The Hebrew that is often translated as “first-fruits” in English is translated in Nyamwezi as ntomolwa or “first benefits of anything you bring in.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
priest
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that are typically translated as “priest” in English (itself deriving from Latin “presbyter” — “elder”) is often translated with a consideration of existing religious traditions. (Click or tap for details)
Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this:
“However, rather than borrow local names for priests, some of which have unwanted connotations, a number of translations have employed descriptive phrases based on certain functions: (1) those describing a ceremonial activity: Pamona uses tadu, the priestess who recites the litanies in which she describes her journey to the upper or under-world to fetch life-spirit for sick people, animals or plants; Batak Toba uses the Arabic malim, ‘Muslim religious teacher;’ ‘one who presents man’s sacrifice to God’ (Bambara, Eastern Maninkakan), ‘one who presents sacrifices’ (Baoulé, Navajo), ‘one who takes the name of the sacrifice’ (Kpelle, and ‘to make a sacrifice go out’ (Hausa); (2) those describing an intermediary function: ‘one who speaks to God’ (Shipibo-Conibo) and ‘spokesman of the people before God’ (Tabasco Chontal).”
In Obolo it is translated as ogwu ngwugwa or “the one who offers sacrifice” (source: Enene Enene), in Mairasi as agam aevar nevwerai: “religious leader” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Ignaciano as “blesser, one who does ritual as a practice” (using a generic term rather than the otherwise common Spanish loan word sacerdote) (source: Willis Ott in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.), and in Noongar as yakin-kooranyi or “holy worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
For Guhu-Samane, Ernest Richert (in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. ) reports this:
“The [local] cult of Poro used to be an all-encompassing religious system that essentially governed all areas of life. (…) For ‘priest’ the term ‘poro father’ would at first seem to be a natural choice. However, several priests of the old cult are still living. Although they no longer function primarily as priests of the old system they still have a substantial influence on the community, and there would be more than a chance that the unqualified term would (in some contexts particularly) be equated with the priest of the poro cult. We learned, then, that the poro fathers would sometimes be called ‘knife men’ in relation to their sacrificial work. The panel was pleased to apply this term to the Jewish priest, and the Christian community has adopted it fully. [Mark 1:44, for instance, now] reads: ‘You must definitely not tell any man of this. But you go show your body to the knife man and do what Moses said about a sacrifice concerning your being healed, and the cause (base of this) will be apparent.'”
For a revision of the 1968 version of the Bible in Khmer Joseph Hong (in: The Bible Translator 1996, 233ff. ) talks about a change in wording for this term:
Bau cha r (បូជាចារ្យ) — The use of this new construction meaning “priest” is maintained to translate the Greek word hiereus. The term “mean sang (មាន សង្ឃ)” used in the old version actually means a “Buddhist monk,” and is felt to be theologically misleading. The Khmer considers the Buddhist monk as a “paddy field of merits,” a reserve of merits to be shared with other people. So a Khmer reader would find unthinkable that the mean sang in the Bible killed animals, the gravest sin for a Buddhist; and what a scandal it would be to say that a mean sang was married, had children, and drank wine.
Translation commentary on Ezekiel 44:30
And the first of all the first fruits of all kinds … shall belong to the priests: When the Israelites began harvesting any of their crops, whether it was wheat or barley, olives or grapes, or anything else, they had to give the first things harvested or picked to God (see Exo 23.19; 34.26; Deut 18.4). Here the Hebrew expression for the first of all the fruits of all kinds may also have the sense of “The best of every first share of the people’s crops” (New International Reader’s Version; similarly New American Bible with “All the choicest first fruits of every kind”; see also the comments on 20.40).
Every offering of all kinds from all your offerings: This phrase covers all the offerings that the people gave to God. The people brought these offerings to the Temple and gave them to the priests, and they belonged to the priests. The first sentence of this verse may be expressed as “The best crops and fruits from the first part of the harvest, and all the offerings that the people give to worship God, these all will belong to the priests.”
You shall also give to the priests the first of your coarse meal: The exact meaning of the Hebrew word rendered coarse meal is not certain, but it seems to have something to do “flour” (New Living Translation; compare “ground meal” [New International Version, New International Reader’s Version, New King James Version ] and “grain that you grind” [New Century Version]), “dough” (New Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Christian Community Bible, Complete Jewish Bible), or the results of “baking” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), that is, a “loaf” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) of bread. Since we cannot be sure which part of the process the Hebrew word refers to, translators may choose whichever sense fits best in their culture. Again, the first may refer to “the best” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Christian Community Bible) instead of simply the first. This clause may be rendered “And you must give to the priests the first part of the grain you grind into flour [for making bread].”
That a blessing may rest on your house: If the people bring these gifts to the Temple for the priests, God will bless them. Blessing refers to the way God provides good things and well-being for his people, although it may also refer to the prosperity that arises from the fertility of the land (see the comments on 34.26). Your house may refer to the “homes” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) of the individual Israelites (most translations imply this), but more likely the singular word house refers to the nation as a whole. The faithfulness of the people in bringing their gifts to the Temple will result in the well-being of the nation. Translators may render this clause as “When you do this, I will bring a blessing on all of you [or, I will give all of you the good things you need].”
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.