17The king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the fuller’s field.
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 name that is transliterated as “Hezekiah” in English means “the Lord my strength,” “the might of YHWH,” “strength of the Lord.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “facing the wall” referring to Isaiah 38:2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that signifies a model, a parameter for his life, referring to “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done” of 2 Kings 18:3. (Source: Missão Kophós )
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 18:17:
Kupsabiny: “Then, the king of Assyria said to his big person in charge of all soldiers, the person in charge of the soldiers who guarded the king and his assistant to take the soldiers for a raid. He told those people to get up from the city of Lachish and go with many soldiers to attack Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When they reached there. they went and stood near a channel of a pond/well which was on the upper side of a wide path that headed towards where clothes were washed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “For the purpose of attacking Jerusalem the King of Assyria gave a large army to the army chief, the generals and the captains and sent them from Lachish to king Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Having arrived in Jerusalem, they stood on the road near the canal of the pond situated above it which goes to the field of the washermen.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But while Senakerib was there at Lakish, he commanded his leading/[lit. head] commander, the leading/[lit. head] officer, and his commander that have many soldiers, to go to Jerusalem to meet with King Hezekia. When they were now outside of Jerusalem, they stopped near the place-where-the-water-flows from the upper pool, there on the road to the place of laundering/washing-clothes.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from Lachish city to persuade King Hezekiah to surrender. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows from the upper pool into Jerusalem, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, 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.”
18:17a Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army,
The titles of these three officials were “the Tartan,” “the Rabsaris,” and “the Rabshakeh.” The Tartan was the field commander. The Rabsaris was a high government official whose title literally means “chief eunuch.” The Rabshakeh was another high-ranking official. This title literally means “chief cupbearer.”
Then the king of Assyria sent his three highest officials, the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, from Lachish. He told them to go with a large army
-or-
The king of Assyria then ordered his top general, his chief of staff, and his chief aide/official to take/lead a large army
18:17b from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.
to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem.
-or-
from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.
18:17c They advanced up to Jerusalem
When they came to Jerusalem,
-or-
They ⌊set out and⌋ arrived at Jerusalem.
18:17d and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool,
The Hebrew word that the New International Version translates as “aqueduct” here refers to a man-made waterway or channel. See also Isaiah 7:3.
they stopped at the water channel/ditch of the Upper Pool.
-or-
There they stood near the canal in which water flowed from the upper water tank.
18:17e on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
This was located on the highway/road to the field where cloth was washed.
-or-
That place was along the main road to the field where people washed and dried clothes.
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