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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 9:25

The beginning of this verse contains both textual and grammatical difficulties. First, the name Esther does not appear in the Hebrew but is thought to be implied, just as the name “Haman” does not appear in the Greek. The textual problem is that, while the Hebrew text has a feminine participle (the word translated as when [Esther] came in Revised Standard Version), the Septuagint has a masculine participle, which refers to Haman. New Jerusalem Bible follows the Septuagint text: “when he went back to the king to ask him to order the hanging of Mordecai.”

HOTTP gives an “A” evaluation to the feminine form of the participle. Those translations that follow the Hebrew text instead of the Septuagint must decide whether the feminine ending of the participle refers to Esther (so Today’s English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) or to the feminine noun plot (so New International Version, “But when the plot came to the king’s attention”; also Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Since Esther was last mentioned in 9.13 and is not otherwise mentioned in this part of the letter, there is strong argument for the reading of New International Version.

Another possibility is that the Hebrew text is a corrupt abbreviation of Hebrew words meaning “when Queen Esther came” (so Anchor Bible), but this does not agree with HOTTP’s evaluation of the Hebrew text.

He gave orders refers to the king.

The words he and his in the phrase his wicked plot which he had devised refer to Haman and not to the king, though the use of the masculine pronouns in the Revised Standard Version translation may be confusing to some readers. To avoid any ambiguity or confusion, many translations such as Today’s English Version and Revised English Bible use the name “Haman” rather than the pronouns.

In this verse the author underscores the irony of Haman’s fate by stating explicitly that what he had planned for the Jews should come upon his own head. The meaning here is not that “it ought to” but that the king gave the command that “it come upon his head.” The translator will need to make clear the king’s command here expressed in the third person. Many languages will have an expression such as “return upon Haman himself,” “fall upon his own head,” “take Haman himself,” or some other similar idiom. Typical of the author’s style, he draws attention to Haman’s fate in a general way and then expands by recalling the specific end of Haman and his sons on the gallows that had been intended for Mordecai.

Septuagint 9.25

On the words he went in to the king, see the comments on the Hebrew text. The pronoun he refers to Haman. The Greek does not say that the king gave written orders against Haman.

Telling him to hang: the Greek is literally “saying to hang.” New Revised Standard Version understands this to mean “request.” It is doubtful that Haman gave orders to the king. The intended meaning is no doubt correctly expressed in Revised English Bible: “how he came before the king with a proposal to hang Mardochaeus.”

The Greek style here is sparse and dramatic: “all the evil things he [Haman] attempted to bring upon the Jews, upon him they were, and he was hanged he and his sons.” Today’s English Version harmonizes the second half of the verse with its rendering of the Hebrew version of the verse.

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 .