6While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
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:
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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
While this was taking place: The fact that what follows is a first person account by Nehemiah is explicitly clear at this point. He introduces himself and his own activities with a temporal phrase, which Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders as “During all this time” and Bible en français courant has “At the time of all these events.” It is very important for the translator to use the appropriate temporal and discourse markers to indicate clearly the shift in place and event that occurs here in Nehemiah’s account.
I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king: Nehemiah was not in Jerusalem at the time Eliashib let Tobiah use the storeroom that is reported about in the preceding verses. Nehemiah had gone to see the Persian king, Artaxerxes (see Ezra 4.7; Neh 2.1). King of Babylon was the title assumed by Cyrus after conquering Babylon in 539 B.C. (see Ezra 5.13). It had also been used by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezra 2.1), but here it is applied to Artaxerxes. The thirty-second year of Artaxerxes I was 433-432 B.C. Nehemiah began his term as governor in the twentieth year of the king (see Neh 1.1), so this was in his twelfth year as governor.
Why he went to see the king is not indicated. Good News Translation assumes that Nehemiah had gone “to report to” the king, but this is not explicitly stated by Nehemiah in his account. The translator should leave the purpose of Nehemiah’s visit to the king unstated, as most translations do.
After some time: How long he was gone from Jerusalem is not indicated either. Nouvelle Bible Segond translates “At the end of the year,” but the length of time is indicated only by the indefinite phrase after some time.
I asked leave of the king: This is an idiom for obtaining official permission to depart from the presence of the king (see 1 Sam 20.6, 28). Translators should use an expression that is appropriate for the formal court setting.
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 .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.