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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 27:33

Ahithophel was the king’s counselor: Since some versions identify Jonathan as one of the king’s counselors in the previous verse, those same versions add the word “also” or “another” here. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, for example, has “Another counselor of the king was Ahithophel” (similarly Nueva Versión Internacional), and Bible en français courant says “Ahithophel was also a counselor to the king.” Regarding Ahithophel, see 2 Sam 16.23; 17.23.

And Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend: Regarding Hushai, see 2 Sam 15.32-37; 17.5-16. Most readers will not know what the Archite means, so a literal translation may have little or no meaning. The Septuagint understood this term to mean “the first [friend of the king].” But no modern version follows this interpretation. According to Josh 16.2, the Archites lived between Bethel and Ataroth, which were towns in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, so they may been a clan of this tribe. New Century Version says “from the Arkite people.” God’s Word has “a descendant of Archi,” which may express the correct meaning; but a translation such as that in New Century Version is preferable since there is no way to know if there was ever an ancestor named “Archi.”

The king’s friend is literally “friend of the king” (see 2 Sam 15.37; 1 Kgs 4.5). Almost certainly the Hebrew word translated friend is a technical term in this context borrowed from Egyptian court titles and refers to a court official who served as the king’s confidential adviser. Evidence for such a title is found in ancient documents from Egypt and Ugarit. For this reason the king’s friend is better rendered “private counselor of the king” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), “the king’s confidant” (New American Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; similarly La Bible du Semeur), “the king’s confidential adviser” (Moffatt), or “the king’s friend and confidant” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible uses the word “friend” in the text but states in a footnote that this term “has a technical sense here; it is the title given to a confidant or counselor of the king.” If translators choose to keep the word “friend” in the text, then they should consider explaining the meaning in a footnote, as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has done. Revised English Bible takes a different approach, indicating that this is a title by capitalizing it: “the king’s Friend.” But translators should not rely on use of footnotes or capital letters to convey the meaning of this word. It will be best to follow the examples of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and state the meaning clearly in the text.

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 .