Braggart who missed his chance

The Hebrew that is translated as “Braggart who missed his chance” or similar in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as Mai yawan surutu, marar yin kome or “Noise-maker without doing anything.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

Pharaoh

The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was word by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Pharaoh” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Pharaoh .

complete verse (Jeremiah 46:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 46:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then it will be said,
    ‘Pharao is an empty shell, the king of Egypt,
    who despised the chance he had.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And there they will-say, ‘The Faraon king of Egipto is-talkative/great-talker only, and he let- his -opportunity just-go-by/passed-by.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “There in Egypt they will say,
    ‘The king of Egypt talks loudly,
    but when our army had an opportunity to defeat our enemies, they failed.’” (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 46:17

Call the name means “give the name.”

For Pharaoh see 25.19.

Noisy one who lets the hour go by: Some think that this “nickname” (New Jerusalem Bible) is a takeoff on either the king of Egypt’s personal name or royal title, though it is impossible to say definitely. All commentators understand it to be used in mockery: “Noisy Braggart Who Missed His Chance” (Good News Translation) and “King Bombast, the man who missed his opportunity” (Revised English Bible).

New Jerusalem Bible renders the whole verse “They have given Pharaoh king of Egypt the nickname, ‘Much-noise-but-he-lets-the-chance-slip-by’!” It is also possible to translate it as a comment about the king rather than as a name given to him; for example, “There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise; he has missed his opportunity’ ” (New International Version).

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 .