18King Jehoash of Judah took all the votive gifts that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his ancestors, the kings of Judah, had dedicated, as well as his own votive gifts, all the gold that was found in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent these to King Hazael of Aram. Then Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Jehoshaphat” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “mixup” referring to the fateful alliance with king Ahab of Israel in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 12:18:
Kupsabiny: “When Joash saw like that, he gathered everything that Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah and the other former kings of the country of Judah had set aside and also what he himself had set aside. He also took all the gold from where the money for the House of God was kept and even what was in the house of the king. Then, he went with all those things to go and give it to Hazael. So, Hazael returned his people so as not to go and fight that city of Jerusalem. After that, (he/they) went home.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “But Joash, King of Judah took all the holy items that his ancestors the Kings of Judah named Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah and all the gold and the sacred items that he himself had dedicated as gifts that were in the temple of the LORD and the treasury of the royal palace, and sent them to Hazael, King of Aram. After that he withdrew from Jerusalem.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “King Joash gathered all the things that were-offered by his ancestors to the LORD, and including also what he offered. (The ancestors of Joash who offered those things were Jehoshafat, Jehoram, and Ahazia, which-are the kings of Juda.) Joash sent all these to Hazael, including all the gold which was-there in the storehouses of the temple of the LORD and the palace. So Hazael no-longer attacked Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So Joash, the king of Judah, took all the money that the previous kings, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, had dedicated to Yahweh. He added some of his own money, and all the gold that was in the rooms in the temple where valuable things were kept/stored, and the gold in his palace, and sent it all to King Hazael, to appease him/persuade him to not attack Jerusalem. So King Hazael took his army away from Jerusalem.” (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.”
The Hebrew term translated votive gifts twice in this verse contains the root meaning “holy.” This explains the translations “holy-gifts” (Revised English Bible) and “holy things” (New Century Version). Others have attempted to convey the same meaning with expressions like “dedicated offerings” (New American Bible), “sacred offerings” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “objects that had been consecrated” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For further discussion on this term, see the comments at 1 Kgs 7.51, where it is rendered “things … dedicated.”
Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, the kings of Judah: Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah were the fourth, fifth and sixth kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. They preceded Queen Athaliah as rulers of Judah and were the immediate male predecessors of Joash. In some languages his fathers, the kings of Judah will have to be rendered by an expression like “the kings who ruled Judah before him.” But in order to show that they were related, it is probably better to translate his fathers as “his ancestors” (so New Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version). Regarding the order of the names given, in some languages it will be more natural to begin with the most recent king while others will start with the most distant one. Naturalness in the receptor language should be the determining factor.
His own votive gifts, and all the gold … in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house: In addition to the consecrated objects given to God by his predecessors, Joash offered his own. Added to these was all the gold stored in the places where wealth was kept, both in the royal palace and in the Temple. The word treasuries may be rendered “the places where riches are hidden” or “the rooms where people hide things of value.” Compare 1 Kgs 7.51.
Then Hazael went away from Jerusalem: These words do not mean that only the king left the area of Jerusalem, but that his army also went with him. If this is not clearly implied in the receptor language, then translators should ensure that this is what the readers will understand by saying “Then King Hazael and his soldiers left [the area of] Jerusalem.” Compare also “So Hazael called off his attack on Jerusalem” (New Living Translation).
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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