The name that is transliterated as “Haman” in English means “alone,” “solitary,” “well disposed,” “a rioter,” “rager.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
The intended meaning of the words The money is given to you is not clear. They may mean “Since it is your money, it is your decision to put the money into the royal treasury. That is all right with me,” in which case the king was actually accepting the money. In support of this view, one may note that Esther tells the king in 7.4 that the Jews have been “sold,” though “sold” may mean only “delivered over.” Mordecai apparently believed that the king had accepted the money (see 4.7).
The Septuagint says “Keep the money.” Several translations either follow the text of the Septuagint or interpret the Hebrew text to have that meaning (see New American Bible, “The silver you may keep … but as for this people, do with them whatever you please,” and Revised English Bible, “Keep the money … and deal with the people as you think best”). The translators of Today’s English Version apparently considered the money that Haman intended to place in the king’s treasuries to be booty that was to be taken from the Jews who were to be destroyed. In agreement with that interpretation The money is translated as “their money” in Today’s English Version (also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Contemporary English Version).
The identity of the people should not be made explicit in translation (see 3.8, “a certain people”), since later, when the king honors “Mordecai the Jew” (6.10), he seems not to identify Mordecai with the people who were to be destroyed.
As it seems good to you: many languages will have an idiom similar to the Hebrew, which is literally “as good in your eyes.”
Septuagint 3.11
As noted above, in the Greek text of this verse, the king tells Haman to “keep the silver and to the nation do as you wish.” Though the Greek has the name Haman, Today’s English Version substitutes the pronoun “him” for the sake of English style.
That nation: the English use of that expresses a negative connotation that is even more obvious in the Today’s English Version rendering, “that race of people.” This negative interpretation of Haman’s words is not explicit in the Greek but is understood from the context.
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 .
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