The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “messenger” in English is translated in Noongar as moort yana-waangki or “person walk-talk” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
Saul
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Saul” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign that depicts “sword in chest” (referring to 1 Samuel 31:4 and 1 Chronicles 10:4) and also “self-centered.” (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Saul” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about King Saul (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Saul .
complete verse (1 Samuel 19:14)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 19:14:
- Kupsabiny: “But when Saul’s people who wanted to arrest David had entered the house, Michal told them that, ‘David is sick.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “When the men whom Saul sent to capture David arrived, Mical told them that David (was) sick.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “When the messengers came to the house the next morning, she told them that David was sick and could not get out of bed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
David
The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )
“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).
“David” in German Sign Language (source )
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .
Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 19:14
Revised Standard Version preserves the direct quotation as in the Hebrew text. Good News Translation restructures and puts Michal’s words in the form of an indirect quotation.
Messengers is indefinite in Hebrew, and the reference is not necessarily to the same messengers as those mentioned in verse 11. Some translations, however, use the definite article here, indicating that these are the same individuals mentioned in verse 11. As in verse 11, these men were not so much interested in communicating a message as in performing a task. Their main interest in this case was to take David. So it may be inappropriate in some languages to call them messengers. The same will be true in the verses that follow.
A direct quotation of the statement of Michal at the end of this verse is not essential. These words may be turned into indirect discourse as in Good News Translation (so also Revised English Bible and Knox).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
3rd person pronoun with high register (Japanese)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
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