became the leading city of Phoenicia under Hiram I (969–935 B.C.). Some translations say “the city of Tyre” (New Century Version, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). David, and later Solomon, established treaties with Hiram, who supplied material and craftsmen for construction projects (2 Sam 5.11; 1 Kgs 5.1-12; 2 Chr 2.3-16).
The Hebrew word rendered messengers may also mean “angel” or “ambassador” (so Reina-Valera revisada, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). In this context these representatives of King Hiram were more than mere messengers; they were a “delegation” (Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur). Several versions have “envoys” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). They were closely related to the sending of builders and building materials. For this reason Good News Translation speaks of a “trade mission.” But this may be difficult to translate into other languages. Some models bearing the same meaning are “representatives to talk about trade” and “agents to negotiate agreements between their two countries.”
Cedar trees could grow as tall as 30 meters (100 feet), which made them ideal for use as beams. If the receptor language uses different words for live trees and logs, it is quite clear that “cedar logs” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Holman Christian Standard Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt) or “cedar timber[s]” (New Living Translation, An American Translation) are intended here.
Masons and carpenters refer to people who worked on two different aspects of construction. Masons built with stones while carpenters used wood. In Hebrew the people who did these two different jobs are called “carvers [or, craftsmen] of walls” and “carvers of wood.” In some languages it will be necessary to say “workers who built with stones and those who built with wood.” Other renderings for masons include “stonemasons” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “stonecutters” (International Children’s Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). In some languages carpenters is translated “hammerers” or “people of the hammer.”
To build a house for him: The house was clearly more than a mere house. It will be more natural in languages that have a specific word for a king’s house to use it here. Many translations say “palace” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Translators should look for words that give the idea of a large and rather luxurious residence prepared for a king.
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 .