priest

Click here to view graphically

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 Hosea 4:9

In 4.7-8 the Hebrew uses third person pronouns for the priests as a group, but in this verse it speaks about a single priest as representing them all (compare 4.4). In most languages it will be better to use the plural for the priests throughout this section (so New International Version, New Living Translation).

And it shall be like people, like priest renders the Hebrew literally. This line is probably a proverb. It means that what happens to the people will happen to the priests as well. Some scholars try to determine whether the people are to be the pattern for the priests, or vice versa, or whether the purpose is to state that the same fate awaits them both. If this verse takes 4.1-3 into consideration, then the people’s punishment is mentioned first, and it becomes the pattern for that of the priests. Good News Translation follows this sense by saying “You will suffer the same punishment as the people!” Bible en français courant is similar with “But it will happen to the priests that which will happen to the people,” and so is New American Bible with “The priests shall fare no better than the people.” But if this verse takes 4.4-6 into consideration, the real fault lies with the priests, so their punishment should be the pattern of what will happen to the people, whom they have led astray. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh follows this sense with “Therefore, the people shall fare like the priests.” However, from a practical point of view it appears that they will suffer together, simultaneously; for example, New English Bible says “But people and priest shall be treated alike,” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “One and the same fate will overtake the people and the priest,” and NET Bible translates “I will deal with the people and priests together.”

I will punish them for their ways, and requite them for their deeds: These two lines are parallel. The verbs punish and requite complement each other, and their ways corresponds with their deeds. The Hebrew pronouns for them and their are third person singular masculine pronouns, so they are literally “him” and “his.” In Hebrew these pronouns can both refer to the priest and to the people. If the position is taken that the same fate awaits both priests and people, we recommend plural pronouns, as in Revised Standard Version.

I will punish them for their ways implies that the speaker is someone in authority. He will set things right by punishing the wrongdoers. The pronoun I refers to the LORD since he is the speaker. Their ways is a metaphor for their activities that are repeated again and again. It refers to their behavior, or in this context, their misbehavior.

Requite them for their deeds is literally “I will cause their deeds to return to them.” The idea here is retribution, making them pay for their wrongdoing. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “I … will have their deeds fall back upon themselves.” It is implied that both ways and deeds are sinful. As the poet retraces the thought pattern that began in 4.7, these words for sins correspond with “sin” and “iniquity” in 4.8.

A translation model for this verse is:

• And it will be: “Like people, like priests.”
I will punish both for their misbehavior,
their misdeeds will haunt them.

Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .