king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 34:28

Behold: The Hebrew focusing particle here highlights the fact that although the people of Judah will be punished, this will not take place immediately.

The active expression I will gather you to your fathers and the passive expression you shall be gathered to your grave in peace are slightly different ways of referring to the same event: the death of King Josiah. In those languages where the passive form is unacceptable, the idea may be translated only once. A literal rendering is rarely satisfactory. The peacefulness of Josiah’s death is emphasized by the addition of the words in peace. (Actually Josiah died in battle according to 2 Chr 35.22-24.) Translators should look for a comparable euphemistic expression used to refer to death in their own language. If such a euphemism is not available, it will be possible to speak more directly of death. Bible en français courant translates “I will allow you to die in peace.”

Instead of your grave, the Masoretic Text has “your graves” (so La Bible Pléiade), which may be a reference to the royal tombs (see 2 Chr 35.24). Many interpreters suggest a slight change in the spelling of the plural Hebrew noun here in order to change it to the singular grave (see 2 Kgs 23.30, which says that Josiah was buried in his own tomb).

And your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants: See verse 24. The word evil refers to the “disaster” (Moffatt) that God will bring on the country of Judah and its people. In some languages it will be unnatural to make the eyes the subject of a clause such as this. It will be better to say “and you will not have to look on all the misfortune….” Two other models are “You won’t see all the trouble…” (New Century Version) and “you will not live to see the great disaster…” (New Jerusalem Bible).

And they brought back word to the king: The pronoun they refers to the five men (verse 22) who had gone to consult Yahweh for the king through the prophetess Huldah as an intermediary. If this is unclear, it will be possible to translate “the men whom Josiah had sent” or “the messengers.” Brought back word renders the same Hebrew expression translated “reported” in verse 16. Some may wish to translate it with the same verb here by rendering this clause as “Then they reported all this to the king.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .