The name that is transliterated as “Elisha” in English means “God the Savior,” “to whom God is salvation,” “God of salvation,” “God is Savior.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “help + prophet.” (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai translation uses the exclusive pronoun, excluding Elisha. The Adamawa Fulfulde translation uses the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.
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):
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)
“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 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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 6:1:
Kupsabiny: “One day the trainee prophets were complaining. They said to Elisha, ‘You see, the place where we live/stay with you has become very narrow/small so we can hardly turn around.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Once a group of prophets came to Elisha and spoke like this, "Please look, the place where we meet with you too small for us.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “One time, the group of the prophets said to Elisha, ‘You yourself saw that this place where we (excl.) meet with you is small.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, ‘Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-ran (ご覧), a combination of “behold / see” (ran) and the honorific prefix go-.
While the Hebrew text begins with the common conjunction, which Revised Standard Version translates Now, many translators may see the need for a different kind of introductory word or expression to show that a new episode is beginning. Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and Bible en français courant do this with the words “One day.”
The sons of the prophets: See the comments at 1 Kgs 20.35 and 2 Kgs 2.3.
See: This is a translation of the Hebrew focusing particle that is often rendered “behold” (2 Kgs 2.11) or “lo” (2 Kgs 1.14). This particle is followed in the Hebrew text by another one, translated “now” in King James Version, which would normally indicate that the speakers are making an appeal. But this particle is ignored in many modern versions. Others take the two terms together to mean “Look” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or “As you see” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible).
The place where we dwell under your charge: This may mean either “the place where we live under your direction” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh; similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or “the place where we meet with you” (New International Version, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version, American Bible). The commentaries and modern versions are almost equally divided on this issue. Either interpretation is possible. The writer does not say where this place is, but it may have been in Jericho (see 2 Kgs 2.5) since Jericho was close to the Jordan River (verse 2).
The words under your charge are taken out of direct quotation by Good News Translation, but the meaning is retained in the introduction to the quotation.
Is too small for us: In some languages this may have to be rendered “is not fitting for us because it is small.”
The pronouns we and us should probably be rendered in such a way as to include Elisha in those languages that make the distinction between inclusive and exclusive first person plural pronouns. But in the following verse the exclusive form is more likely.
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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