2Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner; put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “anoint” is translated in Lakota with azilyA: “to smudge.”
Steve Berneking (in Beerle-Moor / Voinov, p. 121) tells the story of that translation:
“During one visit with the Lakota team, we were reading texts and discussing key biblical terms and how they are best rendered into Lakota. Reference was made to the ritual we label ‘anointing.’ When the Lakota word that had been glossed as ‘anoint’ was read aloud, I heard giggling among the reviewers. Knowing that this reaction called for some explanation, I asked.
“The people there told me that the Lakota verb that was used to translate ‘anoint’ was funny in that context. It is not that the verb is an uncommon one; quite the contrary. Lakota uses that verb frequently, but almost exclusively as a verb of food preparation; the verb belongs to the culinary domain. In other words, the Lakota verb used for ‘anoint’ actually referred to rubbing oil on something that was to be cooked or grilled, in this case, the apostles. The Lakota verb ipáṫaŋṫtaŋ ‘to apply oil on something’ was used quite innocently by the missionaries. The linguistic transfer was understandable: the missionaries needed a verb to translate ‘putting oil on something’; Lakota has a verb; they used that verb. The result was comical. So, during that conversation with the Lakota community, I encouraged the translators to come up with a Lakota verb that is used not simply in ‘the application of oil,’ but more pointedly in the consecration of something or somebody for a special task, or in the appointment of someone for a special purpose. Their response was almost immediate: azilyA or wazílyA ‘to smudge.’ That is how, they told me, warriors and messengers and tribal leaders have always been consecrated (or blessed) before being sent out on a special mission. Sage grass was burned, and the smoke was waved over the person or object. The trans-cultural process of using the traditional Lakota verb azilyA for the biblical notion of ‘anoint’ became, at that moment, part of the Lakota Bible.”
In Bashkir, it is translated as masekhlay (мәсехләү), when used in a ritual context. Masekhlay has the same root than masikh (мәсих), which is used both for “anointed one” in the Old Testament and in its capitalized form (Мәсих) for Μεσσίας (engl. “Messiah”) and Χριστός (engl. “Christ”) in the New Testament. For more information about this, see anointed one.
In Vidunda it is translated as “smear oil.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing how anointing was done in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).
The Hebrew that is translated as “mourning clothes” or similar in English is translated in Waama as kuu karooti niina, lit. “death-sit clothes.” In the first draft the French mort habit was translated literally as kuun niina or “death clothes,” which turned out to be the clothes that are worn by the dead person in the casket. (Source: Siromatohou François Boco Tchoropa in Anthropology Allspice 5.4, 2023)
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about mourning clothes (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The different Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated as “(olive) oil” and “(animal) fat” in English are translated in Kwere with only one term: mavuta. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 14:2:
Kupsabiny: “He sent for a certain woman to be called for him who was wise and lived in Tekoa. When that woman came, Joab told her that, ‘Pretend you are mourning. Put on clothes of mourning and don’t smear yourself with oil and pretend to have been mourning for a long time.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So, having sent a certain person to Tekoa, he summoned a woman who had wisdom. Having arrived there, he said to the woman, "Pretend to be a woman in mourning, put on the clothes that are worn while in mourning. Do not put oil on [your] head and pretend to be a woman who has been in mourning for many days.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “So he sent-for a wise woman from Tekoa. When- the -woman arrived, Joab said to her, ‘You pretend that you are-mourning for the dead-one. You wear/put-on a garment/[lit. dress] worn by- the -one-who-mourns, and you do- not -make-yourself-beautiful but-rather you act like a woman who mourns for the dead-one for a long time now.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So Joab sent someone to Tekoa town to bring back a woman who was very clever. When she arrived, Joab said to her, ‘Pretend that you are grieving because someone has died. Put on clothes that show that you are mourning. Do not put any lotion/ointment on your body. Act as if you are a woman who has been mourning for a long time.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And translates the common Hebrew conjunction. Since verse 2 states what Joab did as a result of seeing how David felt about Absalom (verse 1), Good News Translation connects verse 2 to verse 1 with the English conjunction “so.”
Sent to Tekoa: some will have to say “sent someone to Tekoa” (New International Version) or “sent a messenger….” The name Tekoa is used in the Old Testament for a wilderness (2 Chr 20.20) and for a town (2 Chr 11.4) that was located about ten miles (sixteen kilometers) south of Bethlehem. In this case the reference is almost certainly to the town. In some languages it will be helpful to add the classifier term in an expression like “the town called Tekoa” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).
Fetched: the verb so translated may be better rendered “brought” (New International Version, New Revised Standard Version). But in some languages the verbs sent and fetched may be translated by a single verbal expression as in Good News Translation. Others may use a conjugated verb followed by an infinitive, “sent a servant to get [a certain wise woman…].”
A wise woman: or “a clever woman” (Moffatt). Note that the same expression is used in 20.16 in the story of Sheba’s rebellion. The translation should make it clear that this was not just any wise woman in the town of Tekoa but a specific person who had a reputation for wisdom. Some may prefer to say “a certain woman who was known to be very wise” or something similar.
Note that Good News Translation explicitly supplies the information “When she arrived” before going on to the instructions that Joab gave her. This information may need to be supplied in other languages as well.
Pretend to be a mourner: literally “cause yourself to mourn.” As in 13.5, where Jonadab urges Amnon to pretend to be ill, here the reflexive form of the verb is used as Joab asks the woman of Tekoa to make believe that she is mourning for someone who had died. The same kind of expression as was used in the earlier story can probably be used here.
Since the introductory words of Joab’s speech to the woman, Pretend to be a mourner, are a kind of summary of what follows, they are considered unnecessarily repetitious by some translators. The words behave like later in the verse carry the same meaning as pretend.
The Hebrew text contains a particle that may be translated “I pray thee” (Goldman, King James Version) or “please” (New American Standard Bible) but is not represented in Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation. It will be quite natural to include such an element in some languages, but it will probably come before the verb Pretend rather than after it.
Put on mourning garments: the Hebrew again contains the particle of entreaty after this verb, but neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation attempt to translate it. The Hebrew noun translated garments is a general word used for a wide range of clothing. Here it refers to clothing such as the coarse sackcloth that was worn in times of mourning.
Do not anoint yourself with oil: this is the opposite of what a person would do to make himself or herself attractive to other people. Compare Ruth 3.3, where Ruth is encouraged to do this. Contemporary English Version‘s “don’t use any makeup” seems to be a needlessly modern expression, and Good News Translation‘s “don’t comb your hair” may be too limited. More in keeping with the culture of the Old Testament are “don’t put lotion on yourself” (New Century Version) or “don’t rub yourself with oil” (Anchor Bible).
Behave like: the verb used here is actually a form of the verb “to be.” In some cases this may have to be translated “I want you to be…,” or “you should be…,” or “you should appear as….”
Many days: this expression simply means “a long time” and may be so translated in some languages.
The dead: this, of course, does not refer to the dead in general but to some specific related person. For this reason it may be better to say “a relative who has died” or “the death of a loved one” (Contemporary English Version).
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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