Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 38:6:
Kupsabiny: “I shall save you and this city getting away from the king of Assyria.’ ’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I will-save you (sing.) and this city from the hand of the king of Asiria. I will-protect this city.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “And, I will rescue you and this city from the power of the King of Assyria. I will defend this city.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
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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.
This verse gives the second part of God’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer. He will also rescue Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat by defending the city. In Hebrew this verse begins with the common Hebrew conjunction, but most versions omit it. It may be rendered “And” (New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “also.”
I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: The Hebrew phrase rendered deliver … out of the hand of usually means “rescue from the control of,” but in this context it suggests that Yahweh will prevent the Assyrian king from gaining any control over Hezekiah and Jerusalem (compare 36.18-20). Good News Translation renders this city as “this city of Jerusalem” for clarity, which may be helpful in other languages.
And defend this city: This clause recalls 37.35. There the LORD promised to defend Jerusalem “for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” This phrase occurs in the parallel text of 2 Kgs 20.6, but translators should not add it here.
The following translation examples for this verse continue the respective ones for the previous verse:
• And I will prevent you and this city of Jerusalem falling into the hands of the Assyrian king. I will defend this city.’”
• He will also save him and this city from the king of Assyria. He will defend this city.”
• I will save him and this city of Jerusalem from the king of Assyria’s power. I will protect this city.”
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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