scroll

The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated in English as “scroll” is translated in Khoekhoe with xamiǂkhanisa or “rolled-up book” (source: project-specific notes in Paratext) and in Newari as “paper that has been rolled up” (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also roll up the scroll.

complete verse (Jeremiah 36:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 36:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Jehudi was reading three or four sides/portions of those writings which had been made in columns/parts the king cut the writings into pieces little by little using a knife and threw them into the fire. He did like that until the whole book was lost/finished in the fire.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Whenever Jehudi had finished reading three or four columns, the king then cut-off that part by his knife and throw into the fire, until the whole rolled-up writing was burned-up.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king cut off that section of the scroll with a knife and threw it into the fire. He did that, section by section, until the entire scroll was burned up.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

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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:

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  • 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 Jeremiah 36:23

Three or four columns: A scroll could be unrolled so as to expose several columns of text at a time. Translators can say something like “three or four rows of writing” or “three or four sections of the writing.”

The king: In Hebrew the subject is the third person pronoun suffix on the verb, equivalent to “he.” However, if translated literally, readers would incorrectly assume “he” to be Jehudi.

Penknife: The Hebrew word may be used of either a knife (for cutting hair, Num 6.5) or a razor (for shaving, Num 8.7). Here Revised Standard Version and others take it to be the penknife of a scribe, that is, a small knife used to sharpen a pen. Translators can say, for example, “a small knife” (Good News Translation) or “a scribe’s knife” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Into the fire in the brazier … in the fire that was in the brazier: Good News Translation avoids this unnecessary repetition by translating “into the fire.”

Until the entire scroll was consumed: By this action King Jehoiakim thought he was destroying the effect of Jeremiah’s message.

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 .