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.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 21:4:
Kupsabiny: “Ahimelech replied that, ‘I don’t have the bread that is for all people (ordinary bread), but I only have bread which has comes from the House of God. You (plur.) can even/still eat it as long as none of you has recently slept with a woman.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then the priest replied to David, "I have no bread except the dedicated holy bread. But if your men have been staying without having intercourse with women, you can take this along."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The priest replied, ‘I do-not-have ordinary bread, but there-is bread here which has-been-offered. I will-give this if you (sing.) and your (sing.) men have- not -lain-down-beside/(have- not -had-sexual-relations-with) women in these days.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “The priest answered David, ‘There is no ordinary bread here, but I have some of the sacred bread that was placed before Yahweh. Your men may eat it if they have not slept with women recently.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Answered David: literally “answered David and said.” For reasons of English style, Good News Translation omits the name David as well as one of the two verbs in the Hebrew text.
As in the previous verse the words at hand mean simply “available” or “conveniently accessible.”
Holy bread refers to the loaves of bread that were offered to God every Sabbath (see also verse 6, “the bread of the Presence”). This bread was to be eaten only by the priests (see Lev 24.5-9). Common bread refers to all other bread. In some cases holy bread may have to be translated “the bread offered to God.”
If only … from women: sexual abstinence was required of those who took part in public worship (see Exo 19.15), and also of men engaged in holy war (see Deut 23.9-14; 2 Sam 11.8-13), who were required to be ritually pure (Josh 3.5; see also Isa 13.3). The expression kept themselves from women may have to be expressed as “have not slept with a woman.” But what is implied is that this refers to recent days and is not a matter of permanent abstinence from sexual relations. Good News Translation and La Bible du Semeur make this clear by adding the adverb “recently.” And Contemporary English Version is even more specific: “last night.”
In the Masoretic Text this clause is part of a conditional sentence, the complete form of which would read “if only the young men have kept themselves from women, they may eat the holy bread.” A manuscript from Qumran has this longer text, but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the MT. The manuscript from Qumran is followed by New American Bible “if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.” It is not clear whether Good News Translation is following the manuscript from Qumran or is simply adding the words “you can have it” as the sense requires. Even though Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the MT, for purposes of translation many languages will add the words that are left implicit in the MT.
Each of the Synoptic Gospels records that Jesus referred to this incident (Matt 12.3-4; Mark 2.25-26; Luke 6.3).
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 .
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