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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 16:18

And renders the Hebrew verbal transition that is sometimes translated “And it happened” or “And it came to pass” (Jewish Publication Version). Like Good News Translation, most modern versions do not render it explicitly in this case.

When Zimri saw that the city was taken: The passive verb was taken will have to be made active in certain languages. Possible models for those languages are “when Zimri saw that he had lost the city” and “when Zimri knew that his enemies had captured the city.”

The citadel of the king’s house: The Hebrew noun rendered citadel, which occurs also in 2 Kgs 15.25, most likely refers to a heavily fortified area of the palace and is therefore translated “citadel” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Bible), “fortress” (Good News Translation), or “keep” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible du Semeur), that is, the strongest and most secure part of a castle. Gray, however, argues that the Hebrew noun here refers not to a fortified area of the palace but simply to the residence of the king within the larger palace complex, which included storehouses, administrative quarters, and other buildings. Gray, accordingly, translates “the residence of the palace-complex.”

Burned the king’s house over him with fire: In the Hebrew text there is no explicit subject for the verb burned. Most interpreters and translators understand this to mean that Zimri burned the palace down “over himself” (so New Living Translation) as a way of committing suicide. It is, however, possible that the subject of the verb is Omri, that is, that Omri burned the palace down while Zimri was inside of it. Translators are advised to adopt the understanding of the majority of scholars and make sure that Zimri is understood as the subject of the verb burned. For burned … with fire, see the comments on 1 Kgs 9.16.

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 .