The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “root of Jesse” or similar in English is translated as “descendant of the ancient man of God who was called Jesse” in Huehuetla Tepehua, as “a person born in the family line of Jesse” in Yatzachi Zapotec, and as “a son from the people of Jesse the father of David” in Mezquital Otomi. (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Photo by Zorba the Geek, hosted by Wikimedia Common under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
For the phrase “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him,” see Romans 15:12.
Note that this quote in the New Testament is not taken from the Hebrew Bible but from the Greek Septuagint (LXX) which translates into English as “And there shall be on that day the root of Iessai, even the one who stands up to rule nations; nations shall hope in him.” (Translation by NETS — for the Greek version see the title’s tooltip)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė)) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).
Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).
In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 11:10:
Kupsabiny: “A day is coming when the ruler of the house/family of Jesse will become a sign for all countries. Communities will come for that ruler to advise (them) and his home will be honored.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “And on that day an offspring from root of Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the people. All the nations will come to gather at his place, and the place where he rests will be full of glory.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The day will-come that the new king who is a descendant of David will-become like a banner which is a sign to the nations that they will-gather. They will-gather to him, and where he lived will-become famous.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “At that time, a descendant of King David will hold up a flag to signal to the people of all people-groups that they should gather around him; they will come to him to get his advice, and the place where he lives will be glorious.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
In the introduction to this section [11.1-10] we have argued that this verse belongs here since it forms an inclusio with verse 1. The word root and the name Jesse also occur in verse 1. The phrase In that day usually introduces a section (see verse 11), but here it occurs at the end of a prophecy, thereby drawing attention to the content of the promise given.
The root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples: For the root of Jesse, see the comments on Isa 11.1. Good News Translation expresses it clearly with “the new king from the royal line of David,” which is similar to its rendering in verse 1. The new Davidic ruler will have a special function, namely, he will be an ensign for the nations of the earth. An ensign can be a visible signal or symbol, like a flag carried by or near the leader of an army to keep his soldiers united around it. It can also have a non-military function as a symbol of a leader’s office or role, as well as be a rallying point for the people. In 5.26 the Hebrew word for ensign is rendered “signal.” Translators may render it the same way as there. Here peoples is plural and the sense is “other nations.” It has the same meaning as the nations in the next clause. The words ensign and nations also occur in verse 12, so they provide a link between this section and the next one.
Him shall the nations seek states that foreign nations will want to know the new king. Nations renders a Hebrew noun that is used in the plural for people other than the Israelites (see 2.2). The verb seek does not mean “trying to find something that was lost,” but carries the sense of “seeking out,” “gathering near” (see Good News Translation), or “wanting to know more about.” It can also have the broad meaning “obtain information from.” For this clause Contemporary English Version has “They will follow his advice” (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), and Bible en français courant says “The nations will come to consult him.”
And his dwellings shall be glorious is literally “and his resting places will be glorious/honored.” This could refer to the glory in connection with the Temple, Yahweh’s dwelling place. This is how Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the line: “From the place which he takes as his residence, God’s splendor will shine forth in all the world” (similarly Bible en français courant). This clause refers more likely to the splendor of the new king’s own residence. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “And his abode shall be honored” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). The Hebrew word rendered glorious comes from a root meaning “to be heavy” (see 6.3). Here it includes the sense of wealth and power. The clause says these will be part of the king’s residence. Good News Translation understands it to mean that honor given to a house means honor given to its owner. So it takes the clause as a reference to the honor given to the new king himself. Contemporary English Version also widens the interpretation with “and his own nation will become famous.” We recommend the rendering of New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh here.
For the translation of this verse we suggest:
• When that time comes, the Root of Jesse will stand as a symbol to people. He will be sought after by nations and his abode will be a place of great glory.
• In that time the Root of Jesse will be like a flag for the people. Nations will seek to know more about him. Where he lives will be a glorious place.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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