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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Song of Songs 8:2

The young woman continues describing her wish; the next thing she would do if her lover was “like a brother” would be to take him home. In Hebrew culture there would be no barrier to being together. So she thinks it would be wonderful if she could lead and bring him home. In this setting these two verbs have the same meaning and so may be rendered as one verb if necessary. The Hebrew use of two verbs next to each other (literally “I would lead you, I would bring you”) provides emphasis. It is obvious that “brother” is used figuratively here because, if they were actually brother and sister, she would not have to “lead and bring” her brother to her mother’s place, for it would be his home also.

For translation we can say “I could really take you…” or “it would be proper for me to bring you….”

Into the house of my mother: on this phrase see comments at 3.4. When the young woman refers to the house of my mother, it is obvious that she does not think of her lover as a true brother, or she would have said “our mother.” “[To my] home” will translate the phrase meaningfully.

Into the chamber of her that conceived me: as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, this phrase is a problem for interpreters and translators. The problem is that instead of conceived the Hebrew here has the verb “teach.” It translates as “you/she will teach me.” However, many scholars suggest that the correct text should be conceived, as in the parallel 3.4. The two possible interpretations are:
into the house of my mother;
she [or, you] will teach me.

Or else:
into the house of my mother,
and into the room of the one who conceived me.

If the Hebrew text actually says “she [or, you] will teach me,” it is difficult to know why the phrase is included here. Is it simply a phrase that describes the role of the mother, much as the phrase “the one nursing at my mother’s breast” describes the brother? If so, we can translate it as “the one who taught [or, teaches] me [everything I know].” However, there is another possible rendering of the Hebrew: “you will teach me.” This can be addressed to the young man, in which case we assume the young man would be teaching her more about love. This latter is the interpretation that many versions and commentators adopt. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, for example, renders “you will initiate me.” This majority view is certainly a logical possibility.

New American Bible links “teach” with the following phrase and reads “teach me to give you spiced wine.” Such an interpretation seems very forced, however, and should not be followed.

I would give you spiced wine to drink: the combination of wine and spices speaks of the pleasures of lovemaking (1.2; 4.10-14; 5.1). Hebrew drink is similar in sound to the verb “kiss” and so is a play on words, both of them relating to making love. Such a use of words is probably not translatable, but it may be explained in a footnote if it will help readers’ understanding.

On the word wine see comments on 1.2.

The juice of my pomegranates: juice is what is pressed out or squeezed out of a fruit. The full phrase juice of my pomegranates is parallel with the word wine and so is a reference to lovemaking. Though there have been many references to this fruit throughout the Song (4.3; 6.7; 7.12), this is the first time we see the possessive my pomegranates. The phrase links us back to the promises that the young woman made in 7.12-13. So her meaning is clear—she is really offering herself. Some commentators suggest that this is a figurative reference to the young woman’s breasts; however, we take this reference to be more general. To convey this idea we can restate the phrase as “my pomegranate juice” (instead of juice of my pomegranates). Bible en français courant goes one step further; since “pomegranate juice” and “mixed wine” are parallel, they place the possessive “my” before both. This makes it clearer that the young woman is offering herself:

• I would let you taste
my perfumed wine
and my pomegranate juice.

As we noted above, perfumed wine and pomegranate juice are parallel: “I would give you spiced wine, my pomegranate juice to drink.” Another possibility for translation is to render one expression in a more literal way and the second in a freer way. We may say “I would make you taste my perfumed wine, my sweet flowing love.”

Combining verses 1 and 2 we may say:

• I wish you were my brother
from the same family as I
Then, if I met you,
I would kiss you in the open,
And no one would be shocked!
Each time I found you,
I would take you and lead you home,
There you could teach me,
And, there, I would let you taste my love!*
Footnote: * Hebrew: “I would let you drink mixed wine, juice from my pomegranates.”

Or following the text more closely:

• If only you were my brother,
Nursed by the same mother,
Then, if I met you in the street,
I would kiss you
And no one could criticize me.
I would take you and lead you
To my mother’s house—she who taught me [all]—
And I would give you spiced wine to drink,
sweet juice from my own pomegranates.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .