king

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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:

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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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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).

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on Greek Esther 3:9

If it please the king: the author maintains the formal style of court language (see comments on 1.19). Although it uses the formal title “Your Majesty,” Today’s English Version‘s style is informal and even casual.

That they be destroyed: Haman avoids saying who should destroy the Jews. In some languages where passive verb constructions are not used, it may be necessary to say that “the people” in general or “the other peoples of your kingdom” should destroy the Jews. In some languages it may be possible to restructure the sentence and use the third person indefinite plural pronoun: “they should destroy this certain people.”

Ten thousand talents of silver represents an enormous sum of money. A talent was about 35 kilograms (75 pounds). Ten thousand talents equals approximately 300 metric tons (see Bible en français courant, Nueva Biblia Española) or 375 tons (Today’s English Version). The text does not say from where Haman was going to obtain this money, whether from his own resources or from the booty that was to be taken from the Jews who were to be killed.

How to express this amount of silver or its value is a decision for the translators to make. The value may be stated in modern terms, but monetary values fluctuate and quickly become out of date. Measuring it in tons may seem incongruous if tons are normally used for the weight of things such as cement. It may be best to maintain the original quantity, using a general term for money, and give a note to explain that this was the largest unit of money at the time and the highest number in the counting system of the time.

Silver is called “white metal” or “white wealth” in some languages. Sometimes a borrowed term is used; for example, “silva” from the English “silver.”

Into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business: literally “into the hands of the ones doing the business [or, work] of the king.” The same expression occurs in 1 Kgs 11.28 and 2 Kgs 12.11 (12.12 in the Hebrew). The precise nature of “the business” is not clear. Gordis says “into the hands of those working on royal projects,” by which he means building projects such as the capital city of Persepolis. FOX translates this clause “to the executive officers” and suggests that these may have been revenue officials. Since the precise nature of their work is unknown, translators should use a general expression such as the king’s business or “the men who carry out this business” (New International Version).

The king’s treasuries were the official state coffers. “Where the king put the money” or “the place for the king’s money” may be said, or an equivalent compound construction. The Hebrew word translated treasuries is a word of Persian origin (see introduction, “Translating the Book of Esther,” B-4, pages 7 and following).

Septuagint 3.9

Haman speaks in the style of the court as he addresses the king in the third person, but he states emphatically about himself “and I myself will pay.” The Greek uses the combined conjunction and full pronoun form kago, “and I,” making it clear that Haman is saying that, if the king does his part, he, Haman, will personally recompense him.

The Hebrew “into the hands of those who carry out the business to put into the treasuries of the king” is longer than the Greek, into the king’s treasury, though the meaning is essentially the same.

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 .