Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 12:4:
Kupsabiny: “Another king was Og who ruled Bashan. He was the last of the Rephaites. He lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The second king they defeated was king Og of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. He was the last person of a group of very tall people called Rephaim.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Second was Og, the king of Bashan. He (was) one of the remaining Refaimnon. He lived in Ashtarot and in Edrie.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “The other king whom the Israeli army defeated was Og, the king of the Bashan region. He was the last of the descendants of the giant Rapha. He ruled that land, living alternately in Ashtaroth and Edrei cities.” (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 If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior.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.”
Og is called one of the last of the Rephaim, another name for the race of giants (see Deut 2.10-11). For Og himself see Deuteronomy 3.11. For the defeat of King Og of Bashan, see Numbers 21.33-35; Deuteronomy 3.1-11.The Hebrew text begins verse 4 “and the boundary (or, territory) of Og”; the Septuagint has “and Og.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project places the verse division not before “and the territory” (as does the Masoretic text) but after, thus including “and the territory” in verse 3, and beginning verse 4 with “Og.” It translates the end of verse 3 “under the slopes of Pisgah and its (neighboring) territory.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible retains the division of the Masoretic text and translates the beginning of verse 4 “Then the territory of Og….” Bible de Jérusalem has the same text and footnote as Revised Standard Version.
The pronoun they may be better rendered “Moses and the people of Israel,” because a great deal of information has intervened since the previous mention of Moses in verse 1 (see suggested translation model). Moreover, inasmuch as the book speaks primarily about the exploits of Joshua and the Israelites, it may easily be forgotten by the reader that in this instance the reference is to Moses.
Finally, the first sentence of verse 4 may be divided into two parts: “Moses and the Israelites also defeated King Og of Bashan. He was one of the last of the giants called Rephaim, and he ruled from the cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei.” Ashtaroth and Edrei are two cities to the east and southeast of Lake Galilee, about 25 kilometers distance from one another.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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