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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Samuel 9:4

Said: once again the verb said may be more naturally rendered “asked.”

Ziba’s response is introduced with the Hebrew particle that is often translated “behold” (King James Version, New American Standard Bible). Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation translate that particle here. But compare Fox, who says “Here, he is at the house of Makhir.”

In the house of Machir: it is generally assumed that Machir was a person who was loyal to Saul, and that Mephibosheth lived with him either because he was afraid of David or because he had no other place to go. In any case the expression He is in the house of Machir may be translated as “He is living with Machir” or “He is staying at Machir’s place.” On Machir see also 17.27.

Ziba’s response to David is made up of several elements that may need to be restructured in some languages. There is the name of the person to whom the house belonged, a reference to his lineage, and the name of the town in which the house was located. In some cases it will be more natural for the name of the town to come first as, for example, in the following model: “He is in the town of Lodebar, in the house of Machir, who is the son of Ammiel.” Others may structure these elements quite differently: “He is living with the son of Ammiel whose name is Machir. His house is in the town of Lodebar.” Naturalness in the receptor language should determine the order of these elements.

Lo-debar was a non-Israelite city-state located north of the Yarmuk River on the east of the Jordan River. Translators may need to add a classifier term to indicate that this is a city. The same city is mentioned again in 2 Sam 17.27 and Amos 6.13 (where the spelling in Hebrew is slightly different). The name means “nothing” or “no palaver.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .