5Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, let a place be given me in one of the country towns so that I may live there, for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 27:5:
Kupsabiny: “Not long after, David told Achish that, ‘I should not live in this city with the king. If possible, you can allow me go and live in another place.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “David said to Achish, "If you love me give me a city in your country to live in. Why should I, your servant, live in the king’s royal palace with you?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Now, David said to Akish, ‘If you (sing.) (are) good to me, give us (excl.) a village where we (excl.) can-settle/live. (It is) not necessary that we (excl.) stay here in the town/city where- you (sing.) -live as king.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “One day David said to Achish, ‘If you are pleased with us, give us a place in one of the small villages where we can stay. There is no need for us to stay in the city where you are the king.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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. When the referent is God, a god, or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-kōi (ご好意), a combination of “favor” (kōi) and the honorific prefix go-.
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, kudasaru (下さる), a respectful form of kureru (くれる) or “give” is used.
Then translates the common Hebrew conjunction, which functions here to move the story on to the next event. Many translations mark the transition by beginning a new paragraph and leaving the conjunction untranslated (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).
David’s words If I have found favor in your eyes imply that he must already have lived at least a short time in the royal city. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is justified, therefore, in beginning this verse as follows: “After a short time David said to Achish.” Or translators may prefer to say “After a while….” David’s words are prefaced by the particle of entreaty in Hebrew.
Found favor in your eyes: see the comments on 1.18, and compare also 16.22; 20.3, 29; 25.8.
Let a place be given me: literally “they should give me a place.” This may imply that some intermediary authority had to approve the request; but since Achish was the final authority, the passive construction of Revised Standard Version may be better translated as “let me have a place” (New American Bible), or possibly “grant me a place” (Revised English Bible). That the final authority belonged to Achish is confirmed in the following verse.
One of the country towns: that is, one of the smaller towns located around Gath. New Jerusalem Bible and Klein say “one of the outlying towns [or, cities].” La Bible du Semeur speaks of “any village in the countryside.”
Your servant: David is here referring to himself in a polite way. In most languages a personal pronoun will have to be used. See “Indirect reference” on page 12 and following.
The royal city: that is, Gath (see verses 2-3).
For why…? This is a rhetorical question, which is translated in the form of a statement in some common-language translations (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The meaning is “I don’t need to live in the royal city with you” (New Century Version) or “I’m not important enough to live here with you in the royal city” (Contemporary English Version).
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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