33Now the men were watching for an omen; they quickly took it up from him and said, “Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother.” Then he said, “Go and bring him.” So Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him come up into the 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. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
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.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 20:33:
Kupsabiny: “Those people then expected that this might be a good word which Ahab had said. When Ahab had said like that, those people responded, ‘Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother, isn’t he?’ Then Ahab sent (message) saying, ‘Go and fetch that fellow.’ And/But when Ben-hadad arrived to where Ahab was, he accepted to take him up into his chariot.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “His men thinking that these words of the king were a good sign, immediately taking the opportunity, said, "As you said, Ben-hadad is your brother." Then he said, "Bring him to me." After Ben-hadad had come, Ahab put him in his chariot.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The officers considered the answer of the king as a sign that they have hope, so they immediately said, ‘Yes, Ben Hadad is just like your brother.’ The king said, ‘You (plur.) bring him to me.’ When- Ben Hadad -arrived, Ahab had- him ride in his chariot.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Ben-Hadad’s officials were trying to find out if Ahab would act mercifully, and when Ahab said ‘brother,’ they were optimistic/thought that Ahab would be merciful. So they replied, ‘Yes, he is like your brother!’ Ahab said, ‘Go and bring him to me.’ So they went and brought Ben-Hadad to him. When Ben-Hadad arrived, Ahab told him to get in his chariot and sit with him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The men refers to Benhadad’s officials (verse 31).
The words were watching for an omen translate a single Hebrew verb that sometimes means “to seek an omen through divination.” In this context, however, the officials were not practicing some form of divination. Rather, they were paying careful attention to what King Ahab said, looking for something that would indicate whether or not he would act favorably toward Benhadad, the defeated king of Syria. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “divined his meaning.” The meaning here is that the messengers were attempting to find out if Ahab really meant what he had said in using the word “brother.”
They quickly took it up from him: The meaning of the Hebrew here is uncertain. The Hebrew verb rendered took … up occurs only here in the Old Testament. It apparently means “to declare valid” or “to accept as a convincing explanation.”
The initial letter of the Hebrew word translated from him seems to be an interrogative (question) particle, which makes little sense here. The reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text indicates that this initial letter is a pronominal suffix (it) and is to be read as the final letter of the previous word.
For quickly took it up from him, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “quickly caught the word from him.” Other renderings include “quickly accepted his offer” and “were eager to take Ahab at his word” (La Bible du Semeur).
Your brother Ben-hadad: See the comments on the term brother in 1 Kgs 9.13.
He caused him to come up into the chariot means Ahab caused Benhadad to get into Ahab’s chariot. The Hebrew verb here is a causative form of the verb translated “went up” in verses 1 and 26. Benhadad had “come up” against Samaria and Aphek, yet it was the king of Israel who caused the Syrian king “to come up” into his chariot. But a more natural equivalent in many languages may be something like “Ahab invited him into his chariot” (Revised English Bible) or “Ahab made him step into the chariot” (Moffatt). Others may prefer to say “Ahab helped him up into his chariot.”
For the word chariot, see the comments on 1 Kgs 1.5.
Since Benhadad had been hiding, he would have to go find Ahab before he could get into Ahab’s chariot. In some languages this implicit information will need to be made explicit. Compare Parole de Vie for the last half of the verse: “Ben-Hadad left his hiding place. He went to find Ahab, who had him climb into his chariot.”
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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