14He carried away all Jerusalem, all the officials, all the warriors, ten thousand captives, all the artisans and the smiths; no one remained except the poorest people of the land.
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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 24:14:
Kupsabiny: “All the people that Nebuchadnezzar captured and took along from Jerusalem were ten thousand (10,000). He took the leaders, soldiers and craftsmen/carpenters. The only people who were left in the city were the most poor people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He took captive everyone from Jerusalem. By taking officers, soldiers, artisans and craftsmen, he took captive and deported ten thousand men. He left only the very poor behind.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “And he took-captives the 10,000 residents of Jerusalem, including all the officers and the best soldiers, and all the skilled workers and smiths/metal-workers. Only the poorest were-left.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “They took from Jerusalem to Babylon 10,000 people, including the important officials and the best soldiers and the people who made and repaired things that were made of metal. Only the very poor people were left in Judah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”
This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.
He carried away: In 2 Kgs 15.29 the Hebrew verb here is rendered “carried … captive” (see the comments there). Some other possible renderings are “deported” (New American Bible), “took away” (New Century Version), and “exiled” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The implied subject of this verb is Nebuchadnezzar. This name may be made explicit (so Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).
All Jerusalem is an exaggeration for “all the people of Jerusalem.” But it becomes clear at the end of this verse that this is not to be taken literally. Some of the poorer people were allowed to remain in the city.
Princes: See the comments on verse 12. The Hebrew word here is rendered “captain” in 2 Kgs 1.9, and it is possible that it has a military meaning here. Certain versions translate “officers” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible) or “commanders” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Others, however, take this word as referring more generally to those in positions of authority in the society, for example, “nobles” (New Jerusalem Bible), “leaders” (New Century Version), or “officials” (New Revised Standard Version).
Mighty men of valor: The expression men of valor translates a single Hebrew word (as in 1 Sam 10.26) whose basic meaning is “power” or “strength,” but it is further qualified in the original text here by a word meaning “mighty” or “strong.” Some scholars think that it does not refer exclusively to fighting men. Rather, it is taken by Good News Translation as “leading men.” But it is more likely that it should be translated “warriors” (New Revised Standard Version), “fighting men” (Revised English Bible), or “men of the army” (New American Bible). See the comments on this expression at 2 Kgs 5.1.
Craftsmen: This renders the same Hebrew word that is translated “carpenters” in 2 Kgs 22.6. In some other cases it is rendered “smith” or “smiths” (1 Sam 13.19; Isa 54.16; Zech 1.20). But since the following word may refer more specifically to blacksmiths, the word probably has a more general meaning here. New Jerusalem Bible, however, has “blacksmiths” here and translates the following word as “metalworkers.” And Peregrino has “blacksmiths and locksmiths.”
Smiths are people who make and repair things of metal. Since the Hebrew word used here is related to the verb meaning “to close,” some ancient scholars thought it meant “gatekeepers” and several modern versions have “locksmiths” (Moffatt, Peregrino, La Bible Pléiade, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Osty-Trinquet, La Bible du Rabbinat Français. But the most probable meaning here is “blacksmiths” or “metal workers” (New Century Version). The Hebrew words translated craftsmen and smiths also occur together in verse 16 as well as in Jer 24.1 and 29.2.
The fact that the number ten thousand comes before all the craftsmen and the smiths seems to indicate that these two groups were not included in the total. Contemporary English Version, however, seems to understand that the total of all those who were deported numbered ten thousand. Either interpretation may be followed.
The poorest people of the land: Only those people who were incapable of organizing a resistance movement were allowed to remain in Jerusalem.
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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