5that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
The term that is transliterated as “Nebuchadnezzar” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the signs for “king” and one signifying a wavy beard, referring to the common way of wearing a beard in Mesopotamia (see here ). (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Nebuchadnezzar” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting “idol in my image,” referring to Daniel 3:1. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are often translated as “worship” (also, “kneel down” or “bow down”) are likewise translated in other languages in certain categories, including those based on physical activity, those which incorporate some element of “speaking” or “declaring,” and those which specify some type of mental activity.
Following is a list of (back-) translations (click or tap for details):
Obolo: itọtọbọ ebum: “express reverence and devotion” (source: Enene Enene)
Ngäbere: “cut oneself down before” (“This figure of speech comes from the picture of towering mahoganies in the forest which, under the woodman’s ax, quiver, waver, and then in solemn, thunderous crashing bury their lofty heads in the upstretched arms of the surrounding forest. This is the experience of every true worshiper who sees ‘the Lord, high and lifted up.’ Our own unworthiness brings us low. As the Valientes say, ‘we cut ourselves down before’ His presence. Our heads, which have been carried high in self-confidence, sink lower and lower in worship.)
Tzeltal: “end oneself before God.” (“Only by coming to the end of oneself can one truly worship. The animist worships his deities in the hope of receiving corresponding benefits, and some pagans in Christendom think that church attendance is a guarantee of success in this life and good luck in the future. But God has never set a price on worship except the price that we must pay, namely, ‘coming to the end of ourselves.'”) (Source of this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 163)
Folopa: “die under God” (“an idiom that roughly back-translates “dying under God” which means lifting up his name and praising him and to acknowledge by everything one does and thanks that God is superior.”) (Source: Anderson / Moore, p. 202)
Chokwe: kuivayila — “rub something on” (“When anyone goes into the presence of a king or other superior, according to native law and custom the inferior gets down on the ground, takes a little earth in the fingers of his right hand, rubs it on his own body, and then claps his hands in homage and the greeting of friendship. It is a token of veneration, of homage, of extreme gratitude for some favor received. It is also a recognition of kingship, lordship, and a prostrating of oneself in its presence. Yet it simply is the applicative form of ‘to rub something on oneself’, this form of the verb giving the value of ‘because of.’ Thus in God’s presence as king and Lord we metaphorically rub dirt on ourselves, thus acknowledging Him for what He really is and what He has done for us.”) (Source: D. B. Long in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 87ff. )
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Mark 15:19 and Matt. 2:8 and 2:11: “uh’idma-rrama llia’ara” — “to kiss the fingernail and lick the heel”
For Acts 16:14: ra’uli-rawedi — “to praise-talk about”
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:
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.”
Here again the writer shows his fascination with lists by giving six different words for musical instruments. This list is repeated exactly in verse 7 (according to some ancient manuscripts) and again in verses 10 and 15. Once the list has been established here, it may be repeated in the same way in these other verses. But if the fourfold repetition is unnatural, a more summary statement may be used in the later verses. In many languages where such instruments are not well known, this poses serious translation problems. If it proves impossible to have the same number of instruments as in the biblical text, the number may be reduced (in some manuscripts there are only five names here); however, given the importance of lists in Daniel, it is not recommended that they be replaced by a simple summary statement as, for example, “when the band strikes up…” (Living Bible).
Translators who have access to recent issues of The Bible Translator may find considerable help in understanding the various types of musical instruments in the Bible by consulting the articles written by Ivor H. Jones (January 1986, pages 101-116 and January 1987, pages 129-143).
Horn: this is the same word as is used for the horn of an animal (as in 7.7, for example). The animal horn was actually made into a kind of trumpet-type musical instrument that was held to the mouth and blown to create a sound. While this instrument was originally made from the horn of an animal, it later came to be made of wood or metal as well.
Pipe: this was also an instrument held to the mouth and blown to produce pleasant sounds. It is usually translated “flute” (King James Version, New International Version, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible), but Good News Translation renders it “oboes.” Others refer to it as a “clarinet.”
Lyre: this stringed instrument was considered the noblest instrument of all and was used in secular merrymaking. It could have as few as three strings or as many as twelve. The term used is probably a borrowing from Greek and is probably related to our modern word “guitar.” It could be played with the fingers or with a thin piece of ivory or metal.
Trigon: based on the form of the name, scholars have suggested that this was a triangular musical instrument, probably with four strings. Perhaps the closest approximation in many cultures may be the “hand piano” or “thumb piano,” although this is not technically a stringed instrument.
Harp: this was also a stringed instrument with a large resonator. It probably had ten strings.
Bagpipe: many scholars are convinced that this is not actually the name of a particular instrument, but rather that it referred to the playing together of all the individual instruments mentioned before (so Good News Translation, “and then all the other instruments will join in”). The term probably derived from the Greek meaning “accompanying sound.” New English Bible follows this interpretation, using the general term “music” here. However, one commentator suggests that this may be the name of a sort of drum (Anchor Bible); New Revised Standard Version translates the term in this way.
And every kind of music: this is probably a summary statement corresponding to “and all the officials” in the list of officials in verse 2 above. It should be translated in such a way as to sum up the list that it follows. It should be noted, however, that New English Bible translates “singing of every kind,” since it takes the word usually translated “bagpipe” in a more general sense.
Fall down: the Aramaic verb used here has a great many applications and is found in a wide variety of contexts. But in this context it clearly involves a voluntary act of bowing low or lying face down in order to show reverence and respect. This idea should be made clear in the translation.
Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.