complete verse (Esther 3:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Esther 3:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “After they had known the day, Haman went to king Ahasuerus and said, ‘King, there are some people who are living in your empire. Those people are scattered all over the provinces of this empire. The way of life of this people is different from that of all other communities of this empire. And furthermore, they do not respect you as king. So, do you accept these people to continue with that way of life or what is it?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Haman said, "Within your honor’s kingdom among the people in all provinces is living a certain race of people. Remaining separate they have been coming. (???) Their tradition is more different than any other ethnic group. They also do not obey your honor’s laws and regulations. It is not good for you to tolerate them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a race of people who are-living in the different provinces of your (sing.) kingdom and they have their own law that is different from the other people-groups. They are- not -following your (sing.) laws and (it is) not good for you (sing.), Beloved King, just to-tolerate them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Eastern Bru: “Then Haman told the king: "There is still a group of people living throughout your kingdom. Their customs of worship are different from the way others worship. But more than this, they do not respect the laws of the king. So it is not worthwhile for the king to endure always this group.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Haman went to the king and said to him, ‘Your majesty, there is a certain group of people who live in many areas of your empire whose customs are different from ours. They even refuse to obey your laws. So it would be good for you to get rid of them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 3:8   

In making his accusation against the Jews, Haman carefully avoids identifying them by name. This pattern of accusation without identification is repeated several times in the book of Esther until the climactic accusation by Esther of Haman (see 7.4-6).

The Jews were scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces. The Jews were scattered, that is, they were living in exile.

The word dispersed is often understood as a synonym of scattered (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation), meaning that the Jews were separated from one another. But the Hebrew word translated as dispersed in Revised Standard Version should probably be understood to mean “separated from other peoples” (so New Revised Standard Version), meaning that the Jews did not eat with or intermarry with the Gentiles among whom they lived (also Bible en français courant). This latter interpretation is found in New American Bible, “Dispersed among the nations throughout the provinces of your kingdom, there is a certain people living apart, with laws differing from those of every other people,” and New Jerusalem Bible, “There is a certain unassimilated nation scattered among the other nations throughout the provinces of your realm.” Other models for this interpretation are “a certain people scattered and unassimilated among the peoples” (FOX) and “There is one people scattered and distinctive among the nations” (Gordis).

Provinces: see 1.1.

Their laws: Haman’s indictment of the Jews rests on their laws and the king’s laws. The laws obeyed by the Jews are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. The word for laws is the same as that found in “the laws of the Persians and the Medes” (1.19; see also 1.8, 13; 2.8) and is used for both the laws of the Jews and the king’s laws. Some versions interpret the first to be “customs” (Bible en français courant, New International Version), but this lessens the impact of the contrast presented by the author.

And they do not keep the king’s law: these words are connected to the preceding words with the conjunction and (waw), which joins together nouns and clauses. The precise function of this conjunction is often determined by the surface grammar of a passage within its context. In this instance interpreters differ on the exact relationship between this clause and the preceding clause. According to Revised Standard Version (and), the second criticism of the Jews is no more severe than the first, that is, that their laws are different (so also New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant). Good News Translation, however, understands the second clause to be a heightening of the accusation and translates the Hebrew conjunction with the word “moreover.” Similar to Good News Translation are Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “but in addition.” The context is sufficiently ambiguous that translators must decide between these two interpretations without any more evidence to help make the decision.

It is not for the king’s profit to tolerate them: this means that it is of no use or of no benefit to the king to let them be. “It will not help the king” to let the Jews continue to exist as they have been, or “to let them continue living in your kingdom” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy).

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 3:8

3:8a-b

Haman was addressing the king. Some Bible versions use an honorific title to show that Haman was addressing the king. You again need to decide whether or not to use a term like “Your Majesty” and whether Haman should address the king as “you” or not.

3:8c-d

So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them: This can also be translated in a negative form. For example, the Contemporary English Version has:

We would be better off to get rid of them!

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