obedience / obey

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek that is translated in English typically as “obedience” or “obey” is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “thing hearing,” because “to hear is to obey.” (Source: Marjorie Davis in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 34ff. )

In Huba it is translated as hya nǝu nyacha: “follow (his) mouth.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )

In Central Mazahua it is translated as “listen-obey” and in Huehuetla Tepehua as “believe-obey” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), and in Noongar as dwangka-don, lit. “hear do” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

See also disobedience.

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 4:10 - 4:11

All his people and his armies obey him: Good News Bible translates people as “civilian.” A civilian is any citizen who is not in the armed forces. Another way to render this clause is “His soldiers obey him and so does everybody else.”

Moreover, he reclines, he eats and drinks and sleeps: The Greek verb for reclines may refer to the habit of the Persians and other cultures of reclining (lying on a couch) beside the table for eating and drinking. However, it can also mean “rests.” Some translators may wish to combine the verbs eats and drinks into “eats his meals.” A possible model for this last half of verse 10 is “And whenever he sits down [or, reclines] to eat his meals or sleeps.”

But they keep watch around him may be rendered “they guard him [or, watch over him].”

And no one may go away to attend to his own affairs: Not only do people serve the king, but they neglect their own affairs in case the king should want them to do something. This clause may be translated “They don’t leave to take care of personal business” (Contemporary English Version) or “They let their personal business wait, in case the king wants them.”

Nor do they disobey him: Contemporary English Version says “and they never disobey him.”

Alternative models for verses 10-11 are:

• 10 All his soldiers and everybody else obey him. And when he reclines [or, sits down] to eat his meals or sleeps, 11 his servants [or, his guards] watch over him. They don’t leave to take care of personal business, but let their personal business wait, in case the king wants them. They always obey him.

• 10-11 His soldiers obey him and so does everyone else. Not only do his servants obey him, but they stay around him when he rests, eats, drinks, or sleeps. They let their personal business wait, in case the king wants them.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.