The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) shortened NRSV reading of 1 Kings 4:24. We cannot spy into the scholarly discussions and learn why they made this change, although I am certain somebody kept minutes of those meetings. I decided to look into what I could with respect to scholars' thoughts on the verse. Perhaps I could get a feel for what the NRSVue revisers might have been thinking. I think I found something. In the end, however, I still strongly desire to know how the conversation went in that closed room of NRSVue scholars who were revising the NRSV at 1 Kings 4:24.
Comparing Translations
Here is the new reading of the NRSVue:
For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates, and he had peace on all sides.
And here is the verse as it reads in the NRSV:
For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides. (my bold text indicates the additional information not included in the update)
NRSV does not have a footnote; but NRSVue has this at the word "Euphrates":
Gk: Heb adds from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates
We would read note this as, "This is the way the Greek (LXX) reads. The Hebrew (Masoretic Text) includes the text, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates."
This note is rather interesting partly because the NRSV is one of the translations that tends to favor the Greek over the Hebrew when there is diagreement between the two. I have noticed this tendency especially when the Greek is the longer text. In this case, the Greek is shorter. Let's look at the other two translations that tend to favor Greek over Hebrew when there is disagreement.
New American Bible Revised Edition:
1 Kings 5:4 He had dominion over all the land west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and all its kings, and he had peace on all his borders round about.
(Some translations mark 1 Kings 4:24 at 1 Kings 5:4 because the Hebrew starts a new chapter at 1 Kings 4:21). NABre gives the longer reading although it does not repeat the phrase "west of the River."
Revised English Bible:
For he was paramount over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, ruling all the kings west of the river; and he enjoyed peace on all sides.
REB also gives the longer reading.
This decision on the part of the NRSVue scholars seems to go deeper than merely resolving a difference between Hebrew and Greek.
Scholarly Points
Dr. M. J. Mulder observes:
Two cities are mentioned: (1) Tiphsah and (2) Gaza, names which are missing in some Hebr. MSS and also in LXX(B, Luc); either by homoioteleuton or because it concerns an even later addition in certain Hebr. MSS LXX does have this addition in 2:46f. (Dr. M. J. Mulder and translator John Vriend, 1 Kings: Vol. 11 Kings 1-11, Historical Commentary on the Old Testament, 1998, p. 192)
In other words, some Hebrew manuscripts contain the shorter reading and two specific Greek texts, "Codex Vaticanus (and its recension)" and the Greek text "The (proto-)Lucianic recension," give the shorter reading. Either the additional text was added so late that it came into the text after the LXX was translated from the Hebrew, or it was dropped from the Hebrew text that was used in the LXX translation by homoioteleuton. Homoioteleuton has to do with a series of words that end the same. If it happened in this text, some Hebrew scribe was copying the text (I'll quote the NRSV):
For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates; and he had peace on all sides.
When he finished writing in the new copy the first occurance of "west of the Euphrates," his eye returned to his master copy but he located the second occurance of "west of the Euphrates" and continued copying. The information between the two instances of "west of the Euphrates" was lost.
Mulder also mentions that the longer text does apper in 1 Kings 2:46. Indeed, in the LXX, much of the information in chapters 4-5 is documented, although not in quite the same order.
1 Kings 2:46 (NRSV) Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died.
So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
Compared with the LXX:
And King Salomon commanded Banaia son of Iodae, and he went out and did away with him, and he died. (4:20) And King Salomon was very prudent and wise, and Ioudas and Israel were very many as the sand which is by the sea in great number, eating and drinking and being happy, and Salomon was chief among all the kingdoms, and they were bringing gifts, and they were subject to Salomon all the days of his life. And Salomon began to open the resources of Lebanon, and he built Thermai in the wilderness. And this was (4:22) the midday meal for Salomon: thirty kors of choice flour and sixty kors of ground meal, (4:23) ten choice calves and twenty pasture-fed oxen and one hundred sheep, besides deer and gazelles and choice fatted birds. (4:24) For he was chief everywhere across the river from Raphi to Gaza, among all the kings across the river, and he had peace on all his sides round about, (4:25) and Ioudas and Israel lived in confidence, each under his vine and under his fig tree, eating and drinking, from Dan and as far as Bersabee, all the days of Salomon. And these were the officials of Salomon: Azariou son of Sadok the priest and Orniou son of Nathan chief of those in charge and Edram, over his house, and Souba, scribe, and Basa son of Achithalam, recorder, and Abi son of Ioab, commander-in-chief, and Achire son of Edrai over the levies and Banaia son of Iodae over the main court and over the brickworks and Zachour son of Nathan, the counselor. (4:26) And Salomon had forty thousand brood mares for chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. (4:21) And he was chief among all the kings from the river and as far as the land of allophyles and to the borders of Egypt. l Salomon son of Dauid reigned over Israel and Ioudas in Ierousalem. (New English Translation of the Septuagint. My italics: additional text contained in LXX. My bold: The additional text that contains the text missing in LXX at 1 Kings 4:24)
Simon J. DeVries ("1 Kings," WBC, Word, Waco, 1985) gives this translation of 1 Kings 4:24:
For he exercised dominion over all Eber-hanahar, from Tipsah to Gaza, over all the kings of Eber-hanahar, and he enjoyed peace on all the borders surrounding him; ... (64)
So DeVries keeps the text in question. he notes that the text,
"from Tipsah to Gaza, over all the kings of Eber-hanahar,"
is missing in the Greek. His technical note is,
"MT. G(BL) omits (homoioteleuton)." (66)
Which means: This text is present in the Masoretic Text but is missing
in the Greek text "Codex Vaticanus (and its recension)" and the Greek
text "The (proto-)Lucianic recension." This note is similar to that of Mulder except DeVries is certain that the text was dropped by homoioteleuton (copiest's mistake).
DeVries says linguistic evidence indicates that 4:20-24 and 1 Kings 10:1-10 are extremely late (76). The evidence, he explains,
It is stated that Solomon controlled "all Eber-hanahar" (RSV: "the region west of the Euphrates"); this designation describes Syro-Palestine from a point of view eastward from the Euphrates and was actually the official name of this region in the Persian empire, hence a very late date is certain. Tipsah lay on the upper Euphrates and Gaza is the leading town of the Philistines, situated on the Mediterranean. Within this territory Solomon is said to have enjoyed perfect security; no one on any of his borders ventured to attack him. Thus "Judah and Israel dwelt safely." The fact that here and in 4:20 "Judah" precedes "Israel" is another clue to extreme lateness, for the reverse order is found in early documents where the two entities are mentioned together (in the post-exilic period, "Judah" began more and more to assume precedence because the returnees from exile were almost all Judahites). 4:20 has two superlatives respecting the people's happy condition: (1) they were too numerous to count and (2) they did nothing but eat, drink, and rejoice. 5:5 (4:25) has two superlatives likewise: (1) the entire land was safe ("from Dan to Beersheba") and (2) this lasted as long as Solomon lived. Here the image of eating, drinking, and rejoicing is kept rather modest in the familiar locution, "every man beneath his vine and beneath his fig tree," as if to suggest that privacy, quiet, and the simple needs of lite are enough to keep a man happy. (72-73, bold text mine)
My Thinking
It looks like much of the data about Solomon's administration came from legend and was added to the text by redactors at a very late date in the Persian period. The date may have been so late that earlier versions of the text were still available for the LXX translators. On the other hand, the late redactions could have been added to the text before the book of Kings was properly canonized and the missing text was dropped shortly afterward by the copiest of the manuscript. The copy with the dropped text became the source text for the LXX translators. I can see why the NRSVue team might have favored the LXX reading over the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The longer text may have been introduced into the Masoretic text long after the translation of the LXX. On the other hand, even in English, the missing text looks like an obvious haplography (homoioteleuton). A sleepy copiest dropped the text because of the repeated words "beyond the river."
End Comments
Incidentally, the reason this verse is even on my radar is because "west of the Euphrates" is a bad translation. It should read "beyond the River."
I was real impressed with what I read from Simon J. DeVries' commentary on 1 Kings. I obtained these resources through inter-library loan because I cannot afford to buy them. That said, DeVries' commentary is worth owning.
