king

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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:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Greek Esther 3:1

The time referred to by the words After these things is indefinite and may refer to a few days or a few years. This prepositional phrase is basically a discourse feature that the author uses to signal that he is beginning the next part of the story.

King Ahasuerus promoted Haman: the king’s act in honoring Haman is expressed three ways by the author: first, that the king “made great [exalted]” him; secondly, that he “lifted up [elevated]” him; and thirdly, that he “gave him a seat above” all his colleagues (1.14, where the princes who sat first in the kingdom are named). Today’s English Version and Bible en français courant interpret this position to be that of prime minister. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, in an introduction to the book, calls him a “high vizier.” Instead of introducing modern political terminology that is not appropriate for a king’s court of long ago, it may be preferable to say that the king gave him the most important seat, or the highest rank, or the position closest to the king himself. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says that Haman “was promoted by King Ahasuerus to the highest office in his government.”

Haman’s name appears more than fifty times in the Book of Esther, and the most complete ways of identifying him occur at decisive moments in the development of the story (3.1, 10; 8.1, 3, 5; 9.10, 24), where the added descriptions the Agagite, the son of Hammadatha, or “the enemy of the Jews” occur alone or with each other as part of his full name. His ancestry is traced here in genealogical fashion, but not with as much detail as was Mordecai’s (2.5). Haman’s identification as the Agagite adds to the adversarial relationship that develops between Haman and Mordecai. Agag was a king of the Amalekites, long bitter enemies of the Jews. According to 1 Sam 15, Saul, an ancestor of Mordecai (see Est 2.5), was instructed by the LORD to completely destroy the Amalekites because of what they did to the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt (see Exo 17.8-16; Num 24.20; Deut 25.17-19). The downfall of Haman in chapters 6-8 completes the task given to Saul of destroying the Agagites (see 6.13).

Most interpreters understand the words the Agagite to mean that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekite king Agag (so Today’s English Version, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). This interpretation agrees with the understanding of the first century A.D. Jewish historian Josephus, but other interpretations have also been proposed, including the following: (1) this is a nickname for Haman, (2) this is an official title, indicating some function, (3) this is the name of an unknown country called Agag, (4) the Hebrew originally referred to a “Gagean,” that is, to a northern enemy of the Persians. See also the discussion in Addition A.17. The second interpretation of these four is suggested by Chouraqui in a note. The third interpretation is found in Nueva Biblia Española (“from Agag”), New Jerusalem Bible (“a native of Agag”), and La Bible du Semeur (“from the country of Agag”).

Of the various possible interpretations, the translation in Today’s English Version reflects the most widely-accepted interpretation, that Haman is a descendant of Agag, and it should be followed. Another model for expressing the same interpretation is “from the race of Agag” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

The princes is translated as “officials” in New Revised Standard Version. The Hebrew word sometimes refers to military officers and sometimes to administrative officers. In the Hebrew Bible the word translated princes here never refers to members of the royal family.

Septuagint 3.1

Following the Hebrew, the Greek describes the king’s act by three nearly synonymous verbs, “honored,” “raised up [elevated],” and “placed first.” Today’s English Version restates by using two verbs and making explicit the rank of a person who was raised to a position above all others.

The king promoted Haman. The Greek is literally “glorified” him, in the sense of “honored” or “magnified.” The king also “placed [Haman’s] seat in front of [the others].” See the comments on the corresponding Hebrew text. New Revised Standard Version renders this granting him precedence over.

On the word Bougean see the note on Addition A.17. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente translates A.17 as “nicknamed Bougaean, that is, the Braggart”; but in this verse Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says simply “Haman, son of Hammedatha, nicknamed the Braggart” and does not transliterate the Greek word Bougaion.

On the king’s Friends (literally “his friends”) see note on LXX 1.3.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .