The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 mighty kings …: Mighty is from a verb meaning “to be great” or “to be powerful.” The mighty kings had power over Jerusalem and the whole province Beyond the River. The word whole has not been previously used with reference to the province. It is not clear from the Aramaic text who the mighty kings are. If it is referring to kings of Israel, the greatest geographical extent of Israel’s rule was in the time of David and Solomon and their rule did not include the whole province that was now known as Beyond the River. In addition, there would not be records about them in Assyrian and Babylonian archives because they ruled before that time. Also, they would not have been involved in rebellion and sedition. It is more likely that the reference is to Assyrian and Babylonian kings who ruled over Jerusalem, who collected tribute, custom, and toll from there, and against whom the kings of Israel rebelled. For the text to be read in this way the Aramaic connective conjunction (And in Revised Standard Version) at the beginning of the verse needs to be understood as adversative and translated as “However.”
Have been over Jerusalem: Many translations understand this verse as an exaggerated reference to Jerusalem at the time of the kingdom of David and Solomon (see the Bible de Jérusalem footnote). Some therefore have translated this phrase as “have reigned in Jerusalem” (so New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The Handbook does not recommend this for the reasons given in the previous paragraph.
To whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid: The three kinds of taxes that were mentioned in the first letter are repeated here with reference to the kings over Jerusalem and the rest of the province west of the Euphrates (see verse 13).
Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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