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 (Dinė) 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 27:1

Verse 1 functions as a heading for the list in verses 2-15, and not for the whole chapter. Since Good News Translation restructures verses 2-15, the information in those verses that there was a different commander for each month is brought forward to the end of verse 1. Rather than repeat the words twenty-four thousand in each verse, Good News Translation states it once only–in verse 1.

This is the list of the people of Israel is literally “And the children of Israel after their number.” Bible en français courant says “Here is a list of Israelites in the king’s service.”

The heads of fathers’ houses is literally “the heads of the fathers.” Nearly all translations supply the word houses, “families,” or something similar, as the context requires. For this whole phrase see the comments on 1 Chr 5.24.

The commanders of thousands and hundreds refers to military commanders (see the comments on 1 Chr 13.1). Other translations include “commanders of battalions and companies,” “commanders of regiments or companies” (Bible en français courant), “army commanders” (Contemporary English Version), and “generals and captains” (New Living Translation).

Their officers: The Hebrew word translated officers has a general meaning of “officials” or “administrators” (Bible en français courant). In this military context it may refer to the people with authority to muster troops. Some scholars think that the Hebrew word originally meant “scribe” or “record-keeper” (see the comments on 1 Chr 23.4) This is the basis for the renderings “scribes” (La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), “clerks” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and “secretaries” (Nouvelle Bible Segond).

The heads of fathers’ houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers are in apposition to the people of Israel. Revised English Bible makes this clear by saying “The number of the Israelites–that is to say, of the heads of families, the officers over units of a thousand and a hundred, and the clerks.”

Who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year: Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje indicates that those who served the king were those “who gave military service in the kingdom.” The Hebrew does not state exactly what the purpose of the divisions here was. But they were almost certainly “military divisions” (La Bible du Semeur, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nueva Versión Internacional, Reina-Valera revisada) or “army divisions” (New International Version). Came and went means these divisions came on duty and came off duty (compare 2 Chr 23.8). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh expresses that came and went, month after month throughout the year as “who worked in monthly shifts during all the months of the year,” and New International Version says “that were on duty month by month throughout the year.” Knoppers translates this clause as “the rotating divisions, month by month throughout all the months of the year.” Revised English Bible also expresses the meaning clearly with “which took monthly turns of duty throughout the year.”

Each division numbering twenty-four thousand: Twelve divisions of 24,000 in each division gives a total of 288,000.

Bible en français courant may provide a helpful model for translating this verse:

• Here is a list of Israelites in the king’s service: heads of families, commanders of regiments or companies, and administrators. Their activity concerned the military divisions which, all year long, were in the service in rotation for one month. Each division had twenty-four thousand men.

Compare also International Children’s Bible:

• This is the list of the Israelite people who served the king in the army. Each division was on duty one month each year. There were leaders of families, commanders of 100 men, commanders of 1,000 men and other officers. Each division had 24,000 men.

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 .