Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ecclesiastes 4:15:
Kupsabiny: “I stayed and all the people who were living in this world followed in succession. I realized/saw that there is a young man who will take over the chair/rulership of the king.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I saw those who were living in this world as well as the successor who would become king in his place.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But I realized that even there are so many people here on earth who will-follow that young-one who succeeded the king,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone starts to support/is pleased with him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 phrase I saw regularly marks the beginning of subdivisions in this book, so here we have a subdivision within the larger unit, verses 13-16. We note that Qoheleth is about to offer another of his observations.
I saw can be rendered “I noted” or “I observed,” as in 3.10; 4.4. This way attention is drawn to Qoheleth’s purpose in looking at the things and events around him.
All the living is a description that can include any living creature, human and animal (see New English Bible/Revised English Bible “all life”). The sense probably should be limited to human activity here, hence Good News Translation “all the people.”
Who move about under the sun further modifies the term “the living.” As these are not coordinate terms, there is no need to follow the Jerusalem Bible view and translate “all who live and move.” The participial form “those who move about” pictures people coming and going; it does not mean that Qoheleth did not consider those who could not walk! Move about is thus a metaphor for the people going about their daily routine here on earth. What it indicates is that Qoheleth’s view was very broad, taking in all people and their daily affairs.
Under the sun: see comments on 1.3.
A suggested translation is “I observed everyone going about their daily lives” or “I observed everyone and what they did each day.”
As well as that youth, who was to stand in his place: we now come to two contrasts. The first is between the youth and all the living; the second is between his “standing” and their “moving about.” There is also a common concept, “under the sun” and “under it.” These literary features will influence our translation.
That youth is literally “the second youth.” For the most part commentaries and translators have assumed that the youth spoken of here is the same youth mentioned in verses 13-14. There is a certain basic problem with this view, however. First of all, the introductory “I saw” marks a new observation; secondly, the contrast is between a single youth and all humanity, not just a king as in the previous illustration. Therefore the numerical “second” is best rendered as “another,” or “yet another” as in New English Bible, and not as “the heir apparent,” which is the New American Bible suggestion.
Who was to stand in his place: for the most part, in his place is seen as a reference to the youth taking the place of the king mentioned above. Jerusalem Bible goes much further and claims that the youth actually took the throne, but this seems to read far too much into the text. However, if the youth in this verse is contrasted with the whole of humanity, then it seems logical to assume that Qoheleth is referring to yet another, a third youth. The Hebrew preposition can be translated as “under” rather than “in place of.” This would mean that in his place is best rendered “under it,” in which case “it” refers to the sun. So this third youth does not replace the king on the throne, but he, like the rest of humanity, also stands “under the sun.” We can catch the sense by translating as follows: “as well as [or, I also saw] another youth standing there [under the sun].”
A suggested translation for the whole verse is:
• I observed everyone going about their daily lives and I also saw another youth standing there.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
4:15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
But I have watched people in this life, and I know this: People will follow that young man. He will become the new king. (English Easy-to-Read Version) -or-
Everyone wants to help such a young man to become king. -or-
I watched all the people who live on earth follow him and make him their king. (New Century Version)
Il y a une légère coupure ici : J’ai vu tous les vivants qui marchent sous le soleil. Qohéleth semble s’arrêter pour réfléchir avant de continuer son discours sur הַיֶּלֶד hayèlèd, « l’enfant ».
Qohéleth note ici qu’il a observé tous les vivants qui marchent sous le soleil. Le terme vivants renvoie aux êtres humains. qui marchent sous le soleil rend le participe du verbe הלך hlk, « aller, marcher », qui pourrait communiquer l’idée que ces gens sont occupés à poursuivre leurs activités de tous les jours. Mais cela pourrait aussi simplement signifier qu’ils sont vivants ou qu’ils existent dans ce monde. Ainsi certaines versions évitent cette expression idiomatique hébraïque pour parler de « tout le monde ». Pour sous le soleil, voir Introduction au commentaire de traduction de l’Ecclésiaste et Ecc 1.3.
être du côté du gamin, du second, celui qui surgit à la place de l’autre : cette proposition est très brève en hébreu et pose certains problèmes d’interprétation. L’hébreu dit, litt. « avec l’enfant le second qui se tiendra à sa place ». Le mot עִם ʿim, « avec » est compris comme l’expression d’un soutien. Ainsi la La Bible du Semeur dit que « tous les humains… se rallient à lui » et la Parole de Vie « tout le monde se met du côté du jeune homme ». La traduction de la Bible en français courant « se pressait autour » semble prendre l’expression au sens littéral, ce qui n’est pas probable.
Les problèmes d’interprétation commencent après ces mots. Quelle est l’identité de « l’enfant le second » ? S’agit-il, comme certains le proposent, du jeune homme déjà mentionné (Ecc 4.13) qui est plus sage que le vieux roi ? Ou d’une autre personne ? Le fait que le même terme est employé ici qu’en Ecc 4.13, הַיֶּלֶד hayèlèd, l’enfant, est en faveur de la première interprétation. Cependant, certains commentateurs trouvent bizarre l’introduction du mot, le הַשֵּׁנִי hašénî, second, qui pourrait faire penser à une autre personne, un successeur au jeune homme ! Néanmoins la suite du texte qui parle de celui qui surgit à la place de l’autre sera bien compréhensible si celui qui surgit est le jeune homme sage, et l’autre, le roi insensé. Il y a donc beaucoup de divergences quant à l’interprétation de ce passage, mais l’approche la plus simple semble de maintenir le premier jeune homme comme référent ici (voir Loader, contra Whybray, Ogden et Zogbo). D’autres encore notent que si le premier jeune homme est remplacé par une troisième personne (non pas le vieux roi), ceci pourrait souligner le fait que le pouvoir, comme tout autre chose, « disparaît », est « vapeur ». Les traducteurs devraient faire leur choix d’interprétation et de traduction et, si nécessaire, présenter des lectures alternatives en note.
celui qui surgit à la place de l’autre est litt. en hébreu, « qui se tiendra (עמד ʿmd) à sa place ». La Parole de Vie et la Bible en français courant utilisent des expressions dynamiques ici : le jeune homme va « prendre la place de l’ancien roi » ou « accéder à la place du roi précédent ».
Source: Zogbo, Lynell. L’Ecclésiaste – Manuel de traduction – Commentaire linguistique et exégétique de la Bible. Alliance biblique universelle, 2021.
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