brother (older brother)

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “brother” in English is translated in Kwere as sekulu, in Elhomwe as mbalaawo´, and in Mandarin Chinese as gēgē (哥哥), both “older brother.”

Note that Kwere also uses lumbu — “older sibling” in some cases. (Source for Kwere and Elhomwe: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)

See also older brother (Japanese honorifics).

steadfast love

The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
  • Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)

In Pijin tinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)

See also mercy and pain-love.

mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love.

Absalom (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1972).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

See also Absalom.

self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

complete verse (1 Kings 2:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 2:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “But you keep/take care of the sons of Barzillai of Gilead in a good way and you care for them well because they helped me when I fled from your brother Absalom.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Be loyalty, however, to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead, have them eat with you at your table. They went with me when I fled from your elder brother, Absalom. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘But be-good to the children of Barzilai who comes-from-Gilead, and let- them always -eat with you, for they helped- me -out when I fled from your sibling Absalom.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘But be kind to the sons of Barzillai, the man from the Gilead region, and be sure that they always have enough food to eat. Do that because Barzillai helped me when I was running away from your older brother Absalom.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 2:7

Deal loyally is literally “do kindness.” The Hebrew noun for “kindness” (chesed) has a wide range of meanings. The English nouns “goodness,” “grace,” and “kindness” are all possible translations. Others focus on the element of “faithfulness.” In this context, and combined with the preceding verb, it has been rendered “deal graciously” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “Show constant friendship” (Revised English Bible), “treat … with faithful love” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “Be kind” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Moffatt).

The sons of Barzillai the Gileadite: These words refer to the events told in 2 Sam 17.27-29, though only Barzillai, and not his sons, is mentioned there. The word sons may be taken in a broader sense in this context. It probably is not intended to exclude daughters. For this reason Revised English Bible speaks of “the family of Barzillai.” Gileadite may be translated “from the region of Gilead.”

Let them be among those who eat at your table: Archaeological evidence from the ancient Near Eastern world indicates that a table was usually no more than 45 centimeters (18 inches) high. The words of this clause are probably not to be taken literally in the sense that they are to eat at the same table with the king, though this is possible. Rather, Solomon is to be sure that they have food provided for them from the royal court; that is, Solomon is to provide a royal pension for the sons of Barzillai. In order to ensure that readers do not take these words literally, it may be better to avoid a reference to Solomon’s table and say something similar to Good News Translation, which has “take care of them.” Other acceptable translations include “Make them permanent guests of the king” (New Living Translation) and “Provide for them” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

For with such loyalty they met me is literally “for thus they met me.” But the adverb “thus” seems to refer back to chesed earlier in this verse. And in the story as told in 2 Samuel (17.27), the encounter certainly included gestures of reconciliation and good will. For this reason Slotki suggests “for so they befriended me,” since they brought food and other supplies to David and his men when he was in need.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .