zeal, zealous

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is often translated in English as “zeal” or “zealous” is translated in Moken as “great love” (“my zeal” — cewui lak tho: “my great love.”) (Source: Gam Seng Shae)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec it is likewise translated as “love, commitment, enthusiasm” (not jealousy). (Source: Robert Bascom)

In Khasi is is translated with shitrhem which conveys the “idea of loving or devoted enthusiasm.” (Source: B. J. Syiemlieh)

priest

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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.

Aaron

The name that is transliterated as “Aaron” in English is translated in Catalan Sign Language and Spanish Sign Language as “stones on chest plate” (according to Exodus 28:15-30) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


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

In Colombian Sign Language, Honduras Sign Language, and American Sign Language, the chest plate is outlined (in ASL it is outlined using the letter “A”):


“Aaron” in ASL (source )

See also Moses and this lectionary in The Christian Century .

Translation commentary on Numbers 25:11

Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel: For Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, see verse 7. Has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel may be rendered “has turned my anger away from the Israelites” (New International Version) or “has averted my wrath from the Israelites” (Moffatt [Moffatt]). In some languages Good News Translation‘s model for this whole clause will sound more natural while retaining the focus on the action of Phinehas: “Because of what Phinehas has done, I am no longer angry with the people of Israel.” This clause reflects the role of the priests in defending the people in the face of the holiness of God.

In that he was jealous with my jealousy among them explains how Phinehas stopped God from being angry with the Israelites. The Hebrew verb for was jealous and the noun for jealousy come from the same root (q n ʾ; for a good discussion on this root, see A Handbook on Numbers at Exo 20.5, where God says he is a “jealous” God). It refers to a single-minded devotion to a cause or a person. In modern English the word jealousy almost always has bad overtones. It means to be envious of someone who has something that I want, or to be suspicious about the actions of my spouse. In most languages the most obvious meaning is where a man is jealous of his wife (see 5.14, where it has this sense). But this is not the meaning of the Hebrew words for was jealous and jealousy here. The NET Bible footnote on this clause says that these words refer here to “a passionate intensity to protect or preserve divine or social institutions,” so NET Bible renders them “zeal” (similarly New International Version, New Living Translation, Alter), and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “passion.” Phinehas was passionate about God. The repetition of the Hebrew root meaning “zeal” emphasizes this passion, which translators should express. Some translations understand my jealousy as “jealousy that I have”; for example, New International Version renders this clause as “for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them,” Revised English Bible has “he displayed among them the same jealous anger that moved me,” and New Living Translation says “by being as zealous among them as I was.” Other translations take my jealousy to mean “jealousy for me [or, for my sake]”; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh renders this clause as “by displaying among them his passion for Me,” New Revised Standard Version has “by manifesting such zeal among them on my behalf,” and Luther says “through his jealousy for me.” The latter interpretation fits best with verse 13, where it says “because he was jealous for his God.” Good News Translation expresses very well the meaning of jealousy here by rendering this clause as “He refused to tolerate the worship of any god but me.” In many languages it will be helpful to start a new sentence at this point, as in Good News Translation.

So that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy: Here my jealousy refers to God’s zeal for his own honor. New Living Translation provides a helpful model for this clause, saying “So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .