The Hebrew that is often translated in English as “day and night” or “all day and all night” is translated in Danish as døgn, a word that specifically refers a more or less 24-hour period including day and night (unlike dag which refers to the time of daylight). (Source: Iver Larsen)
gentiles / nations
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), 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)
See also nations.
king
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 60:11
Your gates shall be open continually: After the city walls are rebuilt, the city gates will be kept open. Gates were usually like double doors that allowed or prevented access to the city (see the comments on 3.26). Keeping the gates open continually suggests an absence of danger. The people can enter or leave at any time they choose. The specific reason for leaving the gates open is given in the second half of the verse.
Day and night they shall not be shut is parallel and synonymous with the previous line. Closed gates gave protection to those inside the walls. Normally the city’s gates were shut each evening after the people returned home from their fields or from other work outside the walls. It would be possible to use a positive phrase in place of shall not be shut, but this would destroy some of the poetry of the verse. This passive verb phrase can be rendered as an active one by saying “will never close.” Good News Translation combines this line with the previous one, saying “Day and night your gates will be open.”
That men may bring to you the wealth of the nations indicates the reason why the gates will be left open: it is to allow free access to those bringing in riches. In Hebrew this line is literally “to bring you the wealth of the nations.” Revised Standard Version adds men as the subject (also New International Version). New Revised Standard Version provides a better subject by rendering this line as “so that nations shall bring you their wealth.” Bible en français courant uses the indefinite pronoun “one,” while Good News Translation combines the last two lines with “the kings of the nations” as the subject. Revised English Bible uses the passive verb “may be brought” to avoid the problem of a verb without a subject. For the wealth of the nations, see the comments on Isa 60.5.
With their kings led in procession is literally “and their kings being led.” In the Hebrew text of Masoretic Text there is no mention of the kings being in procession. The Hebrew passive verb rendered led in procession usually refers to a slave or captive being led away (see 20.4) or a flock of animals being driven (see 11.6). Many commentators see a problem with this verb that requires emending, so they make a minor change to the vowels, turning the passive verb into an active one. With this change the line means kings will lead their nations to Judah as they bring their gifts of wealth. Contemporary English Version expresses this sense by combining the last two lines and saying “to let the rulers of nations lead their people to you with all their treasures.” Good News Translation ignores the verb altogether. It is possible that the prophet is being ironic, implying that God will lead the foreign kings as though they were a flock of animals. Since there is no textual evidence that Masoretic Text is incorrect, translators should retain the passive form if possible. Those languages that require active forms may consider the Bible en français courant model for this line, which reads “together with their kings one after the other.”
For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:
• Your [city] gates will always remain open,
they will never be closed, day or night,
so that the wealth of nations will come to you,
with their kings being led [in procession].
• Your gates will remain permanently open,
no one will close them day or night,
so that foreign nations will bring you their wealth,
whose kings will follow one after the other.
• Your gates will always be open,
they will never close, day or night,
so that the wealth of nations will be brought to you,
their kings being led [like animals].
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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