24He gathered followers around him and became leader of a marauding band, after the killing by David; they went to Damascus, settled there, and made him king in Damascus.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 11:24:
Kupsabiny: “God also made a certain man who was called Rezon the son of Eliada to become enemy to Solomon. Rezon was one of the leaders who were under Hadadezer who was ruler of the country of Zobah. When David destroyed people in Zobah, Rezon left his leader and escaped to the wilderness together with some of the soldiers. While he was there he trained and led soldiers of raiding. Then, those people went and stayed in Damascus and then made Rezon to become ruler/king of Syria.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “After David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered men and became a leader of rebels. Then they went to Damascus, and Rezon reigned in Damascus.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “and he became a leader/[lit. head] of the rebels that he gathered. When David defeated the soldiers of Hadadezer, Rezon and his men went to Damascus. They put-under-(their)-jurisdiction this place and they settled there.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Rezon then became the leader of a group of outlaws. That happened after David’s army had defeated Hadadezer and had also killed all his soldiers. Rezon and his men went to Damascus and started to live there, and the people there appointed him to be their king.” (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.”
He gathered men about him: He refers to Rezon. New American Bible, Bible en français courant, and La Bible du Semeur substitute the proper name for the pronoun.
Marauding band: Revised English Bible says “freebooters.” Contemporary English Version refers to a “small army,” and New International Version speaks of a “band of rebels.” Rezon, like David, became the leader of a “roving gang of outlaws” and then became a king. These parallels between Rezon and David underline the claim that God was using Rezon for his own purposes, that is, that God had “raised up” Rezon.
After the slaughter by David: This refers most likely to David’s earlier defeat of Hadadezer (2 Sam 8.3-12; 10.18; 1 Chr 18.3-11). Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “This happened after David had defeated Hadadezer…” (similarly Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie).
It is, however, possible to understand these words as meaning that David defeated the marauding band led by Rezon. Compare New Jerusalem Bible: “A number of men having rallied to him, he became leader of a marauding band (which was then massacred by David).” Osty-Trinquet is similar with “he had gathered some men around him and had become the leader of a gang. When David killed them….”
The Septuagint moves verses 23-25a to the middle of verse 14 and omits the words after the slaughter of David. New English Bible and Revised English Bible follow the Septuagint in omitting these words, but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text.
They went to Damascus … and made him king in Damascus: Damascus was the capital city of Syria, and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente makes it explicit in translation that Damascus is a city by saying “… and became king in that city.” Osty-Trinquet follows the Septuagint here and has singular verbs, saying “he went to Damascus and he dwelt there and he reigned in Damascus” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). However, the plural verbs of the Hebrew text should be followed.
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 .
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