complete verse (2 Kings 23:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 23:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “The king said, ‘Leave that place alone! No one should remove his bones.’ So, those people left the bones of that person together with those of that prophet who had come from the city of Samaria.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He said, "If it’s like that, leave it alone. None of you are to take out any of his bones." So they left his bones and the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria untouched.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The king said, ‘[You (plur.)] leave his burial-place. [You (plur.)] do- not -get his bones.’ So they did- not -get his bones and also the bones of the prophet who came-from-Samaria.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Josiah replied, ‘Allow his tomb to remain as it is. Do not remove the prophet’s bones from the tomb.’
    So the people did not remove those bones, or the bones of the other prophet, the one who had come from Samaria.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

prophet

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Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo (Dinė), Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
  • Cherokee: adolehosgi (ᎠᏙᎴᎰᏍᎩ) or “discoverer of things,” a “term that was was traditionally applied to Cherokee medicine men or women who used divining.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 49)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: How to Recognize a Biblical Prophet .

See also seer.

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 23:18

He said: The subject of the verb said is Josiah, who is mentioned by name in Hebrew at the beginning of verse 16. Since several other persons have been mentioned in verses 16-17, Good News Translation repeats the name “Josiah” here for the sake of clarity. Osty-Trinquet provides a similar model by inserting “the king” within square brackets.

Let him be; let no man move his bones: The command Let him be refers to the dead prophet. His resting place was to be left undisturbed. Since he had been dead for a long time, some languages may not find it natural to say Let him be, using the pronoun him. It is equally legitimate to translate “Leave the grave alone” (New Century Version) or “Leave it alone” (Revised English Bible), with the pronoun “it” referring to the grave. The second expression (let no man move his bones) will probably be considered quite natural as it is. In languages where indirect discourse is preferred, it will be possible to translate the meaning of both expressions together as follows: “ordered that they should leave his grave alone and that his bones should not be disturbed.”

The transition word So renders the common Hebrew conjunction. The context requires a logical connection between the king’s order and the resulting fact that the bones of the prophets were not bothered.

The prophet who came out of Samaria refers to a different prophet from the one “who came from Judah” (verse 17). He was from the city of Bethel itself (see 1 Kgs 13.11, 31), which was in the former northern kingdom of Israel. In some languages it will be more natural to speak of “the other prophet, the one who was from the region of Samaria.” In this context the proper name Samaria does not refer to the capital city called by this name, but to the entire region of Samaria (see the comments at 1 Kgs 13.32). This is confirmed by the reference to “the cities of Samaria” in verse 19. Contemporary English Version translates “the old prophet from Israel” since Samaria was a way of referring to the former northern kingdom of Israel at that time. By the time of Josiah, the city of Samaria had already fallen and the majority of the citizens of the northern kingdom had been taken away into exile. But there were certainly remnants of the former northern kingdom and possibly also some who had managed to return from the exile. Details on the two prophets and their tomb are given in 1 Kgs 13.11-32.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Kings 23:18

23:18a “Let him rest,” said Josiah.

Josiah said to them, “Let (plur.) him rest.

-or-

So Josiah told them not to open/disturb the grave

23:18b “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.”

Nobody is to remove his bones.”

-or-

and/or take out the man’s bones.

23:18c So they left his bones undisturbed,

So they did not disturb/move his bones

-or-

So they did not remove/touch the bones of the prophet.

23:18d along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.

or the bones of the prophet, the one who came from Samaria.

-or-

Nor did they remove/touch the bones of the ⌊other/old⌋ prophet, the one who had come from the Samaria ⌊region/district⌋ .

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