In Bauzi “swear” can be translated in various ways. In Hebrews 6:13, for instance, it is translated with “bones break apart and decisively speak.” (“No bones are literally broken but by saying ‘break bones’ it is like people swear by someone else in this case it is in relation to a rotting corpse’ bones falling apart. If you ‘break bones’ so to speak when you make an utterance, it is a true utterance.”) In other passages, such as in Matthew 26:72, it’s translated with an expression that implies taking ashes (“if a person wants everyone to know that he is telling the truth about a matter, he reaches down into the fireplace, scoops up some ashes and throws them while saying ‘I was not the one who did that.'”). So in Matthew 26:72 the Bauzi text is: “. . . Peter took ashes and defended himself saying, ‘I don’t know that Nazareth person.'” (Source: David Briley)
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.
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is transliterated “Levites” in English (only the Contemporary English Version translates it as “temple helpers”) is translated in Ojitlán Chinantec as “temple caretakers,” Yatzachi Zapotec as “people born in the family line of Levi, people whose responsibility it was to do the work in the important church of the Israelites,” in Alekano as “servants in the sacrifice house from Jerusalem place,” and in Tenango Otomi as “helpers of priests.” (Source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
In American Sign Language with a sign that combines “temple” + “servant.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Levite” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Ezra” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “scribe” referring to Ezra’s profession. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezra 10:5:
Kupsabiny: “Therefore, Ezra got up and told the priests who were leading, the Levites and all the people of Israel to eat/take an oath following as Shecaniah had said. They all agreed to take that oath.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Immediately, Ezra had the main priests, the Levites and all the Israelites swear the oath to do as Shecaniah had said. Then they swore the oath.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Therefore Ezra stood-up and he had-caused-to-swear the leading priests, the Levites, and all the Israelinhon, that they would-do what- Shecania -has-said. And they swore.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So I stood up and demanded that the leaders of the priests, the other descendants of Levi, and all the other Israeli people solemnly declare that they would do what Shecaniah said that they should do. So they all solemnly promised to do that.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Then Ezra arose: The Hebrew verb means literally “to arise,” and many translations render this verb literally as Revised Standard Version has done. New Jerusalem Bible says “Then Ezra stood up,” and Revised English Bible says “Ezra got up.” However, this verb is often used to indicate that action was begun or was started without delay (see Ezra 1.5). Good News Translation therefore says “So Ezra began”; that is, Ezra immediately administered the oath of the covenant. Translators are advised to follow this interpretation.
Made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take oath that they would do so as had been said: This does not mean that Ezra forced them to take oath, but that he performed the oath ritual in connection with the promise they had made. The text does not specify what form the oath took. The Hebrew verb for made … take oath has a causative meaning, which is “to cause to swear,” and many languages will use a causative verb form in this context. The meaning is not that they swore in the sense of taking God’s name in vain. It is rather taking an oath over something. They promised that they would do as had been said. The oath ritual often included a curse that would fall upon the person who took the oath if it was not carried out (see Neh 5.12-13). Shecaniah had referred to this oath as a covenant; that is, “Ezra made them swear that they would do what Shecaniah had said they should do” (so Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant).
Leading may be taken to apply to only the priests (New Revised Standard Version), or it may apply to the priests and the Levites (Revised Standard Version, New International Version), or it may be taken to apply to the priests, the Levites, and the people (Good News Translation). According to the third interpretation, it was only the leaders who took the oath, both of the clergy and the laity (also Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). For leading priests, see Ezra 8.24.
The Hebrew text can be understood to refer to “Levitical priests” (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project with a B rating) or to priests and Levites (all modern translations) and this latter translation is to be preferred.
All Israel means “all the people of Israel” or “the rest of the people” (Good News Translation). See Ezra 2.70.
So they took the oath: The text says literally “and they swore.” Good News Translation restructures to avoid the repetition about taking the oath of the original text (also Contemporary English Version). Most translations, however, retain the repetition that is a confirmation and a conclusion to Ezra’s action.
There are several implied quotations in this account of Ezra’s actions. It is not specified how Ezra made the people take the oath, whether by giving instructions or by leading them in the performance of an oath-taking rite. Taking the oath here involves making a promise. The promise is an offer to do something, namely, to do what Shecaniah had proposed earlier. The seriousness of the commitment to fulfill the promise is attested by an oath. An oath called upon divine authority or a power greater than oneself as a witness to the promise. An oath was sometimes accomplished by an invocation, by a gesture, such as raising one’s hand toward God, or by a sacrifice. Here it is not said what form of oath was used. The translator will need to restructure the verse as necessary in order to make clear the chronological sequence of actions referred to. The translator must describe the taking of the oath in a manner that is understandable to the reader or listener without contradicting the very limited information that is given in the text.
Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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