cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” (Source: Don Slager) Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right.

Jesus' human vs. divine nature in modern Burmese translation

There are three different levels of speech in Burmese: common language, religious language (addressing and honoring monks, etc.), and royal language (which is not in active use anymore). Earliest Bible translations used exclusively royal and religious language (in the way Jesus is addressed by others and in the way Jesus is referred to via pronouns), which results in Jesus being divine and not human. Later editions try to make distinctions.

In the Common Language Version (publ. 2005) the human face of Jesus appears in the narrative of the angel’s message to Joseph and what Joseph did in response (Matthew 1:21-25). The angel told Joseph that Mary was going to give birth to a son, not a prince.

Likewise in Luke 2:6-7 the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is told simply using the Common language. Again in the description of the shepherds’ visit to the baby Jesus (Mark 1:21-25), in the story of Jesus’ circumcision (Luke 2:6-2:7), and in the narrative of the child Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem (Luke 2:46-51), the human face of Jesus comes to the forefront.

On the other hand, the child Jesus is clearly depicted as a royal or a divine child in the story of the wise men (Matthew 2:9-12), the story of the flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14), and the return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:20-21).

(Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )

See also Mary (mother of Jesus).

complete verse (Matthew 2:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 2:9:

  • Uma: “So off they went. On the way, they saw again the star that they had seen in the east earlier. No kidding their joy at seeing that star. That star went ahead of them until it stopped right above the dwelling-place of that Child.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “So-then, when the king had finished speaking, those men from the east went. While they were walking they saw the star again that they had seen in the country in the east. When they saw the star they were very happy indeed. They followed the star and then/eventually the star rested above the place where the child was.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon their hearing what the king instructed them, they started out, and their happiness was great, because they saw again the same star that they saw appear before. It went-ahead-of them until it arrived directly-above the house where the baby was and then it stopped.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well those thinkers set out. In front of them they again saw that star they had mentioned which had newly risen, which they had seen in the east. That star went-ahead-of/led them. It only stopped when it was directly-over the house where that child was.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “These men who listened to what the king said then went. That star which they had seen before in the place of where the sun rises was again seen by them, that it was going where they were going. There at the house in which the baby was located was where the rays of the star arrived to and thus they saw.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

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 Matthew 2:9

Good News Translation places verses 9-10 together in order to effect a more logical sequence of events for the English reader. “When they saw it … what joy was theirs” of Good News Bible translates verse 10 of the Greek text. Good News Bible makes this restructuring in order to show an immediate connection between the seeing of the star and the joyful response of the men. Then Good News Bible picks up the information about the movement of the star to the place where the child was, which in Greek is the last part of verse 9. Other translators who follow this interpretation might say “When they saw the star again, they were very happy…” or “It made them very happy to see the star again.”

However, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch reflects naturally the joyful response of the men without reordering the information in verses 9-10. This is achieved through translating the first part of verse 10 “as they saw it there.” In other words, in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch their joyful response is occasioned by seeing the star stop over the place where the child was, not, as Good News Translation suggests, by the sight of the star after leaving King Herod. This seems more in keeping with the Greek text and with the movement of the story itself. Translators who follow this interpretation can use sentences such as “When they saw the star at that place, they became very happy,” or perhaps “When they saw where the star was, it gave them happiness.” See also the comments on verse 10.

When they had heard the king they went their way is restructured by Good News Translation to read “And so they left, and on their way….” New English Bible translates “They set out at the king’s bidding,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “after they had received these instructions, they set out on their way.” Other ways may be “After the king told them this…” or “When they heard what they king said, they left.”

And lo translates the same Greek construction discussed in 1.20 (see comments there under “behold”). As in that verse, translators may use an expression such as “and then” or “now then.” The meaning can also be included in a sentence such as “As they were going” or “As they were on the way.”

In the East translates the same construction discussed in Matthew 2.2. Here, depending on the flow of the discourse, the star can be referred to as “that star they had seen when it appeared (or, rose)” or as “the star they had seen in their country.”

In many languages it will be necessary to make explicit that the star appeared again. That is, it would sound strange to say the star went before them without first indicating that it appeared again and the wise men saw it. Thus, “They saw the same star … and it went…” or “The star appeared again … and it went….”

Before them. Some translators feel it would be hard for the wise men to perceive a star actually moving the short distance of eight kilometers (five miles) between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. As a result they translate “before” with the sense of “before in time.” But the text seems to describe a star moving in the sky “in front of them” or “leading their way.”

The star came to rest, that is, it “stopped moving” or “stood still.”

Over can be translated as “above” or “on top of,” although the translation should not make it seem the star was touching the house.

The place where the child was: some languages have to use something more specific than “place,” and say “house” or “building.” Also, some cannot say “was” and must say “was staying.”

Child is the same word used in Matthew 2.8.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .