and in the time of Samson, Barak, Deborah, and Judith. Whether through women or through men, He would raise up judges for them to save them from those who tormented them, and to save them from the hand of all their enemies.
2 Meqabyan (also known as 2 Ethiopian Maccabees and 2 Ethiopic Maccabees) is canonical scripture for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. While «Meqabyan» is the Ge’ez equivalent of «Maccabees,» the content is completely different from 2 Maccabees. The only complete copies of 2 Meqabyan are available in Ge’ez (Classical Ethiopic), here used with permission by the Bible Society of Ethiopia.
The translation into English was provided by Haileyesus Woldemariam (UBS).
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated in English translations as «Judges» (as the title of the biblical book) of «judges» (in Judges 2:16 and 2:17, Ruth 1:1, 2 Meqabyan 3:29 and 4:3, and in Acts 13:20) is translated into Bukusu as «leaders» (in the case of the title of the book ‘The book of Leaders’). In light of this, there is no real need to explain that these persons were not judges of a court of law, but leaders.
In Isthmus Mixe it is also translated as «leaders,» in Morelos Nahuatl as «authorities,» and in Eastern Highland Otomi as «judges who were the rulers of the people.» (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators for the DanishBibelen 2020, comments on the translation of this term: «The ancient type of leader called judges in the bible (described in the Book of Judges) presents its own problems in a translation like this. Calling them ‘judges’ simply doesn’t work because that was such a small part of what they did. We discussed this at length but never came up with anything better than ‘leader’.» (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about judges in ancient Israel (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The name that is transliterated as «Samson» in English means «a little sun,» «splendid sun» (i.e., great joy and felicity), «like the sun,» «distinguished,» «strong,» «a perfect servant.» (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for «headband» referring to his long hair and likely use of a headband. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as «enemy» or «foe» in English is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible as «friends of front,» i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin) and in Apinayé as «person next to one» (source: Patricia Ham in Notes on Translation, August 1965, p. 2).
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or «companion in war/fighting,» and in Ikwere as nye irno m or «person who hates me» (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
In Cherokee it is either translated as «the one(s) who reprimand(s) you» or «the one(s) feared.» (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 47)
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