“Navajo distinguishes between a man’s son or daughter and a woman’s son or daughter by the use of different terms for each. So the gender of Zion had to be determined. The problem was settled when a friend called to our attention a number of verses in the Old Testament where Zion is referred to as “she” or “her”, e.g. Ps. 87:5, 48:12, Is. 4:5, 66:8. The term for a woman’s daughter is biché’é, so the “daughter of Zion” became Záiyon biché’é ‘Zion her-daughter’.”
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Ajami Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “justice”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)
Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:
Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)
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:
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.”
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff.) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”
In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff.)
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible, but most translations, especially those published in the 21st century, do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
See also this chapter in the World Atlas of Language Structures on different approaches to personal pronouns.
The Hebrew text does not state who the speaker is here, but the use of the first person pronoun in verse 10 strongly suggests that the speaker throughout verses 9-11 is the LORD. It would be better therefore to make this clear by adding “The LORD says” here rather than at the beginning of verse 10 as Good News Translation does.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!: This is clearly the beginning of a new section, which is marked in Hebrew not only by poetic rhythm and meter but also by the imperative verbs Rejoice and Shout aloud. The sentences that these verbs introduce are parallel with each other, and this parallelism should be retained if possible; but if necessary, the two sentences may be joined into one, as in Contemporary English Version: “Everyone in Jerusalem, celebrate and shout!” Both verbs are typically used in contexts of worship and other formal occasions. Rejoice greatly is translated as “Rejoice, rejoice” in Good News Translation and “celebrate” in Contemporary English Version. Shout aloud may also be expressed as “Shout to show your joy [or, happiness].” The vocative phrases O daughter of Zion and O daughter of Jerusalem may need to come at the beginning of their sentences in some languages. The phrase daughter of … may be misunderstood. Grammatically it does not refer to a single individual born in or living in Zion/Jerusalem, but rather to the city itself addressed as a female figure, because the Hebrew word for city is grammatically feminine. The expression daughter of Jerusalem does not mean that “Jerusalem has a daughter,” but that “Jerusalem is called ‘daughter,’ ” and so it may be translated “O daughter Zion/Jerusalem” (New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version) rather than “daughter of….” Some languages may require a possessive pronoun with daughter, and in this case it would be “my daughter Zion/Jerusalem.” In many languages translators will find it best to go further and make it clear that the city stands for its population. Thus Good News Translation has “people of Zion … you people of Jerusalem” (similarly Beck, New Living Translation) and Contemporary English Version has “Everyone in Jerusalem.” Such renderings are easy to understand, but risk losing the element of tender affection conveyed by the figurative term daughter. Zion and Jerusalem are in parallel with each other and have the same meaning here, although, to be more precise, Zion refers to the part of the city of Jerusalem where the Temple stood (see 1.14). If possible, translators should retain both names; but if this would cause problems, then it is better to keep “Jerusalem” as the more general term, as Contemporary English Version has.
Lo, your king comes to you: The word Lo in Revised Standard Version is archaic in English (compare 2.10). In this context the opening Hebrew word hinneh means “Look” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation) or “See” (New American Bible, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 2. Edition). In some languages there may be no precise term for king and it may be necessary to say “leader,” “great chief,” or something similar (see verse 5). However, translators should be careful to avoid any expression that may carry political overtones in their own country. The words your and you are feminine singular in Hebrew agreeing with daughter, but if translators have made it clear that the city stands for its people, then they will need to use a plural form for these pronouns (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
Triumphant and victorious is he: The Hebrew words underlying these terms recall various earlier parts of the Old Testament. The first term is literally “righteous” (New International Version, Beck, New Living Translation), as for instance in Isa 9.7; Isa 11.4-5; 32.1 and Jer 23.5, and is not so much a static quality as the active establishment of justice and encouraging of right conduct. The second term is a little more difficult. The ancient Greek and Latin versions understood it as active in meaning: “saving others” (as in New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition). But the Hebrew word is actually a passive participle, and carries the meaning of receiving salvation from God rather than offering it to others. Most modern scholars interpret it as experiencing God’s help in time of trouble and emerging successfully from the difficulty, hence victorious (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Beck, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version). The two ideas of righteousness and salvation occur together elsewhere, for instance Isa 45.8; Isa 46.13; Isa 51.5 (Revised Standard Version having “deliverance” for righteousness in these last two places). If suitable adjectives are not available, translators may say, for example, “he does what is right and receives [or, experiences] God’s help.”
Humble and riding on an ass: The previous description emphasized the glory of the coming king, and these two expressions by contrast emphasize his humility. If the earlier words link the king with human ideas of kingship, these words show how different the Messiah will be from human kings.
The word translated humble more often means “oppressed” or “afflicted,” but on the basis of its use in Zeph 3.12, many scholars are willing to accept the sense of humble here also. Others make a small alteration to the Hebrew text to obtain this meaning, but this seems unnecessary. Humble is a difficult term to express in many languages, as it often has overtones of low social status. In the context of this present verse, it refers to “gentleness of heart.” In a variety of languages, humble is often expressed idiomatically; for example, “heart/liver that bows down” or “person who makes himself small.” In English ass is an old-fashioned word for the animal more commonly called a donkey. Good News Translation and most modern versions use the word “donkey,” not least because ass nowadays carries an insulting meaning in American and some other varieties of English. The point of the statement in Hebrew is that human kings usually displayed their power and glory by riding on a war-horse (compare Est 6.8; Jer 22.4), whereas the king who is the Messiah shows his humility by riding a donkey, the ordinary peasant’s beast of burden. Note that horses are associated with war in the next verse (verse 10). This statement carries echoes of the mysterious prophecy in Gen 49.10-11, and is itself quoted in Matt 21.5 and John 12.15, where it is applied to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
In cultures where donkeys are unknown, translators may borrow a term from a prestige language. In such situations an illustration of a donkey should also be included. Most translators will have solved this problem when they translated such New Testament passages as Matt 21.2; Mark 11.2; Luke 19.30; John 12.14, and such Old Testament passages as Gen 16.12; Gen 22.3, 5.
On a colt the foal of an ass: This statement is parallel with the one before it and gives a poetic expansion of it rather than forming a separate statement. Translators should be careful not to give the impression to their readers that the verse is referring to two separate animals. A colt is a young donkey (male in this case) and foal is another term for a young donkey, probably referring to an even younger animal. The Hebrew word for ass here is a different word from the one in the previous clause. Here the word means a female animal, though this is not always clear in English versions (but note “she-ass” in New English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The Hebrew term is actually plural, but since it is biologically impossible for any animal to be born of more than one mother, the sense must be general: “born of a line of [female] donkeys.” This is made clear in a footnote in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 2. Edition, and some translators may find it helpful to do likewise. Some scholars interpret the expression to mean “a pureblooded donkey,” that is, not a mule or cross between a horse and donkey (Baldwin).
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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