7When the letter reached them, they took the king’s sons and killed them, seventy persons; they put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 10:7:
Kupsabiny: “And/But when that letter had reached those people, they took those sons of Ahab and killed all seventy. Then, they placed their heads inside baskets and (they) were brought to Jehu in the city of Jezreel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “As soon as Jehu’s letter arrived, they took seventy princes and killed them. Their heads were put in baskets and sent to Jehu in Jezreel.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When- the letter of Jehu -arrived, these men took the 70 descendants of the king and killed (them). Then they put- their heads -inside the baskets and sent (them) to Jehu in Jezreel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “When they received the letter from Jehu, they killed all seventy of Ahab’s descendants and cut off their heads. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 renders the Hebrew verbal transition marker that is sometimes translated “And it happened.” See the comments on 2 Kgs 8.3.
When the letter came to them: The letter in this verse is the second letter, the one in which Jehu appeared to ask for the heads of the descendants of Ahab. Some languages may prefer to say “this second letter.” In some languages it will be unnatural to make the letter the subject of the verb came. If this is the case, translators may say “when the leaders of Samaria received the [second] letter.”
They took the king’s sons: It will be noted that Good News Translation replaces the pronoun they with the noun phrase “the leaders of Samaria.” As in verse 4, the decision about how this pronoun is rendered will depend on the textual decision in the first verse of this chapter.
Slew: This archaic English verb is understandably replaced by “killed” in New Revised Standard Version and many other modern versions. On the other hand, New Jerusalem Bible translates “butchered” in an attempt to depict the savagery of the act and reflect the use of a more graphic Hebrew word than the ordinary term for “kill.”
Put their heads in baskets: Revised English Bible says “piled their heads in baskets.” The Hebrew noun translated baskets refers to “baskets” in Jer 24.1 and to cooking pots in 1 Sam 2.14. Either translation is possible here.
Sent them to him; that is, these leaders sent the baskets filled with heads to Jehu. If either or both of the pronouns (them and him) are ambiguous or confusing, a noun or noun phrase may be substituted.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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