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 (Nehemiah 10:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 10:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “Maaziah, Bilgai and Shemaiah. Those were priests.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The priests who signed were Seraya, Azaria, Jeremias, Pashur, Amaria, Malkia, Hatush, Shebania, Maluc, Harim, Meremot, Obadias, Daniel, Gineton, Baruc, Meshulam, Abia, Miamim, Maazia, Bilgai, and Shemaya.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 10:2 - 10:8

The names of twenty-one priests are given. This list of names is almost the same as the list of those who returned from Babylonia with Zerubbabel (Neh 12.1-7) and of the priestly families in the next generation (Neh 12.12-21). They are probably the names of priestly families that took turns serving in the Temple (see 2 Chr 31.2).

Seraiah was a member of the high-priestly family that held office at the time of the exile (see 2 Kgs 25.18; Jer 52.24).

Azariah is the long form of the name Ezra. This may be a reference to the priestly family of Ezra who is not listed by name in this section, but there were two people named Azariah among his ancestors (Ezra 7.1-3).

Pashhur is the name of a priestly family mentioned in Ezra 2.38.

Amariah is the long form of the name Immer, which is the name of a priestly family mentioned in Ezra 2.37 and Neh 11.13.

There are also references in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah to the other names in these verses. It cannot be known if they refer to the same people.

Good News Translation restructures and combines verses 2-8 under a heading that identifies the persons named as priests. In Hebrew the identification of the category of priests follows their names. In English style each name is separated from the next by a comma except for the last name in the list that occurs following a comma and the conjunction “and.” As for earlier lists in Ezra and Nehemiah, translators should use appropriate receptor language style to present this and the following lists of names.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .