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 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 6:4   

The king’s question, Who is in the court?, may suggest that he had heard someone (see Biblia Dios Habla Hoy quoted below), or he may simply have been asking who, if any, of his officials were present in the palace (so Good News Translation). Most versions follow the Hebrew text, perhaps implying that the king assumed someone must be in the palace. No time is stated. Some interpreters think that Haman entered at night while the king was reading, but others think that Haman entered the following morning. In any case, at the latest it must have been very early in the morning, since Haman was the only person present in the courtyard.

Now Haman had just entered: Good News Translation sets this sentence off as a new paragraph to indicate that it is an explanatory sentence, a kind of parenthesis. It is a brief flashback. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation use a pluperfect verb tense, to make it clear that Haman was already in the court when the king asked his question. As in verse 3 above, the translator will need to mark the shifts in scene and in time carefully.

Biblia Dios Habla Hoy reverses the order of the two sentences, beginning the verse with the words “At that moment Haman entered the outer court….” The verse ends in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy with the words “ ‘Who is walking in the outer court?’ asked the king.”

On the outer court see comments on “the inner court” in 4.11.

On the gallows see 2.23.

That he had prepared for him: that is, that Haman had prepared for Mordecai.

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 6:4

-5

6:4b

Now: This word here does not mean “at the present time.” The Berean Standard Bible has added this word to show that this piece of information is a sort of parenthesis. It is something which has already happened or has j