3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said:
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)
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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 29:3:
Kupsabiny: “I gave this letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah the king of Judah sent to go to where Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon was. The letter said,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Jeremias gave the letter to Elasa the child of Shafan and to Gemaria the child of Hilkia. They were sent by King Zedekia to Nebuchadnezzar to Babilonia. This is his letter:” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I gave the letter to Elasah the son of Shaphan, and to Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, when they were about to go to Babylon to be ambassadors from King Zedekiah to King Nebuchadnezzar. This is what I wrote in the letter:” (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 letter was sent by the hand of Elasah … and Gemariah …: This is equivalent in meaning to “Elasah … and Gemariah … took the letter….” Since these persons were actually merely the carriers of the letter, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “Jeremiah sent the letter through Elasah … and Gemariah … who had been sent by King Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon.” Another good way to express this is “Jeremiah [or, I] gave the letter to … to carry….” Nothing further is known of Elasah and Gemariah (not the Gemariah of Jer 36.10-12, 25). King of Babylon refers to the king of the country Babylonia, not just the city Babylon.
The sentence may be too long for some languages. Translators may find the text is clearer for readers if they use more than one sentence, as in “Jeremiah gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah so they could carry it. King Zedekiah of Judah sent them to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia.”
It said is rendered “The letter read as follows” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. It is also possible to say “This is what the letter said” or “This is what Jeremiah wrote [in the letter].”
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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