Most High

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 11:38

Listen and I will speak to you: Good News Bible inserts “Eagle” here to indicate to whom the lion is speaking. This sounds very peculiar in English, and is unnecessary in any case, since verse 37 has just told us that the lion is speaking to the eagle.

The Most High says to you: This quote frame introduces a message from God to the eagle in verses 39-46. This message is a quote within a quote, so Revised Standard Version places single quote marks around it. For the Most High, see the comments on 2 Esd 3.3.

We suggest the following model for this verse:

• “Listen to what I am going to say. I bring you this message from God Most High:….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.