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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Kings 1:15

So: The common Hebrew conjunction here is rightly understood by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation as indicating a logical and temporal transition. As a result of what Nathan had said to Bathsheba, she went immediately to speak to King David.

The Hebrew word for chamber refers in general to a dark inner room. In this context it refers more specifically to the room where the king slept. In some languages the most natural equivalent will, in fact, be “sleeping room.” In other cases it will be better to say something like “private place.”

Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to him: For the name Abishag the Shunammite and the verb ministering, see the comments on verses 3 and 4. It is not clear from the Hebrew how the reader is to understand this reference to Abishag. Perhaps she was present with David when Bathsheba came (so New American Bible “Bathseba visited the king in his room, while Abishag the Shunamite was attending him…”).

Or, more likely, the comment about Abishag may be intended as a general statement of the fact that David was now old and was regularly cared for by Abishag. This statement serves to explain why it was necessary for Bathsheba to go to David’s bedroom: he was old and feeble, needing help, and was unable to leave his room. Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt, An American Translation (An American Translation), and New Jerusalem Bible follow this second understanding; that is, Abishag was not necessarily with David at this moment but David was now very old and needed to be taken care of. The use of parentheses in Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, An American Translation, and New Jerusalem Bible is an attempt to reflect this understanding. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Anchor Bible use dashes to set off the information about Abishag. If this interpretation is followed, it may be better to restructure the whole verse and say something like the following:

• So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. David was now very old and Abishag the Shunammite was responsible for taking care of him.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .