king

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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:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 13:13

The transition word rendered So is the common Hebrew conjunction and may be left untranslated in this context, as in Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New International Version and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh. Or it may be taken as a temporal transition marker (New Jerusalem Bible “Then”). But the use of a logical connector, following Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version, is not advised in this context.

Slept with his fathers: See the comments on 1 Kgs 1.21 and 2.10.

Jeroboam, whose reign is treated in 2 Kgs 14.23-29, is the second ruler of the northern kingdom with that name. The earlier Jeroboam (1 Kgs 12.1–14.20) was the first ruler of Israel after the kingdom was divided following the death of Solomon in the year 930 or 931 B.C. The ruler referred to in this verse governed Israel nearly a hundred and thirty years later. Good News Translation (also New Living Translation) uses the convention of adding the Roman numeral II to distinguish this Jeroboam from his earlier namesake. But in some languages this will be meaningless. Perhaps the only way to convey this information will be to add an explanatory footnote. See Appendix B, “Who’s Who among the Kings.” Since Jeroboam is being introduced here for the first time, it may be helpful to identify him as the son of Jehoash (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation).

Sat upon his throne: To “sit on the throne” is another way of saying to “rule” or “reign” (see Exo 11.5). To sit on the throne of another person means to take his place as ruler. This is how it is used in 1 Kgs 1.13 regarding Solomon’s replacing David as king. Here it may be rendered “took his place on the throne” (New Century Version), “replaced him as ruler,” or “began to reign in his place.”

Buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel: For an explanation of the Good News Translation rendering “buried in the royal tombs,” see the comments on 1 Kgs 14.31. Since Jehoash was also a king of Israel, it will be more reasonable in many languages to say “buried in Samaria with the other kings of Israel” or “… with his predecessors.”

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 .