complete verse (Genesis 14:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 14:1:

  • Newari: “At this time Amraphel King of Assyria, Arioch King of Ellsar, Kedorlaomer King of Elam and Tidal King of Goiim” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “At that time, King Amrafel of Shinar, King Arioc of Elasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goyim” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “In a region to the east, there were four kings who were friends/allies. They were King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 Genesis 14:1

Verses 1-4 contain the first reference to the battle between the two groups of kings.

In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar: In the days applies to the time of the reign of the four kings. Speiser has “When Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer … made war on….” Others, however, take the time reference to refer back to a previous time such as Abram’s settling at Mamre; so New International Version translates “At this time … went to war….” Revised English Bible has “In those days … went to war….” Note that Good News Translation avoids the time reference entirely, either as a dependent clause or as referring back to chapter 13. The Handbook prefers keeping the time reference, so natural at the opening of a narrative, either in the manner of Speiser, or of New International Version and Revised English Bible.

Amraphel: this name was long thought to be the name Hammurabi, and so was used as proof of the historical basis of Chapter 14; but this view is no longer held.

Shinar refers to Babylonia, as in 10.10. See Good News Translation.

Arioch king of Ellasar: the personal name occurs in Dan 2.14, 15, 24, 25. Arioch appears as a name in several ancient texts. The place name is uncertain.

Chedorlaomer king of Elam: the personal name is thought to be made up of kudur “servant” and lagomar the name of an Elamite god; however, the combination as a name has not been found. For Elam see discussion under 10.22.

Tidal king of Goiim: Tidal is the name of several Hittite kings, but the narrator does not associate the name with the Hittites. King of Goiim means “king of nations” and may be an honorific title.

The Hebrew term melek “king” is used in verse 1 for the first time in Genesis. A king refers to a male ruler who had political authority over a city, a nation, or an empire. A king normally held his office for life and passed his authority on to one of his sons. In translation it is often necessary to translate king by a more general word meaning “ruler” or “leader,” or by a term meaning “chief” or “headman.” In some languages it is necessary to say, for example, “Amraphel, the chief who ruled the nation called Babylonia” or “Chedorlaomer, the leader who ruled the nation called Elam.”

As noted above, Amraphel is the first named king in verse 1, which suggests a position of prominence. However, in verse 9 Amraphel is moved to third place, and in verse 17 he is not even named. By contrast Chedorlaomer takes the position of prominence in each subsequent passage. Therefore some translators may find that the structure of narrative discourse in their language requires them to place Chedorlaomer first in the list at the beginning of Gen 14.1.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .