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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Ecclesiastes 9:14

The most outstanding feature of this description of the situation observed is the contrasting adjectives. On the one hand there is a city: it is “small,” and has only “few” inhabitants. On the other hand there is a king who is “great” and who built “great” ramparts against the city. The contrast and repetition of the adjective great indicate that this story is exaggerated. Almost certainly this is not a historical report but a story or parable.

There was a little city with few men in it: the opening Hebrew noun phrase is very brief, literally “A small city,” so Revised Standard Version has added There was for completeness. The translator is also free to incorporate into the translation such elements as are needed to introduce a story. Little city seems to mean that it is small in area, as the description goes on to add that there were only a few people living there. When we come to translate city, we should not think of a modern city; see the comments on 7.19. Perhaps the word “town” or “village” should be used, so long as it is possible that the place was built with a defensive wall surrounding it. A “walled village” or a “small town with a protective wall around it” would serve well.

With few men in it may mean that there were not many “people” living there (so Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, and others); but in this setting men is probably correct, as it was the men who were responsible for defending the town against attack.

And a great king came against it: the town now faces a difficult situation. A great king here probably means that the king is powerful rather than just famous or important. Good News Translation uses “powerful,” while Jerusalem Bible prefers “mighty.” Naturally the king did not come alone but at the head of his army. So king represents “the king and his army,” and this may need to be indicated in our translation. Translating for people unfamiliar with kingship may require us to say something like “leader of another tribe.” Came against is a Hebrew idiom. The clear sense is that they “attacked” the town, as Good News Translation states.

And besieged it: the Hebrew verb is “surround.” Generally speaking an attacking army would surround enemy towns to prevent anyone leaving to seek help, and to stop others coming to rescue them. The people in the town would soon run out of food and water and would be forced to surrender. In order to force entry to the walled town, the invading king and his army built siegeworks against it. The Hebrew term for this is the same one used in verse 12 for “snare,” but here in this military setting the term has a different meaning. Siegeworks are earth and rocks piled against the wall of a town as a platform from which to shoot arrows and rocks into it. Eventually the army is able to climb over the wall from it. The term “earth ramp” can be used instead of siegeworks, or a descriptive phrase saying what they did: “they piled up earth and rocks against the town wall.” It, the indirect object in the phrase against it, refers to the city wall.

A suggestion for translation is:

• Then a powerful king and his army attacked the town. They surrounded it and built earth ramps against its walls.

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 .