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.

trumpet

The musical instrument that is most often translated as “trumpet” in English is translated in the following ways:

In the UBS Helps for Translators‘ Human-made Things in the Bible (original title: The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible) it says the following:

Description: The trumpet was a wind instrument, frequently used in signaling, especially in connection with war. It was made of metal (the trumpets mentioned in Numbers 10:2 et al. were made of silver). It was a straight, narrow tube, about 40-45 centimeters (16-18 inches) in length. One end had a mouthpiece, while the other end was widened into a bell shape.

Usage: The sound on the trumpet was made by blowing into the mouthpiece in such a way as to vibrate the lips. The vibrations were magnified as they passed along the widening body of the tube.

The purpose of the trumpet in Israel was primarily to signal. Numbers 10 lists a variety of occasions in which the trumpets were to be used, including signaling the people to break camp, calling all of the people together for a meeting, calling only the leaders together, sounding an alarm at the beginning of a battle, and blowing them for liturgical purposes during certain festivals. It is significant that it was the task of the priests to sound the trumpets.

Translation: Generally speaking, translators may distinguish between the Hebrew words chatsotsrah and shofar by rendering chatsotsrah as “trumpet” or “bugle” and shofar with a more generic word for “horn” or with “ram’s horn.” Note the following comment in Translation commentary on Psalm 98:4 – 98:6: “In some languages it will not be possible to make a distinction between the two Hebrew terms translated trumpets and horn. In such cases the local term for a horn will be used. The Greek Old Testament used only one term.”

The exact meaning of the Aramaic word qeren in Daniel 3:5 and following is debated. It probably refers to a brass wind instrument and is best rendered “horn.”

The present-day equivalent for the Greek word salpigx is “bugle.” A bugle is generally smaller than a trumpet and is often associated with the sounding of military signals.

Man blowing a trumpet (source: Horace Knowles (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1954, 1967, 1972)

Quoted with permission.

See also trumpet / bugle.

sanctuary

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (Numbers 31:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 31:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “Moses sent those soldiers to go into battle with Phinehas son of Eleazar. They went with articles/utensils from the Tent of God and horns so as to be showing to the soldiers what should be done.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Moses sent a thousand men to battle from each tribe. Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest became their leader and Moses gave Phinehas the responsibility for the items of the sanctuary and for the trumpet to announce the battle.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Moises sent them to war, 1,000 from each tribe, being-led by Pinehas the child of Eleazar the priest. Pinehas took-with-him articles from the Meeting-Together-Place Tent and trumpets for alarm/signal.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When Moses/I sent them to the battle, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, went with them. He took with him some of the things from the Sacred Tent and the trumpets that would be blown to give the signal to start the battle.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 31:6

And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe …: And, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, may be translated “Then” (New Living Translation) to introduce the next event. For the Hebrew word rendered war (tsavaʾ), see verse 3. Good News Translation omits the phrase a thousand from each tribe, which we do not recommend since it shows that Moses explicitly carried out the LORD’s commands (see verse 4).

Together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest: In this context together with implies “under the command of” (Good News Translation). Phinehas was first mentioned in 25.7. For Eleazar the priest, see 26.1. Phinehas went to the battlefield instead of his father Eleazar, since it was strictly forbidden for Eleazar as the High Priest to have any contamination by contact with dead bodies (Lev 21.11). In Hebrew this whole phrase is literally “and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the war.” The phrase “to the war” seems to be repetitive after the beginning of the verse (And Moses sent them to the war), which is probably why Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation omit it. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh keeps it by rendering the first half of this verse as “Moses dispatched them on the campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar serving as a priest on the campaign.” Reading the Hebrew in this way means Phinehas had the task of being the priest in the battle (so Milgrom, page 257).

With the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand: For the vessels of the sanctuary, see 3.31. Here it is uncertain which sacred utensils are in view. Perhaps this is why some translations give a much more general rendering, saying “the sacred objects” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle) or “the holy objects” (New Living Translation, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling). Such a generic rendering would include the Covenant Box, and this would change the meaning considerably. These sacred utensils were probably signs that this was a holy war (so Olson, page 176), serving as symbols of the priest’s status (so Niditch, page 83) or, more likely, symbols of the LORD’s presence during the battle (so Duguid, page 331). Perhaps these sacred objects were the sacred lots, that is, the Urim and the Thummim (see 27.21; so Levine, page 452, following the Targum). For the trumpets for the alarm, see the comments on 10.9, where the Hebrew verb for “sound an alarm” comes from the same root as the noun for alarm. Good News Translation renders this phrase as “the trumpets for giving signals,” which may be confusing. Models that express the function of these trumpets more clearly are “the trumpets for sounding the battle signal” (Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, La Biblia: Traducción en Lenguaje Actual) and “the trumpets for sounding the [battle] charge” (New Living Translation). Since Phinehas could not have carried all these objects himself, in his hand is better rendered “who took charge of” (Good News Translation) or “who was in charge of” (NET Bible).

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 .