Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 18:25:
Kupsabiny: “He called to the king down. The king said that, ‘If he is alone, he brings good news.’ That person was coming nearer.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “That person who was watchman loudly shouted this news to David. The king said, "If he is running alone, he certainly must be bringing good news." Then that man came nearer.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He shouted to David below that there was a man who is-approaching. David said, ‘If he is alone he might have news.’ As the man is-getting-closer and closer,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “The watchman called down and reported it to the king. The king said, ‘If he is alone, that indicates/means that he is bringing good news.’ The man who was running continued to come closer.” (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.”
Called out and told the king: what is implied here is that the watchman informed the king of “what he had seen.” In some languages it will be wise to make this explicit in translation. Also it may be quite natural to translate the two verbs in the Hebrew by a single verb in the receptor language. Others may say something like “shouted down to inform the king.”
There are tidings in his mouth: while David was no doubt hoping for good news, there is nothing in the word tidings used here that necessarily implies the word “good,” which is found in Knox, An American Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, and Good News Translation. The sense may be that, since only one person is coming rather than a whole lot of soldiers running wildly in retreat, the news must be good. Verse 27 does, however, refer to the news as “good” news. The wording is also strange when translated literally into English. The meaning is that “surely he has news” or “he is bringing news” (Revised English Bible).
He came apace, and drew near: literally “and coming he came and he approached.” The writer is painting a vivid picture of a runner getting closer and closer to the observing watchman. The first two verbs indicate that he was moving rapidly, and the third that he was coming closer to the city gate where the watchman and King David were. Revised English Bible translates the two “he continued to approach,” while New Jerusalem Bible says that he “drew steadily nearer.” Since the text has spoken of several different participants in this story (the watchman, King David, and the runner), it may be wise to use the noun, “runner,” in place of the pronoun he in this expression.
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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