Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 6:9:
Kupsabiny: “Solomon completed construction of the House of God in the way that he arranged beams up/on top and fixed boards of cedar wood on them.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “In this way, having made its roof with rafters and wooden planks of cedar, he finished the temple.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When the walls of the temple were- already -placed, Solomon had-(them)-put ceiling which the frames are cedar.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So Solomon’s workers finished building the framework of the temple. They made the ceiling from cedar beams and boards.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Description Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
So he built the house, and finished it: He refers to King Solomon. Solomon has not been mentioned by name since the second verse of this chapter. So it is probably a good idea to use his name as in Revised English Bible or both his name and title as in Good News Translation.
The two verbs, built and finished, may be translated in some languages by a single verb form indicating that “he completed the building.” Nouvelle version Segond révisée says “After having finished building the house, Solomon….”
He made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar: The meaning of the Hebrew in the second half of this verse is not clear, but it clearly refers to the construction of the roof. The two Hebrew nouns rendered beams and planks are rare words whose exact meanings are uncertain. One common understanding is that the Temple had horizontal cedar beams and planks (or, “boards”) for the covering of the beams. New American Bible says “it was roofed in with rafters and boards of cedar.” Others, however, understand the terms to refer to paneled ceilings and aligned beams in which the beams crisscrossed and the empty spaces between the beams were covered with panels. The technical English term for recessed paneling is “coffers.” Compare “he roofed the Temple with a coffered ceiling of cedar wood” (New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) and “and roofed it with beams and coffering of cedar” (Revised English Bible).
For the word cedar, see the comments at 1 Kgs 4.33.
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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