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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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 Numbers 24:7

Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters: These two lines have been translated in various ways. A few versions (for example, La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle) follow the Septuagint, which reads (perhaps in view of the next two lines): “A man will come out of his seed and will dominate many nations.” However, Revised Standard Version and most other translations (including the Vulgate) render the Hebrew text as it stands (so also Hebrew Old Testament Text).

Water shall flow from his buckets means water will overflow from the Israelites’ buckets since they will have abundant rainfall. The meaning of the Hebrew term rendered buckets is uncertain, but the medieval commentator Rashi also gave it this sense. This word may refer to “watering buckets” used for irrigation purposes (so Ashley, page 491; Cole, page 420), in which case a local equivalent term will not be difficult to find. Revised English Bible uses the more generic term “vessels,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “wells,” which is a fairly free translation. The pronoun his refers to Israel, which some translations make explicit (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling). New International Readers Version provides a helpful model for this line, saying “Their water buckets will run over.”

Instead of and his seed shall be in many waters, New Revised Standard Version has “and his seed shall have abundant water” (similarly Zürcher Bibel, Luther), which makes more sense. In some languages “his seed [or, planted seeds] receives water in abundance” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) will be more natural. Willibrordvertaling says “what he sows is watered in abundance,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the seed stands, watered richly in the fields.” Good News Translation is similar with “And plant their seed in well-watered fields” (even though the footnote in Good News Translation claims that this rendering is based on an ancient translation). This picture of irrigation and a well-watered land makes good sense after the description of abundant vegetation in verse 6. Some other translations interpret the Hebrew text slightly differently, taking his seed to be a reference to Israel’s descendants; for example, Revised English Bible has “and his seed shall be like great waters” (similarly Russian Synodal Orthodox Version), and NET Bible says “and their descendants will be like abundant water.” New Living Translation seems to follow this interpretation also with “their offspring have all they need.”

His king shall be higher than Agag: Other models here are “Their king shall be greater than Agag” (Good News Translation; similarly New International Version, NET Bible, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) and “Their king shall rise above Agag” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). In a footnote Contemporary English Version says the following about Agag: “The Amalekites were long-time enemies of the Israelites (see Exodus 17.8-16), and Agag was one of their most powerful kings.” 1 Sam 15 mentions an Amalekite king named Agag, so this may have been a dynastic name for other Amalekite kings as well (like “Pharaoh” in Egypt; so Cole, pages 420-421). This line and the next one do not seem to be very closely connected in meaning with the preceding text, but as noted in the structural description above (see verse 3b), they may function as a poetic transitional segment to the next strophe (verses 8-9a). Depending on one’s interpretation, these lines may also serve to foreshadow the central content of Balaam’s next oracle, especially verses 17-19.

And his kingdom shall be exalted: Good News Translation expresses the meaning of this line more clearly with “And his rule shall be extended far and wide.” Contemporary English Version rearranges the order of the last two lines of this verse, saying “Your [Israel’s] king will rule with power and be a greater king than Agag the Amalekite,” which may be a helpful model for some languages. Contemporary English Version uses the second person for the Israelites since Balaam is addressing them (see verse 5).

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .