The now commonly-used English idiom “den of lions” (for a dangerous situation) was first coined in 1560 in the Geneva Bible. (Source: Crystal 2010, p. 275)
For other idioms in English that were coined by Bible translation, see here.
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Following is a hand colored stencil print on washi of Daniel by Sadao Watanabe (1965):
Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.
The following artwork is part of a series of 56 paintings on biblical themes by Kazakh artist Nelly Bube (born 1949):
Copyright by Norwegian Bible Society , used with permission.
For other images of Nelly Bube in TIPs, see here.
Daniel
The term that is transliterated as “Daniel” in English means “judge of God (i.e., one who delivers judgment in the name of God,” “my judge is God.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In American Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the letter D and for “lion,” referring to the story in Daniel 6. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Daniel” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that refers to Daniel being cast into the lions’ den. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and Andrea Bokros)
“Daniel” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )
In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “prayer” that illustrates Daniel’s close relationship with God.
“Daniel” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
The following is a stained glass window depicting Daniel by Endre Odon Hevezi and Gyula Bajo from 1965 for the Debre Libanos Monastery, Oromia, Ethiopia:
Photo by Timothy A. Gonsalves, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
See also Daniel.
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Daniel .
save (Japanese honorifics)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “save” in English is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-sukui (お救い), combining “save” (sukui) with the respectful prefix o-. In these cases, kudasaru (くださる) is also attached, a respectful form of a benefactive, emphasizing the respectful notion. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also save.
complete verse (Daniel 6:16)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 6:16:
- Kupsabiny: “Then, the king ordered that Daniel be arrested and thrown to the lion’s den. Before being thrown inside, the king said to Daniel, ‘May your God whom you worship with one stomach/heart rescue you.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Newari: “So the king ordered that Daniel be brought and thrown into deep pit. The king said to Daniel, "May the God whom you always serve deliver you."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “So the king ordered-to-arrest Daniel and threw him into the hole with lions. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your (sing.) God whom you (sing.) serve continually will-save you (sing.).’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions were. Before they threw me in, the king said to me, ‘I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
2nd person pronoun with low register (Japanese)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.
king
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 Daniel 6:16
The first sentence of this verse may be understood in two slightly different ways. In the first case the actual execution of the order is not mentioned, but only the order (see Good News Translation). And in the second the king’s order as such is not given (see Revised Standard Version), but the execution of it makes clear what it was. However, the meaning of these two is essentially the same, so translators should simply translate in such a way as to make it clear that the order was given and then carried out.
The king commanded: Revised Standard Version does not provide the detail that the king commanded someone to do something. If this information is to be supplied in the translation, the translator may wish to say that he commanded “them” (indefinite), or “someone,” or “his servants.” They were ordered to throw Daniel into the hole where the lions were.
Was brought and cast: these two passive verbs may be taken care of by the addition of the information suggested above following the verb commanded. The whole first sentence may be translated as two and may say something like “The king commanded his servants to take Daniel and throw him into the hole where the lions were. And they did so.” Another way of conveying the same essential meaning is “On orders from the king, some men (or they) took Daniel and threw him into the place where the lions were kept.”
Den of lions: see verse 7.
Whom you serve continually: the emphasis should be rather on the devotion and faithfulness of Daniel rather than on the continuity of his service. New Revised Standard Version renders “whom you faithfully serve” (compare also New Jerusalem Bible).
May your God … deliver you!: in Aramaic there is strong emphasis on the subject your God, which is separated from the rest of the sentence at the beginning and then taken up again by the third person singular pronoun. This emphasis is brought out in Bible en français courant by saying “Only your God … can save you.” New Jerusalem Bible attempts to reflect the same idea with “Your God … will have to save you.” And New English Bible has “Your own God … will save you.” This should probably be understood as more than a fond hope or mere wishful thinking. Instead, it is to be seen as a rather firm affirmation of faith.
Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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