king

Click here to view graphically

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:

(Click or tap here to see details)

  • 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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Job 18:14 - 18:15

He is torn from the tent in which he trusted: King James Version takes trusted to be the subject “His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle,” but in verse 15 it is the wicked person who no longer inhabits his tent. Accordingly the wicked man should also be the subject of verse 14a, and trusted refers to his attitude toward his tent, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Torn from translates a verb used of pulling up tent pegs and cords. In languages in which an active construction is required, the logical actor in this context is death, which is again personified. This line may be rendered, for example, “Death takes him away from the security of his home” or “Death pulls him away from his house where he has been safe.” If death cannot be the actor in the receptor language, it may be necessary to employ a simile; for example, “Death takes him away from the safe home as people carry a dead man to his grave” or, keeping more of the imagery, we may say “As one pulls up tent pegs, death takes his life.”

And is brought to the king of terrors: the subject of the verb brought may be understood as second singular, “you (singular) will bring him,” or third singular, “it (or, he) will bring him.” Revised Standard Version follows a slight change in the text which gives third plural and which may be read as a passive, is brought, or as Good News Translation, “is dragged off.” The verb itself has a causative meaning, “to lead someone, to march someone off.” New International Version says “marched off to the king of terrors.” King of terrors is found nowhere else in the Bible. Pope takes this title to refer to the Ugaritic god of death, Mot. Psalm 49.14 says “Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd”; and “shepherd” is a royal title. The preferred rendering of king of terrors would be “King Death” as in Good News Translation. The line may also be rendered, for example, “They bring him to the one who rules over the dead” or “They make him march away to the chief of those who have died.”

In his tent dwells that which is none of his: Revised Standard Version gives a meaningless translation for a line which is not entirely clear in the Hebrew. Numerous suggestions have been made to change the text. Pope accepts that of Dahood, based on the similarity of the Hebrew word used here to the Akkadian and Ugaritic words for “fire.” New International Version follows Dahood and translates “Fire resides in his tent.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “His house is set on fire.” Good News Translation “Now anyone may live in his tent,” also recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, is based on the view that, since the tent no longer belongs to its previous owner, it is empty and anyone may occupy it. Therefore we may translate the Hebrew “They live in his tent which is no longer his.” If the translator follows Good News Translation, this line may also be expressed “Anyone who wishes may move into his house” or “Anyone can occupy the house he has left behind.”

Brimstone is scattered upon his habitation: brimstone is a poetic word for “sulfur,” a substance which burns to produce an acid gas. It is associated in Genesis 19.24 and Revelation 14.10 with divine judgment. As the Good News Translation footnote explains, sulfur was used to disinfect rooms, particularly where corpses had laid. Good News Translation has made explicit in the text “to disinfect it.” There are other reasons for the use of sulfur, such as to rid a place of evil spirits or to make the ground sterile. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has a note on sulfur which says “By scattering sulfur the land is symbolically cleansed or a curse is expelled.” In most translations this line will remain unclear unless further information is supplied, either in the text or in a note, and in some cases in both. In languages in which sulfur is unknown, one may translate, for example, “yellow stones called sulfur” or “yellow rocks that burn, called sulfur.” It is recommended that translators follow Good News Translation, which may also be expressed, for example, “they sprinkle sulfur on his house to remove the disease.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .