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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezra 4:8:
Kupsabiny: “Rehum who was in charge of soldiers and Shimshai who was the secretary wrote a letter to Artaxerxes which was opposing Jerusalem. That letter was saying that:” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Rehum the governor and Shimshai district secretary also wrote a letter like that to Artaxerxes in opposition to Jerusalem.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary also wrote to King Artaserkses against those from-Jerusalem. This is their letter: ‘Beloved King Artaserkses, First of all we (excl.) greet you (sing.), we (excl.) your (sing.) servants here in the province west of Eufrates. Including the ones-who-give-greeting are our (excl.) fellow leaders/[lit. heads] and officials, the people of Tripolis, Persia, Erec, Babilonia, and the people of Susa in the land of Elam. Also sending-(their-)greetings are the people who were-driven-from their place by Osnapar, the famous and mighty king of Asiria. These people he caused-to-stay in the city of Samaria and in other places in the west of Eufrates.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Rehum, the high commissioner, and Shimshai, the provincial secretary, wrote the letter to King Artaxerxes concerning what was happening in Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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.”
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe: Here the authors of the second letter that is quoted in the book of Ezra are listed with their titles. One was a commander, a high ranking non-military administrative official who could give orders. Good News Translation and other translations call him a “governor,” but another Aramaic word usually refers to that office. “Chancellor” is also used (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), as is “high commissioner” (New English Bible) and “royal deputy” (New Revised Standard Version). Translators should use a word or an expression for a high government functionary who reports to the king. The other author was a scribe, a high official who drafted royal correspondence and made official translations. He may be called “the government writer,” “the writing officer,” “the royal secretary,” or “the writer chief.”
Wrote a letter against Jerusalem: The letter was written against the people living in Jerusalem. It was written to accuse them or to blame them. In some languages the preposition “on” or the prepositional phrase “on top of” or “on the head of” indicates that a message is directed against someone, or a language may use a prepositional verb form.
The names and titles with this brief indication of the subject matter of the letter may have been written on the outside of a papyrus roll as was customary at that time. As follows then indicates that the contents of the letter will be given in the following text. But as is apparent from the translations and the presentation in Revised Standard Version and in Good News Translation, there is not full agreement by commentators and translators about what follows in verses 9 and 10.
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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