The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “survive,” “escape,” “save,” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) in these verses with pulumuka, describing someone whose life was in danger but who has freed himself or herself. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
complete verse (Jeremiah 34:3)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 34:3:
- Kupsabiny: “You will be captured and taken to Nebuchadnezzar for you two to see each other and speak, and then you will be taken to Babylon.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “You can never flee from his hands, but you will-be-captured and handed-over to him. You will-face him in-order to be sentenced, and then you will-be-taken-captive to Babilonia.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “You will not escape from them; they will capture you and take you to the king of Babylon. And then they will take you to Babylon.’ ’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
king
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:
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- Piro: “a great one”
- Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
- Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
- Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
- 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.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
Translation commentary on Jeremiah 34:3
You shall not escape from his hand: This negative statement is repeated and emphasized by the following positive statement but shall surely be captured. In Hebrew the pronoun You is emphatic. Some translations, for example New Jerusalem Bible, make this clear with “you yourself.” Twice in this verse, once in verse 2, and once in verse 1 (in the construction “under his dominion”), hand is used as the equivalent of “power” or “control.” New Jerusalem Bible has “you yourself will not escape from clutches” and New International Version “You will not escape from his grasp.”
But shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand: Shall surely be captured is literally “being captured you will be captured,” a normal emphatic expression in Hebrew. For those languages that would not use a passive construction here, translators will have to supply an agent, as in “They [or, Those soldiers] will capture you and hand you over to him.”
You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face: See 32.4. For eye to eye many English speakers would say “face-to-face” here, as Good News Translation does. Good News Translation then renders the expression face to face in the next clause as “in person.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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