enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

Translation commentary on 3 Maccabees 2:30

In order that he might not appear to be an enemy to all, he inscribed below: This sentence interrupts the text of the inscription, to enable the author to comment on its conclusion. Philopator was not trying to annihilate the Jews, only to force their conversion to Greek worship. He was willing to grant them equal rights as citizens in the kingdom as individuals, but not as Jews. So we may render this sentence as “But Philopator did not want the Jews to think that he was an enemy to all of them, so he added this sentence:….”

But if any of them prefer to join those who have been initiated into the mysteries: The Greek word for mysteries refers to certain religions practiced in the Greek world at that time. A person was initiated into such a religion by a secret ritual. In this case it is clear that the mystery religion involved is the worship of Dionysus (see Contemporary English Version).

They shall have equal citizenship with the Alexandrians means, of course, that if the Jews begin worshiping Dionysus they will be given the same rights as native Alexandrians. The Alexandrians were natives of the Egyptian city Alexandria.

Contemporary English Version has an excellent model for this last part of the edict, and translators are encouraged to use its model:

• If any of the Jews decide to start worshiping the god Dionysus, they will be given the full rights of native Alexandrians.

Here is another way of expressing this:

• “Anyone who becomes a worshiper of Dionysus will have the same legal rights as any other citizen of Alexandria.”

This sentence is part of the inscription, and should be treated the same way as verses 28-29, indented as in Contemporary English Version, or enclosed in quotation marks as in Revised Standard Version.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.