12The king said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred people and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.”
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Esther” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign depicting a star on a crown, referring to her being a queen and her name likely meaning “star” (see here ). (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Haman” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with a sign for “stuck up,” exemplified in Esther 5:11. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
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:
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
And the king said introduces a new development in the narrative. It may be appropriate to indicate this by a major discourse marker in the receptor language; for example, “and then it happened that….” In many languages it will also be expected that a verb of motion will introduce the king’s speech; for example, “Then the king went [or, came] and said to Esther.” But the author does not indicate where or how this encounter between the king and queen took place.
On Susa the capital and five hundred men, see comments on 9.6. The words “in Susa the citadel” are in emphatic position in Hebrew. Good News Translation brings out this emphasis by adding the word “alone,” that is, “In Susa alone” (so also Anchor Bible and New Jerusalem Bible).
What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces!: was the king expressing astonishment or simply asking a question? Revised Standard Version‘s insertion of the word then into the translation of the Hebrew text and the use of an exclamation mark suggests that King Xerxes was appalled at what the Jews must have done in the rest of the countryside (so also New Jerusalem Bible). New Revised Standard Version is perhaps a better translation of the Hebrew: “What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces?” (so New International Version also). Notice again the formal style of the king’s reference to himself.
What then…? Now what…? And what…?: it may be noted that the question “what” occurs three times in close succession in the king’s words to Esther. In the Hebrew text the “what” is even more striking, because in the king’s first question it occurs toward the end of the sentence, “… what have they done?” The second question follows immediately and begins with “And what…?” The third question follows in the same pattern, “And what…?” The translator should try to emphasize the questions as the Hebrew has done.
Revised Standard Version introduces the king’s requests for Esther’s petitions with an emphatic Now, which translates the Hebrew conjunction “and.” Good News Translation expresses the same implied contrast by placing “now” at the end of the first request. This contrast is made explicit in the second request by the Hebrew “again, further, yet.” The king here repeats his earlier double question and promise to Esther, except that this time he does not offer the half of his kingdom (see translation and comments on 5.6; 7.2).
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 .
What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces?: This is a rhetorical question. It means that if the Jews had killed 500 people in just one city, they must have killed many more than 500 in all the towns throughout the kingdom.
9:12c
These words are similar to what the king said in 5:6 and 7:2. See the notes for those verses.
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