Most High

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Ge’ez, or Greek that is translated as “(God) the Most High” or “Most High God” in English is translated in various way:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “he the completely glorified God”
  • San Mateo del Mar Huave: “Father God who is high in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has such tremendous authority”
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “he who is the native of the highest place”
  • Palantla Chinantec: “the Big God Himself”
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “God who has authority over all”
  • Estado de México Otomi: “most exalted God”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “God who is in heaven”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “God who has a great rule” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Sa’a: “God, the Surpassing One” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Elhomwe: Mulluku Muullupalli or “God the Great” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa: Wammwambamwamba: A name of God. While this word is difficult to translate into English, its sense implies that God is highly above everything in his power and greatness. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 10:53 - 10:54

Therefore I told you to go into the field where there was no foundation of any building: Verse 53 is largely repetitious of verse 51, but the emphasis here is on the foundation, which was emphasized in verse 27. The connector Therefore may be omitted (so Good News Bible).

For no work of man’s building could endure in a place where the city of the Most High was to be revealed: The city of the Most High refers to the heavenly city. This whole clause may be rendered “because nothing done by humans could stand in the place where God Most High would show you his holy city” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Alternative models for verses 53-54 are:

• 53 I told you to go to a field where there was not even a foundation for a building [of any kind], 54 because no structure built by human beings could ever exist in a place where God Most High would reveal to you the heavenly city.

• … 54 because no structure that human beings had built could every exist in a place where….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.