Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 16:6:
Kupsabiny: “Shimei started to throw stones at David and his servants although the soldiers and all his people were surrounding David.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He threw stones recklessly at David and all his officers even though David’s soldiers were all around him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He stoned David and his officers even though David was-surrounded by his men and bodyguards.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then he threw stones at David and his officials, even though the officials and David’s bodyguards surrounded David.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
Servants: this term again refers to the “officials” of David who were accompanying him.
The repetition of King David after having just mentioned David in the previous line may be considered awkward in some languages, but the author probably did this to emphasize the fact that it was royalty that was being attacked.
Mighty men: see 10.7.
On his right hand and on his left: it may be rather awkward to try to say this literally in certain languages. What is meant is that David was protected by men “all around him” or “on every side.”
It is not clear from the Hebrew grammar whether Shimei threw stones at all of the people or only at David and his officials. Since the nouns in the second half of the verse do not have the direct object marker in Hebrew, the second interpretation seems more likely correct. The second half of this verse should probably be translated as in Good News Translation to indicate that Shimei did this “even though” or “despite the fact that” David was surrounded by men protecting him. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Even the elite troops, who surrounded David, didn’t scare him off.”
As often in 1 and 2 Samuel, the Hebrew noun the people refers to the soldiers, and more specifically here to the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the Gittites mentioned in 15.18. The mighty men most likely refers to David’s personal bodyguard. Anderson (and similarly Osty-Trinquet) provides a good model, “the army and the elite troops.”
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 .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.