The name that is transliterated as “Abijah” or “Abijam” in English means “God my Father” (Abijah) or “father of the sea,” “father of light (Abijam). (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 13:22:
Kupsabiny: “Everything that Abijah said and did were written in the Book of prophet Iddo.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “All the things that happened while Abijah was king, concerning all the work that he did and what he said, have been written in the book of the prophet Iddo.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The other story concerning the reign of Abia, what he had-said and had-done, were-written in the story of Prophet Eddo.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “An account of the other things that Abijah did while he was the king, including what he said and what he did, is in the scroll written by the prophet Iddo.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings refers to everything else Abijah did and said. His ways refers to the things he did during his life, that is, his activities. In some languages this phrase may be translated “the things that he did,” “his deeds” (New American Bible), or “his conduct” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).
The passive verb are written will have to be made active in some languages. A possible model for this is “they [indefinite] have written” or “someone has written.”
The story of the prophet Iddo: This work is unknown today. Story is literally “midrash” (so New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Moffatt, Osty-Trinquet). The Hebrew word for story may also be translated “study” or “commentary.” In later Hebrew this term became a commonly used word for “exegesis.” At this point in the development of the language, the word probably meant “story.” If the word means “commentary” here (so Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, El libro del Pueblo de Dios), then what Iddo wrote was not simply a history of Abijah’s reign but rather a commentary on his reign. Iddo is also mentioned in 2 Chr 9.29 and 12.15 as a source of information about other kings.
In the Hebrew text chapter 13 contains twenty-three verses; that is, 14.1 in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation corresponds to 13.23 in the Masoretic Text.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The other events that took place when Abijah ruled, -or-
King Abijah did many other things while he was king of Judah.
13:22b along with his ways and his words, are written in the Treatise of the Prophet Iddo.
including what he said and what he did, are found in the book of the prophet Iddo. -or-
The prophet Iddo wrote down the things that he did and said in his book.
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