20And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation; you are to be called the king’s Friend, and you are to take our side and keep friendship with us.” He also sent him a purple robe and a golden crown.
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “high sacrificer” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Tagbanwa as “Most-important Priest of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Bariai: “Big leader of offerings” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
In Khoekhoe the translation for “high priest” is only capitalized when it refers to Jesus (as is Hebrews 2:17 et al.). (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)
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:
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
And so we have appointed you today to be the high priest of your nation: There had been no High Priest among the Jews for seven years, since the death of Alcimus (1Macc 9.56). Since the time of the Jewish return from exile, the High Priest had been thought of as a local secular leader as well as a religious leader. The office was hereditary, and the imperial rulers (the Persians, the Ptolemies, the Seleucids) had generally refrained from interfering with it. With Antiochus~V this changed, and the king assumed for himself the responsibility to make whomever he wanted the Jewish High Priest. Beginning in 175 b.c., Antiochus took bribes from people who wanted to be the High Priest, and at one point appointed someone who was not even of a priestly family. Now Alexander, who claimed to be king, appointed Jonathan who was indeed from a priestly family, but not the high-priestly family. It may be significant that the author says nothing about how he was regarded by the Jews themselves when he assumed the office. Many Jews probably thought he held the office illegitimately.
You are to be called the king’s friend: The king’s friend is clearly an official title in this context (see the comments on 1Macc 2.18). Good News Bible has a helpful model for this clause.
Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version reverse the order of the last two clauses in this verse. We will discuss them in that order.
And you are to take our side and keep friendship with us: In return for the secular (King’s Friend) and religious (High Priest) honors, Jonathan was expected to side with Alexander in the struggle for power against Demetrius. Most translators will find it helpful to follow Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version by placing this clause before the one in parentheses in Revised Standard Version, which is not part of the letter. This allows the text of the letter to be unbroken. Good News Bible has “You are to be our ally and give us your support,” and Contemporary English Version translates “This means that you must be a very loyal follower.”
(And he sent him a purple robe and a golden crown): By moving this clause from after the text of the letter, Good News Bible eliminates the need for parentheses. The purple robe and golden crown were signs of Jonathan’s official appointment. Good News Bible renders purple robe as “royal robe” (compare 1Macc 8.14), but this may be misleading since Jonathan was not being made a king. Purple robes were worn by the officials known as Friends of the King.
While Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version‘s reordering of this verse is worth following, here is another possible model that keeps the original order by using indirect discourse for the last clause:
• I have this day appointed you as High Priest of your nation and given you the title ‘Friend of the King.’”
Alexander sent him a purple robe and a gold crown as signs of office, and let Jonathan know that he expected his support and loyalty in the expected fight [or, struggle] against Demetrius.
If translators follow the order in Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version, we suggest this wording for the parenthetical expression: “He sent Jonathan a purple robe and a gold crown as official signs of his new positions.”
Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.
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