The Hebrew that is translated as “book of the annals” in English is translated in Newari as “history book” (source: Newari Back Translation).
Amon
The name that is transliterated as “Amon” in English means “nourisher,” “nurse,” “multitude,” “faithful,” “workman.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that depicts forsaking God and blasphemy, because “he was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done” (2 Kings 21:20). (Source: Missão Kophós )
“Amon” in Libras (source )
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see this article in Christianity Today .
complete verse (2 Kings 21:25)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 21:25:
- Kupsabiny: “Everything that Amon did has been written in the book about the life of the kings of Judah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Newari: “The other events that happened while Amon was king, concerning all the work that he did have been written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “The other stories concerning the reign of Amon, and what he did, were-written in the Book of the History of the Kings of Juda.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “If you want to read about the other things that Amon did, they are written in the scroll called ‘The History of the Kings of Judah’.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
king
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 21:25
The standard formula summarizing the reign of a ruler is used here without any supplementary information. This seems to suggest that there was nothing during the brief reign of Amon that distinguished it.
As in previous cases, the rhetorical question of Revised Standard Version may be better rendered as a direct statement and translators should be careful with the word Chronicles (see verse 17).
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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