priest

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Greek that are typically translated as “priest” in English (itself deriving from Latin “presbyter” — “elder”) is often translated with a consideration of existing religious traditions. (Click or tap for details)

Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this:

“However, rather than borrow local names for priests, some of which have unwanted connotations, a number of translations have employed descriptive phrases based on certain functions: (1) those describing a ceremonial activity: Pamona uses tadu, the priestess who recites the litanies in which she describes her journey to the upper or under-world to fetch life-spirit for sick people, animals or plants; Batak Toba uses the Arabic malim, ‘Muslim religious teacher;’ ‘one who presents man’s sacrifice to God’ (Bambara, Eastern Maninkakan), ‘one who presents sacrifices’ (Baoulé, Navajo (Dinė)), ‘one who takes the name of the sacrifice’ (Kpelle, and ‘to make a sacrifice go out’ (Hausa); (2) those describing an intermediary function: ‘one who speaks to God’ (Shipibo-Conibo) and ‘spokesman of the people before God’ (Tabasco Chontal).”

In Obolo it is translated as ogwu ngwugwa or “the one who offers sacrifice” (source: Enene Enene), in Mairasi as agam aevar nevwerai: “religious leader” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Ignaciano as “blesser, one who does ritual as a practice” (using a generic term rather than the otherwise common Spanish loan word sacerdote) (source: Willis Ott in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.), and in Noongar as yakin-kooranyi or “holy worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

For Guhu-Samane, Ernest Richert (in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. ) reports this: “The [local] cult of Poro used to be an all-encompassing religious system that essentially governed all areas of life. (…) For ‘priest’ the term ‘poro father’ would at first seem to be a natural choice. However, several priests of the old cult are still living. Although they no longer function primarily as priests of the old system they still have a substantial influence on the community, and there would be more than a chance that the unqualified term would (in some contexts particularly) be equated with the priest of the poro cult. We learned, then, that the poro fathers would sometimes be called ‘knife men’ in relation to their sacrificial work. The panel was pleased to apply this term to the Jewish priest, and the Christian community has adopted it fully. [Mark 1:44, for instance, now] reads: ‘You must definitely not tell any man of this. But you go show your body to the knife man and do what Moses said about a sacrifice concerning your being healed, and the cause (base of this) will be apparent.'”

For a revision of the 1968 version of the Bible in Khmer Joseph Hong (in: The Bible Translator 1996, 233ff. ) talks about a change in wording for this term:

​​Bau cha r (បូជា‌ចារ្យ) — The use of this new construction meaning “priest” is maintained to translate the Greek word hiereus. The term “mean sang (មាន សង្ឃ)” used in the old version actually means a “Buddhist monk,” and is felt to be theologically misleading. The Khmer considers the Buddhist monk as a “paddy field of merits,” a reserve of merits to be shared with other people. So a Khmer reader would find unthinkable that the mean sang in the Bible killed animals, the gravest sin for a Buddhist; and what a scandal it would be to say that a mean sang was married, had children, and drank wine.

See also idolatrous priests.

complete verse (Leviticus 13:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 13:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “But if the sickness continues to spread after the priest has examined (him), he must go and show himself again to the priest.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “But if that spot starts spreading in the skin after he has shown himself to the priest and been judged clean, he must go again to the priest and show himself.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But if the rash has-spread on his/her skin after (he) has- now -shown himself/herself to the priest and the priest has- now -let-(it)-be-known that he/she is clean, (he) must show himself/herself again to the priest.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But if the sore spreads after the priest has examined him, he must go to the priest again.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Leviticus 13:7

Verses 7-8 deal with the case where the priest’s diagnosis is in error, or where the disease begins to spread after the third examination.

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the first two clauses and say something like “If after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, the eruption spreads…” or “After he has shown himself to the priest … it may happen that the eruption spreads … If this happens….”

He shall appear again before the priest: there are many other ways of stating this same fact: “he must return to the priest to be reexamined,” or “he must go back for another examination,” or “he must present himself to the priest so that he can look at him again.” However, in the light of the passive in verse 2, it may be better to translate “he must be brought back” or “they [indefinite] (or, someone) must bring him back.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .