8and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies before you, and I will make for you a name like the name of the great ones of the earth.
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)
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 ).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 17:8:
Kupsabiny: “I was with you in every place where you went and I thought for you when all your enemies came against you. So, I will make you known/famous in the world like other famous people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Wherever you went, I have been with you, and I have removed your enemies from before you. Now I will cause you to have a name among the famous people of the land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I have-been-with you (sing.) wherever you (sing.) have-gone, and I caused- you (sing.) -to-defeat all your (sing.) enemies. Now, I will-cause- you (sing.) -to-become-famous like the other famous men on the earth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I have been with/helped you wherever you have gone, and I have gotten rid of all your enemies as you advanced. And now I will cause you to become very famous, as well-known as the names of the greatest men who have ever lived on the earth.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And I have been with you wherever you went: In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of these two clauses by saying “Everywhere you went, I remained with you.”
And have cut off all your enemies from before you: In this context the verb cut off may be rendered “destroyed” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible) or “defeated” (Good News Translation, New Century Version). A literal rendering is likely to be misunderstood in many languages, although the English idiom “cut down” (New American Bible) may be appropriate in the context of warfare. New Jerusalem Bible uses the expression “got rid of.” The phrase from before you is left untranslated in some versions, but the expression seems to indicate that the destruction of David’s enemies took place in his presence as he moved forward in battle. This phrase may be awkward in some languages if translated literally. Revised English Bible offers a good model with “in your path,” and so does Contemporary English Version with “right in front of your eyes.”
And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth: The form of the Hebrew verb rendered will make may be understood here in two different ways. It may be taken as expressing future tense or past tense. The majority of versions use future tense here, but Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has past tense, rendering the whole clause as “and I have given you fame, like the most important men of the world have” (similarly Contemporary English Version, La Sainte Bible: La version Etablie par les moines de Maredsous). In this context the word name refers to “reputation” (Bible en français courant) or “fame” (Revised English Bible). The great ones of the earth refers to people who were well known by other people throughout the world. God’s Word speaks of “the greatest people on earth.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
17:8a I have been with you wherever you have gone,
I was with you(sing) everywhere you went. -or-
Every ⌊place⌋ you went I helped you.
17:8b and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.
I defeated all your enemies in front of you. -or-
I destroyed all your enemies ⌊right⌋ in front of ⌊your eyes⌋ .
17:8c Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
So now, I will make your name ⌊great⌋ like the names of the greatest people on earth. -or-
Therefore , I ⌊Yahweh⌋ will cause you ⌊David,⌋ to be well known. You will be like the men who are very well known in the world.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.