Nebuchadnezzar

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)


“Nebuchadnezzar” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

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 5:12

The connector But is a contrastive conjunction to indicate that although the Temple had been built previously, it was later destroyed.

Because our fathers had angered the God of heaven: An explanation is given for the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the people in Babylonia. Our fathers (Good News Translation “our ancestors”) had caused the God of heaven to become angry. It is not explained here what they did to make God angry, but they were punished for their deeds.

God gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, that is, he “put them under the power of Nebuchadnezzar” (similarly Revised English Bible) or “let them be conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar” (Good News Translation). Nebuchadnezzar is called a Chaldean to identify his ethnic origin. The Chaldeans lived in southern Babylonia and founded the Neo-Babylonian Empire after the fall of the Assyrian Empire. In some languages being a member of a tribe is expressed as “son of” plus the tribe’s name. In other languages it may be preferable to specify that “his tribe was Chaldean” or “by race he was Chaldean.” For more information on Nebuchadnezzar and his title, see the comments on Ezra 1.7.

Who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia: The Jews explain that it was King Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed this house. The first meaning of the verb is “to hide, to remove from sight” and by extension it means “to destroy.” New English Bible says “who pulled down this house” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “who demolished this house.” Nebuchadnezzar also “carried the people captive to Babylon” (New English Bible). As in Ezra 2.1, both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation identify the place to which they were exiled as Babylonia because not all the exiles were kept in the city of Babylon itself. Babylonia is “the province of Babylon” or “the land of Babylon” (see the comment at Ezra 1.16).

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 .