priest

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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.

Japanese honorifics (1 Samuel 21:1)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In this verse, the Hebrew that is translated as “alone” in English is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-hitori (おひとり), combining “one person” (hitori) with the respectful prefix o- and “with one” as o-tomo (お供), combining “accompany” (tomo) with o-.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

complete verse (1 Samuel 21:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 21:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “David went to Nob where a priest called Ahimelech was staying. When Ahimelech saw David, he trembled in fear and asked him that, ‘David, why have you come alone without your people?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “David went to the place of Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Trembling and trembling, Ahimelech came to meet David, and he said, "Why have you just come alone? Why has no one come with you?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, David went to Ahimelec the priest of Nob. Ahimelec trembled in fear when he saw David. Ahimelec asked, ‘Why (are) you (sing.) alone/[lit. just one]?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “David fled from there and went to Nob city to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw David because he was afraid that something bad had happened. He said to David, ‘Why are you alone? Why have no men come with you?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 21:1

As the footnote in Revised Standard Version indicates, this is the second verse in chapter 21 in the Masoretic Text and in those translations such as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New American Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh that follow the verse numbers of the Hebrew. Chapter 21 begins in Hebrew in the middle of what is 20.42 in Revised Standard Version. Throughout the remainder of chapter 21, verse numbers in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, which are used in this Handbook, differ by one from the Hebrew numbers. In the running text the Hebrew verse numbers will be included in square brackets for those translators who need to follow them.

On the use of the verbs came (Revised Standard Version) and “went” (Good News Translation), see the comments at 8.4.

Nob was a very short distance north of Jerusalem (see Isa 10.32) and about eight kilometers (or five miles) southwest of Gibeah.

Ahimelech, son of Ahitub (22.20), appears here for the first time in the Old Testament. He was a great-grandson of the priest Eli (see 14.3).

Trembling: see the comments on 13.7. Some suggest that the notion of terror is better understood here and in 16.4 in the sense of “awe,” and that the translation should say that “Ahimelech came to meet David in reverence.” Such an interpretation is not widely accepted and should probably be rejected. It is equally unlikely that this word indicates simply that Ahimelech “hurried out to meet” David, as Revised English Bible indicates. The most likely meaning is that he was afraid of something. Contemporary English Version indicates that Ahimelech was “trembling with fear.”

Ahimelech’s question to David is in two parts, but there is a single thrust. Translators should refrain from giving the impression that being alone and having no one with you constitute two different things. In some cases this may be done by simply avoiding the conjunction and between the two. In other cases translators may prefer to ask a single, more emphatic question.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .