Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 45:11:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“The king has run out of wisdom because of your beauty;
respect him because he is your lord.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“The King is pleased with your beauty.
He is your master,
so do as he says.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“for the king is-taken-captive by your (sing.) beauty.
Respect him for he (is) your (sing.) master.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“You are beautiful. So the king desires to have you. You must honor him, because he is your lord.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“In this way, the king desires the beauty of your body,
respect him because he is your husband.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Uzuri wako umpendeze mfalme,
yeye ni bwana wako, umweshimu.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Because you are very beautiful,
the king will desire to sleep with you.
He is your master, so you must obey him.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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.”
The poet now speaks to the bride, addressing her as daughter, a term of endearment. He tells her to listen to him carefully (literally “bend the ear”; see 17.6 and discussion). First, in verse 10b he recommends that she no longer be attached to her people and to her own relatives (your father’s house). This seems to indicate that she is a foreigner; her people would be the people of her own country, and she would have to forsake their customs and religious beliefs. The expression forget your people is somewhat metaphorical, since the intention is not one of forgetting, but rather of not obeying. Therefore, in languages where forget will only be understood literally, it is better to say “don’t be commanded by your people and your relatives” or “no longer follow the advice of your….”
Verse 11a may be read as a clause that is subordinate to the following one: “When the king desires your beauty…” (New English Bible). Such a rendering makes it a specific reference to sexual intercourse (New Jerusalem Bible “let the king be aroused by your beauty”). Her new husband is her lord and “master”; she must obey him (literally “bow down to him”). The expression he is your lord may sometimes be rendered “he is the one who rules over you.” In some languages one may say “your owner.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The following are presentations by the Psalms: Layer by Layer project, run by Scriptura . The first is an overview and the second an introduction into the exegesis of Psalm 45.
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