13I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line for Samaria and the plummet for the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
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:
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)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ahab” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” + “jealous” referring to the story in 1 Kings 21. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 21:13:
Kupsabiny: “The city of Jerusalem will get pain/punishment like what Samaria got. The house of Manasse will also meet with punishment/pain like that of the house of Ahab. I shall wipe/sweep away the people of Jerusalem like how a person rinses a utensil after having eaten and turn it upside down.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I will put on Jerusalem the same measuring line that I used on Samaria and I will hang the same plumb line that I hung for the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem thoroughly like someone would thoroughly wipe a dish and turn it over.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-judge Jerusalem like my judging of Samaria and the household of King Ahab. I will-clean-up Jerusalem like a plate that was-wiped-up and turned-upside-down.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I will judge and punish the people of Jerusalem like I punished the family of King Ahab of Israel. I will wipe Jerusalem clean/remove all the people from Jerusalem, like people wipe a plate and then turn it upside down after they have finished eating, to show that they are now satisfied.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab …: The various images in this verse all point to the idea of divine punishment and destruction, but this may not be immediately evident in a literal rendering. The measuring line and the plummet were used in the work of construction, but here they are used figuratively for a work of destruction that will be done with great accuracy and precision. A measuring line was a cord, made of various materials, often of flax, that allowed builders and carpenters to measure lengths. A plummet (also called a plumb line) consisted of a weight made from a stone hanging from a cord. It was used to make sure walls were built straight up and down. The capital of the southern kingdom, Jerusalem, would be destroyed in the same way that Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, had already been devastated by the Assyrians (2 Kgs 17.5-23; 18.9-10). The house of Ahab, whose family had been totally annihilated (2 Kgs 10.11, 17), stands for the whole northern kingdom of Israel. According to this prophetic word, the southern kingdom of Judah would meet with the same fate as their northern neighbors.
In many languages it will be unwise to retain the images of the measuring line and the plummet since they may detract from the essential meaning rather than enhancing it. But the idea of punishment will probably have to be spelled out clearly. New Living Translation reads “I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and by the same measure I used for the family of Ahab.”
I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish is literally “I will wipe Jerusalem as he wipes a dish.” The referent for the pronoun “he” is indefinite. The metaphor is intended to depict the complete extermination of the population of the city of Jerusalem. In some languages it will be possible to say “I will remove all the people from Jerusalem just as a person removes everything from a dish when he wipes it completely clean.”
Turning it upside down: The turning of a plate upside down at the end of a meal showed that the person was completely satisfied. So some commentators feel that the image of the dish shows not only that Jerusalem would be totally emptied, but also suggests that the LORD had had enough of Judah’s sinfulness. He was no longer willing to tolerate such behavior.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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