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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Ezra 4:11

This is a copy of the letter that they sent: In Revised Standard Version the first part of this verse is the end of the section set off by dashes that started with verse 9 above. The copy of the letter then follows. Good News Translation interprets this line to refer to the “text of the letter” as opposed to the identification of the senders in the preceding two verses. In any case, the actual text of the letter follows and translators should introduce it in the form that is appropriate in the receptor language. The same holds true for the opening of the letter that follows (see also Ezra 5.7; 7.12; compare Neh 6.6).

To Artaxerxes the king is the formal opening address in the letter. Your servants is the traditional way to address a king in this culture. Translators should use appropriate but equivalent forms for the receptor culture. In some cultures it is polite to address a king as “Your Majesty” (Contemporary English Version). In some places it is not proper to refer to a king in the second person singular form, which is used in the Aramaic rendered your servants. It should instead be a second person plural possessive pronoun form with honorific meaning. In some languages it is preferable to use a third person reference in addressing a king; for example, “his servants” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant).

After the writers convey their humble status, they identify themselves by geographic location. They are his servants who live in the province that is known as Beyond the River (see the comments on verse 10 above).

Send greeting is not in the text but is implicit and is therefore made explicit in Revised Standard Version (also New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation inserts the preposition “from,” which is not in the original text, to show a relationship between “To Emperor Artaxerxes” and “his servants” (also New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The opening of the letter can be restructured as follows: “Great Ruler, it is we your servants who live in the division of land Over-the-Euphrates who write this letter to you.”

And now introduces the subject of the letter that follows in the next verse (New Revised Standard Version, Bible de Jérusalem; see also the comments on verse 10 above).

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .