25then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city shall be inhabited forever.
The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 17:25:
Kupsabiny: “nothing bad shall happen to Jerusalem. The house/family of David shall rule for a long time, all going/riding in chariots that are pulled and (on) horses. It shall also happen like that for the people of Judah and those of Jerusalem. They shall live in this city for many years.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-bless you (plur.). Surely there is always a king who will-reign here in Jerusalem who is a descendant of David. The king and his officials will-ride on chariots and horses and will-parade entering the entrances/gates of the city, with the people of Juda and Jerusalem. And this city of Jerusalem will-be-inhabited forever/[lit. until whenever].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “kings of Judah and their officials will continue to go in and out of these gates. There will always be someone who is a descendant of King David ruling here in Jerusalem. Kings and their officials will go in and out of these gates, riding in chariots and on horses, and there will be people living in this city forever.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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.”
For kings to enter by the gates of this city carries the idea that there will always be kings ruling Jerusalem; that is, the reference is more to the fact there will be kings to come and go than to entries by kings coming to rule. Translators can have “Then there will be kings to pass through the city’s gates.”
Kings who sit on the throne of David: As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the Hebrew has “kings and princes” instead of only kings (see Good News Translation). It may be that “and princes” represents an accidental copying of and their princes from the latter part of this verse. On the other hand, since princes did not sit on the throne of David, it was probably intentionally omitted from the Hebrew text to conform to actual practice. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends the inclusion of the phrase. As elsewhere, princes is better translated “officials” or “leaders” (see 1.18). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “high officials.” Who sit on the throne of David is rendered “have the same royal power that David had” by Good News Translation. The basis for this restructuring is the recognition that throne symbolizes the king’s royal authority and power. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “future kings from the family of David.” It is also possible to say “kings in the same tradition as David.” If translators follow the Hebrew, they can say here “kings who have the same royal power as David, and their officials.”
Chariots (see 4.13) and horses were symbols of wealth and royal power. If chariots are not known, translators can have “vehicles pulled by horses” or “carts for war pulled by horses.”
Note that Good News Translation collapses the second occurrence of princes into the pronoun “they,” which also refers to the kings: “they will ride in chariots and on horses.”
For the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, see 4.3.
Most translators restructure this verse to make it easier to read; for example:
• [If they do that, then] there will always be kings in the line of David and their officials to pass through the city’s gates. The kings and their officials will be riding in chariots or riding horses, and will be accompanied by the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem. There will always be people living here.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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