king

Click here to view graphically

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:

(Click or tap here to see details)

  • 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Judith 1:6

He was joined by: There are two serious ambiguities in the Greek text here. First, it is not clear who is meant by He. Is it Nebuchadnezzar (as seems most likely) or Arphaxad? Second, the Greek verb used here (literally, “they met him”) can refer to joining forces with him or to opposing him in battle. Most translations assume that the peoples named in verse 6 are allying themselves with Nebuchadnezzar against Arphaxad. Good News Translation and New English Bible assume the opposite. To make matters worse, the end of the verse is also ambiguous. The phrase translated joined the forces can mean “opposed the forces.” A noun form of this verb is used in 2.6, where it clearly indicates a hostile encounter. The most conservative course here is that Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and Contemporary English Version are correct in assuming that the peoples mentioned here are joining Nebuchadnezzar against Arphaxad, and that the last clause is a summary statement, with Chaldeans representing Nebuchadnezzar’s forces. Contemporary English Version has a good introductory statement: “Many other nations sent their armies to help Nebuchadnezzar fight against Arphaxad, including….”

All the people of the hill country: The hill country probably refers to the Zagros Mountains of Iran, a high plateau situated midway between the city of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana) to the northeast and Baghdad to the southwest. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version refer to hill country as “in/from the mountains.” One may therefore translate “all the people who were living in the mountains.”

All those who lived along the Euphrates and the Tigris and the Hydaspes: The Tigris and Euphrates are of course the principal rivers of Iraq. It is helpful to the reader to identify these as rivers (so Good News Translation). The Hydaspes is also a river, but it flows through India and Pakistan. Because of this, and because of different readings in the manuscripts at this point, some scholars believe the author intended a reference to the Choaspes River (modern name Karkheh), a tributary of the Tigris.

Arioch ruled the Elymaeans: King Arioch is otherwise unknown. The Elymaeans are presumably the people of “Elam,” a kingdom on the northeast shore of the Persian Gulf, in what is now southwestern Iran.

Forces of the Chaldeans: Good News Translation‘s “Chelodite alliance” reflects the Greek “sons of Cheleoud.” Such a name is otherwise unknown, and it probably refers to the Chaldeans, that is, the Babylonians, but here meaning the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar was in fact king of Babylonia, not Assyria; see the note on 1.1-5 above.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Many nations sent their soldiers to help King Nebuchadnezzar fight King Arphaxad, including people who lived in the mountains, those living along the Tigris, Euphrates, and Hydaspes rivers, as well as those who lived in the plain where King Arioch of Elam ruled. All these soldiers went with Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldeans [or, Assyrians].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.