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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Esther 1:14   

The men next to the king apparently belong to the group of “wise men” mentioned in verse 13. Though the words next to him may indicate physical closeness, most versions understand them as meaning that the seven men were close in rank or relationship to the king (“seven counselors” are also mentioned in Ezra 7.14). Of these seven Persian names, only Memucan occurs again (verses 16, 21).

On the identity of Persia and Media, see the comments on 1.3.

The words who saw the king’s face mean that these men had easy access to the king. The same Hebrew expression is found in 2 Sam 14.24, 32, where it is translated “come [or, go] into the king’s presence” (Revised Standard Version). In this verse other versions have “who were in the king’s personal service” (New American Bible); “who had access to the royal presence” (New Jerusalem Bible). Since it was possible for other people to gain access to the king, the New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible translations capture the sense of the text here: “who had special access to the king” (New International Version); “who had privileged access to the royal presence” (New Jerusalem Bible).

That these seven men sat first in the kingdom indicates that they had chairs or thrones on which they sat, beside and in front of the king. Moffatt says “sat next to the royal throne.” The meaning is that these men were leading officials in the Persian Empire. Revised English Bible says that they “occupied the premier positions in the kingdom.”

Good News Translation combines the two phrases who saw the king’s face and sat first in the kingdom into one expression: “who held the highest offices in the kingdom.” Such a translation maintains the basic sense that these were high-ranking officials, but it loses the cultural element that it was only such high officials who had ready access to the king (for the contrast with ordinary people, see 4.11). It may be possible to retain the two ideas expressed in the Hebrew by saying something like “they sat before the king in the highest [or, biggest] places,” or “they were the real big-men who sat before the face of the king.” These models would resolve the problem of explicitly stating kingdom in languages where it may be difficult to speak of an abstract political entity like a kingdom or empire.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on Esther (The Hebrew Text). (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Esther 1:14

1:14b

princes: See note on 1:3b.

who had personal access to the king: Literally “who saw the king’s face.” This means that they were allowed to enter the king’s presence freely and talk with him because he trusted them.

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