2This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.
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 29:2:
Kupsabiny: “I wrote this letter after king Jehoiachin, the mother of the king, the big people of the king, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen who worked with wood and those with iron were driven away and had gone to another country.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “He wrote this after King Jehoyakin, his mother, the officials of the palace, the leaders/[lit. heads] of Juda and Jerusalem, and the skilled carpenters and workers were-taken-captive.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “After King Jehoiachin, his mother, his palace officials, other officials in Judah, and all the various kinds of craftsmen had been exiled to Babylon, I wrote a letter to the elders, the priests, the prophets and all the other people who had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon by soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar.” (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.”
The name that is transliterated as “Jeconiah” (or: Jechoniah) in English is translated in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) with a sign that combines “slave” and the people of Judah. King Jeconiah, the last king of Judah, was imprisoned and enslaved by Babylon (see Jeremiah 24:1). (Source: Missão Kophós )
In Hebrew this verse begins, “After the going out of Jeconiah the king….” Most modern translations depart rather radically from the form of the Hebrew, as is required by the demands of their various languages. For example, many have something such as “He wrote [the letter] after King Jehoiachin….”
Jeconiah; that is, “Jehoiachin” (Good News Translation). See 24.1.
Queen mother: See 13.18. The word is probably used as a technical term, referring to the powerful and official position held by the king’s mother. In 1Kgs 11.19 it is the equivalent of “queen” (of Egypt). If it is impossible to keep the title, then translators can use something like Good News Translation “his mother.”
Eunuchs: The word may be used with the meaning “palace officials” (Good News Translation), “court personnel” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), or “high officials” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Other expressions translators can use include “royal officials,” “officials of the king,” or “the king’s main [or, principal] servants.”
Princes may be rendered “leaders” (Good News Translation); see 1.18.
Craftsmen: The word is first used in 10.3; elsewhere it occurs in 10.9; 24.1. See there for comments.
Smiths is elsewhere used only in 24.1; see there for comments.
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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