joyful

In Gbaya, the notion of joy in these verses is emphasized with nyɛŋɛ, an ideophone that conveys a sense of relief, a state of mind resulting from good news.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

Mordecai

The name that is transliterated as “Mordecai” in English means “little man,” “bitter bruising,” “bitterly reduced,” “bitterness of my oppression.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign depicting the tearing of clothes, referring to Esther 4:1. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Mordecai” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

More information on Mordecai .

Haman

The name that is transliterated as “Haman” in English means “alone,” “solitary,” “well disposed,” “a rioter,” “rager.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

It is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign for “stuck up,” exemplified in Esther 5:11. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Haman” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

More information on Haman .

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).

Translation commentary on Greek Esther 5:23

[Esther 5:9]

But: this verse begins with the conjunction waw, which Revised Standard Version translates And, since it links Haman’s going out with the events that preceded it. However, the second waw is translated But by both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version, because in this context it has contrastive meaning (see the Septuagint below).

The author here uses two pairs of near synonyms, first joyful and glad of heart and second neither rose nor trembled. Of the first pair the first word is a simple adjective meaning “joyful, glad,” while the second is an expression “good [glad, merry of heart]” that Today’s English Version interprets as being “in a good mood.” (The same Hebrew expression occurs of the king in 1.10.) New Jerusalem Bible says “lighthearted.”

In the king’s gate: see comments on 2.19. Revised English Bible says “in the king’s court.”

As Haman passed by, Mordecai neither rose nor trembled before him. Rising was a sign of respect (see Job 29.8). The Hebrew word translated as trembled in Revised Standard Version probably means that Mordecai did not show any sign that he feared Haman (so New American Bible, New International Version). Less likely, the word may mean to “deviate” in the sense of “to move aside for someone.” This latter translation is found in Revised English Bible, “he did not rise or defer to him,” and New Jerusalem Bible, “did not rise or even stir on his account” (so also La Bible Pléiade).

He was filled with wrath against Mordecai: see comments on 3.5, where Haman’s anger was general. Here the same word for wrath is specifically directed at Mordecai. Some languages will say “he became very angry on top of Mordecai” or “on the head of Mordecai.”

Septuagint 5.9

So … But …: the Greek version of this verse uses two different conjunctions. The first is the connective kai, which links the first action of this verse with previous events. The second is the particle de marking a contrast. New Revised Standard Version translates the first as So and the second as But. Today’s English Version restructures the verse and uses the temporal conjunctions “When” and “until.”

When he saw Mordecai is literally “when Haman saw Mordecai,” but New Revised Standard Version has replaced the proper noun with a pronoun for reason of English style.

The second half of this verse is shorter in the Greek. While maintaining the first pair of near synonyms, joyful and glad of heart, it omits the second pair, “that he neither rose nor trembled before him.” The Greek inserts the words the Jew after the name Mardochaeus.

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 .