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 3:9

3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ³  so he can make judicial decisions for ⁴  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ⁵  Otherwise ⁶  no one is able ⁷  to make judicial decisions for ⁸  this great nation of yours.” ⁹ 

[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.

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

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “to judge.”

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