Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 3:37:
Kupsabiny: “So, all the people and Israel as a whole knew that day that the king was innocent of the death of Abner.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “That day all twelve tribe of Israel realized that the king’s hand was not [involved] in the matter of the killing of Abner son of Ner.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Therefore all the people of Israel knew that King David has no part in the death of Abner.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So all the people realized that the king had not wanted Abner to be killed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
So: this translation of the common Hebrew conjunction is not really necessary here. It merely serves as a transition marker.
All the people: that is, David’s people or “troops” as contrasted with all Israel. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh takes the first expression to mean “all the troops,” but Revised English Bible seems to see the two expressions as synonymous.
It had not been the king’s will: literally “it was not from the king.” Another way of saying this is “the king had had no hand in [the murder of Abner]” (Revised English Bible) or “the king was not involved in [the death of Abner].”
To slay Abner: the verb translated slay is the general word for “kill,” but in this context it is clear that murder was involved.
The son of Ner: this is now the fourth time this expression is used in this chapter, and it occurs twice in the previous chapter. If the repetition is awkward in the receptor language, it may be dropped here.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.