23When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told to Joab, “Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has dismissed him, and he has gone away in peace.”
The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Greek that is usually translated into English as “peace,” when referring to one’s inner peace, is (back-) translated with a variety of idioms and phrases:
“rest the heart” (Central Mazahua) / “rest within” (Lacandon) (source: Nida 1952, p. 40 and 128ff.) / “wait well in your heart” (Yatzachi Zapotec) (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 3:23:
Kupsabiny: “When Joab arrived with his people, he was told that, ‘Abner has come to talk with the ruler/king. After finishing, the king released him to go in peace.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So when Joab and the troops that had plundered and brought came back, having arrived there, then he heard that Abner son of Ner had gone back from the king’s place rejoicing.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When Joab heard-the-news that Abner went to the king and was-sent-away without harming (him),” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “When Joab and the soldiers who were with him arrived, someone told him that Abner had come there and talked with the king, and that the king allowed to go home safely.” (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.”
It was told Joab: this passive statement leaves open the question of who gave this information to Joab. It will be necessary to avoid the passive form in many languages without identifying the reporter, using something like “someone told Joab” or “they [indefinite] told Joab.” Others may prefer “Joab heard…” or “Joab learned….”
Instead of the words came to the king, the Septuagint and a manuscript from Qumran say “came to David.” This is the basis for the translation “came to David” in New American Bible. The ancient Syriac combines the two readings: “came to David the king.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, suggesting that the words were changed to read “to David” as in verses 20 and 21. For translation purposes, however, it may be advisable to say “to David” or “to King David.”
The direct quotation of Revised Standard Version may be better translated as indirect in a number of languages: “someone told Joab that Abner had visited the king and that the king had let him go back unharmed.”
The son of Ner: this information about Abner is often repeated in this chapter (here and in verses 25, 28, and 37). It was already said twice in the previous chapter (verses 8 and 12). According to Hebrew Old Testament Text Project the author refers to Abner as “the son of Ner” at the beginning and end of accounts and when someone speaks about him. But in the middle of an account, the writer says simply “Abner.” But translators need to take into account discourse considerations in the receptor language, and they may therefore prefer to leave it implicit in some of these cases.
The last part of this verse repeats the essential content of the end of the previous verse, but the repetition is intentional and should be retained if at all possible.
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.