every day

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “every day” in English is translated in Chichewa as “day and day.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (2 Kings 25:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 25:29:

  • Kupsabiny: “And when he was released, he took off his clothes of prison and put on others so that he could eat in the house of the king.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So like this Jehoiachin took off his prison clothes and always ate at the king’s table as long as he lived.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Jehoyakin no-longer wore clothes that belong to a prisoner, and from that-time he would-eat together-with the king.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king’s table every day for the rest of his life.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 25:29

The common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse is correctly translated So in order to show the logical relationship between Jehoiachin’s being given a place of special honor by the Babylonian king and the fact that he was able to get rid of his prison clothes.

Jehoiachin put off his prison garments: This should not be translated in such a way as to leave Jehoiachin naked in the minds of the readers or hearers of this text. What is clearly intended is that he was allowed to exchange his prison outfit for ordinary civilian clothing. The Hebrew verb translated put off is more literally “changed.” Contemporary English Version attempts to convey the idea by saying “Jehoiachin was even allowed to wear regular clothes.” Others may prefer to say “Jehoiachin exchanged his prison clothes for ordinary clothes.” The name Jehoiachin does not appear in the Hebrew text of this verse. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, as well as nearly all modern translations, have added the name to make clear the subject of the verbs put off and dined.

Every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table is literally “he ate bread continually/regularly before him all the days of his life.” This is reminiscent of Mephibosheth’s being invited to eat with David in 2 Sam 9.13. It was a particularly great honor to be invited even once to partake of a meal with a king. To do so on a regular basis was an indication of an even greater honor. It is very possible, however, that these words are not to be understood literally. As in 1 Kgs 2.7, which said that the sons of Barzillai were to eat at Solomon’s table, the meaning may be that he received a royal pension. American Bible translates this “he received permanent provisions by his favor for life.”

In view of the context, the adverb regularly will be seen as unnecessarily repetitious in some languages and may be omitted. The fact that this was done every day of his life indicates that this was done regularly for the rest of Jehoiachin’s life. In some languages the habitual verb form will be used to underline the regularity of this event.

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 .