son vs. grandson

“Son of x, son of y” must be rendered as “son of x and grandson of y” in Tibetan or else it will sound like two different people.

Note: The same translation solution is chosen in many contemporary English Bibles that emphasize easy readability, such as the Contemporary English Version, Common English Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, or New Living Translation.

See also father / grandfather.

priest

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, 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.

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 2:1

In those days may be rendered “At that [or, this] time,” “During that time” (Good News Bible), “About this time” (Contemporary English Version), or “While the people of Israel were suffering.”

Mattathias the son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein: Mattathias’ grandfather Simeon is the man from whom the Hasmonean family got its name. The priestly family of Joarib is mentioned in 1~Chr 9.10; 24.7; Neh 11.10; 12.6, 19. Good News Bible, which ordinarily spells proper names the way Revised Standard Version does, here spells the name Joarib as “Jehoiarib” to make it agree with the spelling of the name in 1~Chr 9.10; 24.7 (although it is not consistent with the spelling in Nehemiah, which has “Joiarib”). The difference in spelling here is a result of 1Maccabees being preserved in Greek rather than Hebrew. Translators would do right to make this name agree with the spelling they have used in 1~Chronicles. Modein (modern-day Modiin) was a village in the hill country of Palestine, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) northwest of Jerusalem. The Greek text of this verse is ambiguous, and does not necessarily say that Mattathias moved from Jerusalem to Modein at this time, or even that he himself had ever lived in Jerusalem. It can be understood as New English Bible takes it: “At this time a certain Mattathias, son of John, son of Symeon, appeared on the scene. He was a priest of the Joarib family from Jerusalem, who had settled at Modin.” In verses 17-28 Mattathias appears to be a longtime and highly respected resident of Modein, not a newcomer. Nor does it seem that a man who has the courage to start a rebellion would have been one to move out of Jerusalem to escape trouble there. Further, in 1Macc 13.25 Modein is described as the home of Simon Maccabeus’ ancestors, not simply of his father. We prefer following New English Bible‘s translation, and saying something like this:

• At this time [or, While the people of Israel were suffering] a man named Mattathias enters the story. He was a priest of the Joarib family from Jerusalem, who had settled at Modein. His father’s name was John, and his grandfather’s name was Simon.

Such an approach also has the advantage of placing all the family information together. Here, the names of his father and grandfather, and, in the next verse, the names of his sons, are placed together.

The interpretation of this verse is related to a textual problem in verse 7, and the translation here in verse 1 must be consistent with the solution that we adopt to that problem. See also 1Macc 14.29.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.