Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Cherokee: inage or “far away downstream” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16)
Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Adioukrou: loj or “savannah” — “land that is not village, nor forest, nor field (source: Hill 2006)
Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 15:23:
Kupsabiny: “When the people of Jerusalem saw David passing by with his people, they shouted (in pain). David and all his people crossed the valley of Kidron and went towards the wilderness.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “In this way, while all their people went out, all the people who lived in the land wept bitterly. The king passed over the Kidron valley, and all the people proceeded toward the wilderness.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The people of Jerusalem wept so hard as the men of David were-passing-by. While David was-crossing-over Kidron which is the passageway/channel of water, his men who were ahead of him were-going-toward the desolate-place.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “All the people along the road cried when they saw them walking by. The king and all the others crossed the Kidron Valley and then they all went up the hill toward the desert.” (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.”
Some versions (Contemporary English Version and Anchor Bible) have a new section heading at this point. New Jerusalem Bible, Osty-Trinquet, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begin a new section at verse 24. Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente begin a new section with verse 30 and call it “David sends Hushai to spy on Absalom.” Translators need to look at the remainder of this chapter carefully and decide whether it will help readers if the remaining verses are kept as one section or as two.
And: the Hebrew conjunction may be best translated by simply beginning a new paragraph at this point.
All the country wept aloud: it will be very unnatural in many languages to translate this literally, since countries do not weep. It is, of course, the people of the country who cry. Apparently the people involved here were inhabitants of Jerusalem who were not actually going with David and his group.
All the people: this refers to the whole group of those who were actually going with David.
The king crossed the brook Kidron: some interpreters think that the Hebrew verb crossed should be changed to read “stood,” as in verse 18. Compare Revised English Bible (“The king remained standing while all the people crossed the wadi of the Kidron before him”) and New Jerusalem Bible (“as the king stood in the bed of the Kidron”). There is, however, no manuscript evidence for such a change, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives an {A} rating to the Hebrew text, which should be followed here.
The brook Kidron: the Hebrew word translated brook suggests a ravine or narrow valley where water flows only during the season of heavy rains (see the comments on 1 Sam 15.5). Some have translated it “Wadi Kidron” (Anchor Bible and New Revised Standard Version). This was the boundary between the city of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives on the eastern side. New International Version and Contemporary English Version have “the Kidron Valley.”
Passed on toward the wilderness: a number of modern versions follow the reading of one of the ancient Greek manuscripts, which seems to say something about an olive tree or olive trees: “by the way of the olive tree in the wilderness” (Revised English Bible); “by the way of the Mount of Olives toward the desert.” Both Anderson and Anchor Bible adopt a similar reading, but translators should follow the Masoretic Text.
On the word wilderness see 2.24 and 1 Sam 4.8.
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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