7Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “shepherd” in English is translated in Kouya as Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ — ” tender of sheep.”
Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains:
“Then one day they tackled the thorny problem of ‘shepherd’. It was problematic because Kouyas don’t have herdsmen who stay with the sheep all the time. Sheep wander freely round the village and its outskirts, and often a young lad will be detailed to drive sheep to another feeding spot. So the usual Kouya expression meant a ‘driver of sheep’, which would miss the idea of a ‘nurturing’ shepherd. ‘A sheep nurturer’ was possible to say, but it was unnatural in most contexts. The group came up with Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ which meant ‘a tender of sheep’, that is one who keeps an eye on the sheep to make sure they are all right. All, including the translators, agreed that this was a most satisfactory solution.”
Other translations include:
Chuj: “carer” (there was no single word for “shepherd”) (source: Ronald Ross)
Muna: “sheep guard” (dhagano dhumba) (there was no immediate lexical equivalent) (source: René van den Berg),
Mairasi: “people who took care of domesticated animals” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 7:7:
Kupsabiny: “I was with the people of Israel always. I even/also chose for them leaders who would be keeping/guarding them. But there is not one day where I have told any leader to build for me a house of cedar!’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “No matter where I came [or] went with all of Israel, have I ever asked their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, why they had not built a temple of cedar wood for me?’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Wherever I move-from-place-to-place with my people Israelinhon, I did- not -complain to their leaders/[lit. heads] whom I commanded to take-care of them that they have- not -built me a beautiful temple which is made of cedar wood.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Wherever I went with all the Israelis as they traveled, I never said to any of their leaders whom I appointed to lead them, ‘Why have you not built me a temple made of cedar wood?’’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Description Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel: this may be better rendered in some languages as in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, “As I moved about wherever the Israelites went…” or “When I was migrating with the people of Israel….” Knox renders it more poetically as “This way and that, the whole race of Israel journeyed, and I with them….”
Speak a word: this expression may carry the idea of “reproach” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant, Knox) and should be so translated in some languages. Others may prefer to use the verb “ask” (Revised English Bible, Moffatt), if this fits the overall structure adopted for the verse.
The judges of Israel: the Hebrew text as well as the ancient Greek version of this verse have “the tribes of Israel.” This is followed by King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, but nowhere else does the Old Testament say that the LORD appointed “the tribes of Israel” to govern his people. However, by changing a single consonant in the Hebrew noun “tribes,” Revised Standard Version renders it judges, which agrees with the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17.6. But some experts maintain that a meaning like “those who hold the scepter,” “staff bearers” (Anchor Bible), or “tribal leaders” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and New Revised Standard Version) can be found in the Hebrew word that is normally translated “tribe.” This, in fact, is recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project/Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, which gives an {A} rating to the Hebrew text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament claims that the word “tribes” here is a metonym, that is, a word used in place of a related word, and refers to a “leader” or a “chief.” According to this interpretation of the Hebrew term, the meaning is basically the same as that in the Septuagint and in the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles.
To shepherd my people: the use of the image of the shepherd to refer to a person who rules over others is common in the Old Testament (compare 5.2 as well as Num 27.17). In some languages it will be more natural to drop the figure of speech altogether and use a verb like “rule” (Moffatt), “govern” (Bible en français courant), or “care for” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). But in others the image may be retained while at the same time its meaning is translated clearly: “oversee like shepherds” or “watch over like those who look after sheep.”
The question within the direct quotation may be rendered in a very different form in some languages. In some cases the direct quotation should become indirect because it is found within another quotation. Also, the question may become a simple statement of fact: “I never asked them to build me a house made of cedar.”
On the translation of cedar see the comments on verse 2.
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 .
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