11Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding the Rabshakeh.
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 36:11:
Kupsabiny: “Then the Eliakim group said to that assistant, ‘Please, do not speak to us through the language of the Hebrews because the people who are on top of the wall are hearing, but, speak to us through the language of Aramaic because we hear this language well.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the captain who had come for war, "Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language since we understand that language. Do not talk with us with the Hebrew language, causing the people on the wall to hear."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Eliakim, Shebna, and Joa said to the commander, ‘Please you (sing.) speak to us (incl.) in Aramaic language, for we (excl.) understand it. You (sing.) do- not -speak in Hebrew for the people who are at the stone-walls of the city will-hear you (sing.).’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, -naide (ないで) or “do not (for their sake)” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”
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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, hanashite (話して) or “speak” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh …: Hezekiah’s three officials respond to the Assyrian ambassador, asking him to speak in Aramaic, not Hebrew.
Pray, speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it: They begin with a polite request since Pray translates the Hebrew particle of entreaty. Good News Translation omits this word, but it should be expressed. Another possible rendering is “Please.” They also use the indirect expression your servants to refer to themselves. It indicates their submission to the Assyrian official. Many languages will prefer a first person reference here; for example, Good News Translation simply uses “us.” If this is done, it would be helpful to indicate their submission in some way. Contemporary English Version does it by beginning with “Sir.” Aramaic was the language of diplomacy at that time. It was the official language of Syria and was subsequently adopted by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. It became the official language of the Jews when they returned from exile in Babylonia. Hebrew and Aramaic are related languages. For we understand it indicates that Hezekiah’s officials knew the Aramaic language but that the ordinary citizens of Judah did not.
Do not speak to us in the language of Judah: They request that the Assyrian ambassador stop using the language of Judah, which refers to “Hebrew” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Judean,” which was a dialect of Hebrew.
Within the hearing of the people who are on the wall is literally “in the ears of the people who are on the wall,” which may be rendered “while the people on the wall are listening.” Hezekiah’s officials are afraid that the people on the city wall of Jerusalem will understand the Assyrian ambassador’s words and be disheartened, thereby causing difficulty for Hezekiah and his policies. The meeting between these officials and the ambassador took place in a very public space, just outside the wall of Jerusalem (see verse 2). Clearly many local people were standing on the city wall listening to the conversation. City walls were very thick, often with rooms inside them, so people could stand and walk on them. For more information on a city wall, see 2.15.
For this whole verse Contemporary English Version has “Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, ‘Sir, we don’t want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.’” Other possible models are:
• Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Assyrian ambassador, “Sir, please speak to us in Aramaic; we understand it. Don’t use Hebrew, because the people on the city wall are listening in.”
• Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah politely asked the Assyrian ambassador to speak to them in Aramaic because they understood it. They said, “Please do not speak in Hebrew, for the people on the city wall are hearing [what you are saying].”
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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