archive

The Aramaic and Greek that is translated as “archive” in English is translated in Newari as “book room” (source: Newari Back Translation).

complete verse (Ezra 7:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezra 7:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “And any other thing that you need to take for the House of your God, you may take (it) from the king’s treasury.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If you need anything else for the temple, take [it] from the king’s treasury.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) still have other needs for the temple, you (sing.) just take-out (your) expenses from the money of the kingdom.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If you need any other things for the temple, you are permitted to get the money for those things from the building here where my government’s money is kept/stored.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, 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 Ezra 7:20

Whatever else is required for the house of your God: See Ezra 3.4 for comments on required.

Which you have occasion to provide is literally “that it falls to you to give.” The instructions continue to be addressed in the second person singular to Ezra. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates very closely to the original: “that it falls upon you to provide.” New American Bible says “you may be required to supply.” Revised English Bible gives the meaning with “expenses you may incur.” Good News Translation provides a clear and understandable model for restructuring the first half of the verse (compare Bible en français courant).

You may provide it out of the king’s treasury: For the verb provide, each version uses a verb that is equivalent within its own structure. Thus, Good News Translation says “you may get from the royal treasury,” while Revised English Bible translates “[expenses] will be defrayed from the royal treasury.” (“Defrayed” is a high-level word that means “paid.”) Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “you will put them on the account of the king’s treasury.” Another possible rendering is “You may remove money from the king’s wealth for these expenses.”

The king’s treasury is literally “the house of the treasures of the king” (Darby), as it will be expressed in many languages. This expression may refer to where the royal archives were kept (Ezra 5.17; 6.1), but here it refers to where the king’s money or the empire’s money was kept (see the comments on Ezra 6.4, 8).

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ezra 7:20

7:20a And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply,

Regarding/concerning other things that are needed in the temple of your (sing.) God and which are your (sing.) responsibility to provide/buy,
-or-
And anything else which you need for the Temple, (Good News Translation)
-or-
There will be other things which ⌊the priests⌋ will need when serving at the house of the God you(sing/plur) worship. ⌊When you (sing.) need to get/supply them,

7:20b you may pay for it from the royal treasury.

you (sing.) may provide/buy ⌊them⌋ ⌊using money that comes⌋ from the king’s treasure house.
-or-
you may ⌊get/take money⌋ from the royal storehouse to buy them.
-or-
I permit/authorize⌋ you to pay ⌊for them⌋ with my government’s money.

7:20a–b (reordered)

Use the royal treasury to pay for anything else you need for the Temple of your God. (New Century Version)

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