king

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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:

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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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Maccabees 11:14

And persuaded them to settle everything on just terms: This clause makes the next verse, where Maccabeus agreed to the proposed terms, sound a bit odd. It also sounds odd that he had to persuade Judas to accept just terms. Judas would certainly not be inclined to accept unjust terms. What the writer seems to be saying is that Lysias offered Judas a fair deal, and urged him to accept it. Verse 15 makes it clear that the terms were in fact fair. Settle everything means to arrange for peace. We suggest the following model for the first half of this verse and the previous clause: “So he sent a message, 14 saying that he was ready to end the war [or, stop fighting], and urging Judas [Maccabeus] to accept the terms he was offering, which were fair.”

Promising that he would persuade the king, constraining him to be their friend: As the footnotes in Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible indicate, the Greek text here is not clear. However, most scholars agree that the sense given by Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible is at least close to what the writer intended. Part of the problem—and this may have been the problem for the scribes as well—is that it sounds odd to have this government official, even a high-ranking officer, promising to force the king to change his policy toward the Jews. (The Greek word for constraining means to force or compel.) However, it helps to remember that at this time King Antiochus~V was still a boy, and Lysias was probably in a position to get him to agree to anything. This passage does not mention Antiochus’ age, but see the comments on verse 1. We think it legitimate to help the reader by pointing out this information in the models below, but translators who feel otherwise may certainly omit the references to the king’s youth. The last half of this verse may be rendered “He promised that he would put pressure on [young] King Antiochus to become a friend of the Jews” or “He assured them that he could convince the [young] king [or, young King Antiochus] to become a friend of the Jews.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.