4We will overwhelm them; their mountains will be drunk with their blood, and their fields will be full of their dead. Not even their footprints will survive our attack; they will utterly perish. So says King Nebuchadnezzar, lord of the whole earth. For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain.
The term that is transliterated as “Nebuchadnezzar” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the signs for “king” and one signifying a wavy beard, referring to the common way of wearing a beard in Mesopotamia (see here ). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Nebuchadnezzar” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting “idol in my image,” referring to Daniel 3:1. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
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:
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
We will burn them up: The Greek says literally “We will burn them [the Israelites] up with them [our horses].” This is awkward, and Revised Standard Version solves it by omitting the phrase “with them” (translated “with it” in its footnote). There is some textual authority for doing this. However, this phrase can be kept if burn up is understood as a figure of speech, meaning “overwhelm.” The horses—the cavalry—will be the means of overwhelming the Israelites. So Good News Translation has “it will overwhelm them.” Another possible rendering is “Our horse soldiers will destroy them.” New Revised Standard Version also is persuaded that “overwhelm” better expresses the idea here rather than the literal burn up, but unfortunately it omits the phrase “with them” by translating “We will overwhelm them.”
Their mountains will be drunk with their blood: For drunkGood News Translation has “soaked” and Contemporary English Version “covered.” They are using appropriate English terms for the figurative picture in the text of mountains … drunk with their blood (compare Isa 34.3, 7).
Their fields will be full of their dead: The word translated fields is the word usually taken to mean “plains,” in both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version. Perhaps Good News Translation uses “valleys” to contrast with “mountains,” and Revised Standard Version is thinking in terms of actual battlefields. The meaning “plains” is to be preferred. In languages that do not have the passive voice for be full, one may say “Their dead bodies will fill up the plains.”
They cannot withstand us, but will utterly perish: They cannot withstand us is literally “the track of their feet cannot withstand us” (see the Revised Standard Version footnote). New Revised Standard Version reflects the Greek text better than Revised Standard Version by translating “Not even their footprints will survive our attack.” Good News Translation also reflects it better with “not a trace of them will be left.” Will utterly perish is an emphatic clause, so Good News Translation uses an appropriate figure to express it: “they will be completely wiped out.” Good News Translation has also rearranged the two clauses here, so that “not a trace…” amplifies the threat in “they will be completely wiped out.” Essentially, the threat is made twice, and the translator should conclude with the stronger one. In Good News Translation, “not a trace of them will be left” is stronger than “they will be completely wiped out.”
So says King Nebuchadnezzar, the lord of the whole earth: Just as the prophets conclude their oracles with “Thus says the Lord,” so Holofernes, concludes with So says king Nebuchadnezzar since King Nebuchadnezzar is his god. Other ways to express this are “This is the command” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “King Nebuchadnezzar has commanded us to do this.” Lord of the whole earth means “the one who rules over the whole world” (see 2.5).
For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain: Usually saying “Thus says the Lord” makes the point well enough for an Israelite prophet. It is a bit strange that Holofernes keeps speaking: he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain. None of his words shall be in vain is literally “the words of his words will not be in vain.” It makes use of two different terms for “words.” This repetition may be due to Holofernes’ anger. Good News Translation uses “he doesn’t speak idle words” to compress both clauses here into an effective closing threat. The threat implies obedience to King Nebuchadnezzar. In some languages this implicit meaning will need to be made clear; for example, “We will follow all his words” or “We will do everything he has ordered.”
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.
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