1 Kings 12:4

12:4 “Your father made us work too hard. ¹  Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” ² 

1 Kings 12:11

12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. ³  My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” ⁴ 

1 Kings 3:9

3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ⁵  so he can make judicial decisions for ⁶  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ⁷  Otherwise ⁸  no one is able ⁹  to make judicial decisions for ¹⁰  this great nation of yours.” ¹¹ 

1 Kings 10:2

10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem ¹²  with a great display of pomp, ¹³  bringing with her camels carrying spices, ¹⁴  a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind.

[12:4]  ¹ tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”

[12:4]  ² tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, [vÿna’avdekha] “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל [haqel], “lighten”) indicates purpose (or result). The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.

[12:11]  ³ tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”

[12:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture using poisonous insects, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound. Cf. CEV “whips with pieces of sharp metal.”

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

[3:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your numerous people.”

[10:2]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.

[10:2]  ⁹ tn Or “balsam oil.”