elder (of the community)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated as “elders” in English is translated in the Danish Bibelen 2020 as folkets ledere or “leaders of the people.”

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators, explains: “The term ‘elder’ turned out to pose a particularly thorny problem. In traditional bibles, you can find elders all of over the place and they never pose a problem for a translator, they are just always elders. But how to find a contemporary term for this semi-official, complex position? This may have been our longest-standing problem. A couple of times we thought we had the solution, and then implemented it throughout the texts, only to find out that it didn’t work. Like when we used city council or village council, depending on the context. In the end we felt that the texts didn’t work with such official terms, and throughout the years in the desert, these terms didn’t make much sense. Other suggestions were ‘the eldest and wisest’, ‘the respected citizens’, ‘the Israelites with a certain position in society’, ‘the elder council’ –- and let me point out that these terms sound better in Danish than in English (‘de fremtrædende borgere,’ ‘de mest fremtrædende israelitter,’ ‘alle israelitter med en vis position,’ ‘de ældste og de klogeste,’ ‘ældsterådet’). In the end we just said ‘leaders of the people.’ After a lot of hand-wringing, it turned out that we actually found a term that worked well. So, we had to give up conveying the fact that they were old, but the most important point is that they were community leaders.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

The German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates likewise as “leader of the people” (Anführer des Volkes).

Translation commentary on Judges 11:8

And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah: In some languages this clause may be rendered simply “They replied to him.”

That is why we have turned to you now is literally “Therefore now we have turned to you.” When the elders respond to Jephthah, they do not answer his first question, but they seem to address the second one. Revised English Bible is close to the Hebrew by rendering the word for “Therefore” as “It is because of that.” New Revised Standard Version and New International Version say “Nevertheless,” while Contemporary English Version has “But.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh tries to supply a natural response with “Honestly,” and so does New American Bible with “In any case.” The Septuagint changes the text to read “Not so,” but there is little reason to support this change. Turned renders the key Hebrew verb shuv. It meant “turn away from” in verse 2.19, but here it has the sense of “turn toward.” The elders who once rejected Jephthah seem to have changed their minds now concerning him and now turn to him for help. Good News Translation says “We are turning to you now,” which carries a tone of supplication. Some languages may use an appealing kind of language, for example, “Please, we are coming to you now.” Contemporary English Version‘s “But we do want you to come back” is slightly different from the text here, so it should not be used as a model.

That you may go with us and fight with the Ammonites: See the comments on verse 11.6. The elders are asking Jephthah to go with them to fight the Ammonites (compare verse 4.8). Surprisingly, the subject of the verb fight is not “we” but you (Jephthah). This is a subtle change from 11.6, where the Israelites first said they would do the fighting.

And be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead: This clause is certainly the high point of the section, as the community requests Jephthah to be their head. The repetition of the keyword head from verse 10.18 signals this climax. Translators should try to keep this link by using the same word here as there. If this is not possible, they may say “chief” (New Jerusalem Bible) or use a similar term. But it is important to not use the word “deliverer,” the word used to characterize the leaders chosen and sent by God, since this is not what the people are requesting. This situation is more parallel to Abimelech becoming the leader of those at Shechem. The Hebrew preposition rendered over is literally “for,” but translators should use an expression that is natural in their language. All the inhabitants emphasizes the position of power Jephthah is being offered. This passage is reminiscent of Jotham’s fable, when the trees looked for someone to reign over them (verse 9.8-15).

Translation models for this verse are:

• The leaders of Gilead responded, saying, “Nevertheless, we turn to you now so you can go with us to fight the Ammonites. You will become our head—head of all the people in Gilead.”

• They replied to him, “Be that as it may, we are turning to you now to help us. We want you to go with us and fight the Ammonites. You will be the head of all the people of Gilead.”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

imperatives (kudasai / Japanese honorifics)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese show different degree of politeness is through the choice of an imperative construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

In these verses, the honorific form kudasai (ください) reflects that the action is called for as a favor for the sake of the beneficiary. This polite kudasai imperative form is often translated as “please” in English. While English employs pure imperatives in most imperative constructions (“Do this!”), Japanese chooses the polite kudasai (“Do this, please.”). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )