29King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to see Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was wounded.
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “son of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic naming system . This means that for instance in Matthew 16:17 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Simon son of Jonah” becomes “Simon Jónasson” or in Isaiah 8:2 “Zechariah son of Jeberechiah” becomes “Sakaría Jeberekíason” where in both cases the “-son” means “son of.”
In cases where “son of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage, however, this system is not used. So in Matthew 1:1 “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” is translated as “Jesú Krists, sonar Davíðs, sonar Abrahams.”
The referenced verses all have at least one instance where the Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ahab” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” + “jealous” referring to the story in 1 Kings 21. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 8:29:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Joram returned to the city of Jezreel so that his wounds could be treated. Then, Ahaziah went to visit Joram there at Jezreel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah went there to see him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Ahazia went-together with Joram the child of Ahab in fighting against King Hazael of Aram. They fought at Ramot Gilead, and Joram was-wounded. So King Joram went-home to the town of Jezreel to heal his wounds. And while he was there, King Ahazia of Juda visited him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “King Joram returned to Jezreel city to recover from his wounds. King Ahaziah went to visit him there.” (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.”
Good News Translation omits a great deal of repetition in this verse. The following pieces of information are left out by Good News Translation:
• (1) the origin of Joram’s injuries: which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. This information is provided in the previous verse. Ramah is probably a short form for Ramoth, that is, for Ramoth-gilead mentioned in the previous verse.
• (2) the parentage and kingdom of Ahaziah: the son of Jehoram king of Judah. These details are stated in verse 25.
• (3) the parentage and location of Joram: the son of Ahab in Jezreel. That Joram was the son of Ahab is stated earlier in verses 25 and 28. That he was recuperating in the city of Jezreel is stated earlier in this verse.
• (4) the reason for his visit: because he was sick. The fact that Joram was wounded in battle is known from the previous verse. But it may be a good idea to state that this was the reason for Ahaziah’s visit.
To be healed: This passive expression may be made active by using a verb like “recuperate” or “recover” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). Or the first sentence might be reworded as “King Joram returned to the city of Jezreel to rest so that his wounds … might heal.”
Which the Syrians had given him: In certain languages a literal translation of this expression would be unfortunate since wounds are not thought to be given. They are rather “inflicted” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible) or “caused.” Some other versions speak of the wounds that “he had received” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version).
Ahaziah … went down to see Joram … in Jezreel: The text does not state where Ahaziah’s starting point was. It may have been Samaria or Jerusalem or some other place. While going from Samaria to Jezreel (a distance of about 38 kilometers or 24 miles) did involve a slight decrease in elevation, it may not be natural in certain languages to say went down. The more common way of speaking would be to use the verb “went.” Since the point of origin is uncertain, the more general term is advisable. For comments on Jezreel, see 1 Kgs 18.45 and 21.1.
Because he was sick: This wording almost makes it sound as if King Joram had caught some illness in addition to having been wounded in battle. It might be better to say “because he was wounded” (New Revised Standard Version), “who was wounded” (em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), “Because of Jehoram’s injury” (Revised English Bible), or “because Joram was recovering from his wounds there.”
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 .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.