Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 22:22:
Kupsabiny: “I shall give him the keys of the rulership of the house of David. No one will oppose the words that he has accepted, and no one shall accept words that he is opposed to.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I will give him all authority under the king, those born as descendants of David. I will give a key into his hand. A door that he opens no one will be able to close, and a door that he closes no one will be able to open.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-hand-over to him the key of the kingdom of David. When he opens the entrance/door/gate, no one can-close (it); and when he closes, no one can-open.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I will give to him authority over what happens in the palace where King David lived; when he decides something , no one will be able to oppose it; when he refuses to do something, no one will be able to force him to do it.” (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.
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David: The key of the house of David is a symbol for Eliakim’s authority over the royal household (so Good News Translation). It may also refer to an actual key, one that locked and unlocked the royal court buildings. Such a key was a large metal object. It was carried on a cord over the shoulder of the person in authority. Eliakim was given the keys to the king’s palace built by David some centuries earlier (2 Sam 5.11). The singular key has a plural sense here. Translators may omit the cultural practice of carrying keys over the shoulder, so this clause may be rendered “I will entrust him with the keys of David’s palace.”
The Hebrew word for key is derived from the root ptch, “to open,” used twice in the second half of the verse.
He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open: This is a chiasmus, which is literally “and he opens and there is no [one] shutting and he shuts and there is no [one] opening.” This expression may describe what Eliakim will actually do with the keys, or it may be figurative for his complete authority over who enters the palace and who does not. The Hebrew verb rendered open comes from the same root as the noun for key.
For the translation of this verse we suggest the following examples:
• I will entrust him with the keys to [King] David’s palace. What he opens, none shall close; what he closes, none shall open.
• He will have responsibility for the keys of David’s palace so that if he opens a door, nobody can shut it, and if he shuts a door, nobody can open it.
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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