messenger

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “messenger” in English is translated in Noongar as moort yana-waangki or “person walk-talk” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

Hezekiah

The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is transliterated as “Hezekiah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “facing the wall” referring to Isaiah 38:2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Hezekiah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that signifies a model, a parameter for his life, referring to “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done” of 2 Kings 18:3. (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Hezekiah” in Libras (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Hezekiah (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Hezekiah .

king

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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:

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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 Isaiah 37:9

Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia: The connector Now renders the common Hebrew conjunction, which introduces the next event in the story. Contemporary English Version translates it “About this same time,” and Nouvelle Bible Segond has “Then.” Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh use the connector “But” to express a new development in the story. The Assyrian king was attacking Libnah, but his war strategy was interrupted by the news that Tirhakah was coming to attack him. Translators may use a temporal or contrastive connector here. The king heard is literally “he heard.” The pronoun “he” refers to the Assyrian king, so Revised Standard Version says the king for clarity. New International Version is even more explicit with “Sennacherib.” Good News Translation refers to both “the Assyrians” and “the emperor.” It is acceptable to refer explicitly to the referent of this pronoun.

Tirhakah ruled over Egypt about 690-664 B.C. However, the events described in this chapter take place in 701 B.C., about ten years before Tirhakah became king. At that time he was an army commander under his father, the king of Egypt. It is possible that he is referred to as king here because later he did become king and remained known as such. He and his predecessors were rulers of Egypt during the so-called “Ethiopian dynasty.” He is called king of Ethiopia since he came from the land of Ethiopia. Ethiopia renders the Hebrew name “Cush” (see 11.11 and the introductory comments on 18.1-7). New International Version and New Century Version render Tirhakah king of Ethiopia as “Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt” to clarify that he was of Cushite origin, but was actually ruler over Egypt.

He has set out to fight against you: This is what Sennacherib heard about Tirhakah. Assyrian records indicate that there was a battle between the Assyrians and Tirhakah, and that they defeated Tirhakah. This was the Battle of Eltekeh in 701 B.C., during the Assyrian invasion of Judah. Eltekeh was a town in the Sorek Valley west of Jerusalem. This clause is a direct quote in Hebrew, but some translators may prefer to make it indirect speech, as in Good News Translation.

And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: The pronoun he still refers to Sennacherib. When he heard the Egyptian army was coming to attack him, he sent another message to Hezekiah. This time it was in the form of a letter carried by messengers (see verse 14). Good News Translation anticipates this by stating already here that it was a letter.

There is a textual problem with the Hebrew verb rendered And when he heard it. Some manuscripts read “and he [re]turned,” which may simply be rendered “again” in connection with the next verb. Revised English Bible follows this reading by rendering this last half of the verse as “he sent messengers again to King Hezekiah of Judah” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests that Masoretic Text is the better reading, so translators should keep the verb “heard” (so RSV/NRSV, Good News Translation, New International Version).

The word saying is the Hebrew equivalent of quotation marks introducing direct speech. It may be left implied, as in Good News Translation.

Some translation examples for this verse are:

• But the Assyrian king heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia had set out [from Egypt] to fight him. Hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying….

• Now when Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia had set out to fight him, he sent messengers with a letter to Hezekiah:….

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 .