sunrise, sunset

The Hebrew and Greek terms that is translated as “sunrise” and “sunset” or similar in English are translated in Chichewa as “sun coming out” and “sun entering.” The understanding is that the sun moves and that when it is evening it goes back where it belongs. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also periods of the night.

Joshua

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joshua” is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts a trumpet of rams’ horn, referring to Joshua 6:4 and following.


“Joshua” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joshua .

complete verse (Joshua 8:29)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 8:29:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then he hanged the king of Ai on a tree to hang there until evening. And/But when the sun was setting, Joshua said that the body of the king should be removed. It was removed and thrown down at the gate of the city. Many stones were piled at that place which (plur.) are there to this day.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and he kept him there until sundown. At the time of sunset he took his body down from the pole and cast it out at the city gate. On top of the corpse they brought together a heap of stones. It is still there until today.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Josue had- the king -hanged on a tree/pole and left there until (it) became-afternoon. At the setting of the sun, he had- the corpse/dead-body -taken and had-(it)-thrown outside the gate of the city. They covered/piled- this -over with stones, and until now these stones can- still -be-seen.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left his corpse hanging there until the evening. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s corpse down from the tree and to throw it on the ground at the city gate. After they did that, they piled a lot of rocks on top of the corpse, and that pile of rocks is still there.” (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 Joshua 8:29

The text says simply that Joshua “hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening” (Revised Standard Version). It is probable that first he was killed and then his body was impaled on a stake (see 10.26; Deut 21.22-23), and some languages will require that the translation be explicit; for example, “They killed the king of Ai and hanged his body on a tree.”

The Hebrew word translated tree means also a pole or a stake; accordingly, one may translate “They killed the king of Ai, and then they impaled his body on a pole.”

At sundown his body was removed, buried near the city gate, and stones piled over it. But this formulation may leave too many gaps. That is, it may be necessary to state explicitly that the body was removed before it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. For example:

• At sundown Joshua told his men to remove the body and to throw it down at the entrance to the city gate. He also told them to cover it with a huge pile of stones. They obeyed Joshua’s command, and the pile of stones is still there as I write this story.

Or the command may be given in direct discourse:

• At sundown Joshua told his men, “Take the body down from the tree and throw it down at the entrance to the city gate. Then cover it with a huge pile of stones.” Joshua’s men did what he told them, and the pile of stones is still there today.

That huge pile of stones was still there when the account was written.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:29

8:29a

He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening: It is most likely that Joshua ordered his soldiers to kill the king. Then his dead body was hung on a tree. This was a common practice in the Ancient Near East. The bodies of defeated enemies were hung up as an example to others of what might happen to them.

until evening: The phrase until evening means until the sun went down.

8:29b

and at sunset: It may be more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

When the sun was setting

Joshua commanded: It may be necessary to make explicit to whom Joshua gave the command. He commanded some of his soldiers. For example:

Joshua told ⌊his soldiers⌋

8:29c

that they take down the body from the tree: The Israelite soldiers took the dead body of the king down from the tree on which it was hanging.

8:29d

and throw it down: The phrase throw it indicates that the soldiers threw down the corpse of the king.

at the entrance of the city gate: The phrase at the entrance of the city gate indicates a place in front of the town gates. A wall enclosed the town and people entered and left the town through the town gate.

8:29e

And over it they raised a large pile of rocks: The clause over it they raised a large pile of rocks indicates that the Israelite soldiers piled stones over the king’s dead body so that it was covered up.

which remains to this day: The pile of stones was still there in front of Ai at the time that the author wrote the book of Joshua.

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