elder (of the community)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated as “elders” in English is translated in the Danish Bibelen 2020 as folkets ledere or “leaders of the people.”

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators, explains: “The term ‘elder’ turned out to pose a particularly thorny problem. In traditional bibles, you can find elders all of over the place and they never pose a problem for a translator, they are just always elders. But how to find a contemporary term for this semi-official, complex position? This may have been our longest-standing problem. A couple of times we thought we had the solution, and then implemented it throughout the texts, only to find out that it didn’t work. Like when we used city council or village council, depending on the context. In the end we felt that the texts didn’t work with such official terms, and throughout the years in the desert, these terms didn’t make much sense. Other suggestions were ‘the eldest and wisest’, ‘the respected citizens’, ‘the Israelites with a certain position in society’, ‘the elder council’ –- and let me point out that these terms sound better in Danish than in English (‘de fremtrædende borgere,’ ‘de mest fremtrædende israelitter,’ ‘alle israelitter med en vis position,’ ‘de ældste og de klogeste,’ ‘ældsterådet’). In the end we just said ‘leaders of the people.’ After a lot of hand-wringing, it turned out that we actually found a term that worked well. So, we had to give up conveying the fact that they were old, but the most important point is that they were community leaders.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

The German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates likewise as “leader of the people” (Anführer des Volkes).

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 9:4

And that if any did not meet there within two or three days: This clause introduces a condition. If something did not take place, then a specific result would follow. Any is literally “he himself” (Revised Standard Version footnote), which refers to any particular man. Any may be rendered “any men.” Three days were a sufficient length of time for people to come from an area that extended no more than 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Jerusalem. The assumption is that the men would travel by day to arrive in Jerusalem no later than the third day. In some cultures it is more common to describe the passage of time in terms of nights, in which case two or three days would be rendered “two or three nights.” This clause may be rendered “If anyone did not meet there [or, in Jerusalem] within two days, or three days at the most.”

In accordance with the decision of the ruling elders: The ruling elders were the Jewish leaders. They made the decision that anyone who did not appear for the meeting should be punished as described. New English Bible says “the elders in office,” and Myers has “the presiding elders.” We may also say “those in authority.”

Their cattle should be seized for sacrifice and the men themselves expelled from the multitude of those who had returned from the captivity: For the Greek word rendered cattle, see the comments on 1 Esd 2.6-7. The men themselves expelled from the multitude of those who had returned from the captivity makes clear that anyone defying the order would no longer be considered part of the Jewish community. They would not to be allowed at the Temple services and they would lose their rights as citizens. They would be treated as foreigners. The right to impose these penalties was given to Ezra by the Persian king (see 1 Esd 8.24).

Here is an alternative model for verses 3 and 4:

• 3 The Jewish officials sent a proclamation [or, message] throughout Jerusalem and Judah, ordering that every man who had returned from captivity in Babylonia should come together [for a meeting] in Jerusalem 4 within two or three days. The ruling authorities had decided that if anyone did not come to the meeting, all their livestock would be taken and offered as sacrifices, and they themselves would no longer be considered part of the Jewish community who had returned from exile.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.