5and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of King Sihon of Heshbon.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 12:5:
Kupsabiny: “That man ruled from the mountain of Hermon in the north to Salekah in the east. He ruled the whole of Bashan until the border of the Geshurites and that of the Maacathites and it enveloped half of the northern part of Gilead. It stretched like that until where Sihon was ruling.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He had reigned over Mount Hermon, Salecah and all of Bahsan up to the borders of the Geshurites and Maacathites and over half of Gilead up to the border of king Sihon of Heshbon.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The jurisdiction of his kingdom (was) the Mountain of Hermon, Saleca, the entire Bashan up-to the boundary of Geshur and Maacat, and the half of Gilead, up-to the boundary of Heshbon whose king was Sihon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “He ruled over the area from Hermon Mountain and Salecah in the north, and over all the Bashan area in the east, and to the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah to the west. Og ruled the northern half of the Gilead region, as far as the border of the land ruled by King Sihon.” (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.”
Bashan is the region east and northeast of Lake Galilee. The northern limit of Og’s territory was Mount Hermon. Salecah lay about 100 kilometers east of Lake Galilee. Geshur and Maacah were not well-defined territories; they lay east and northeast of Lake Galilee, beyond the territory conquered by the Israelites, and were inhabited by tribal groups. Og ruled over (the northern) half of Gilead. The southern limit of his kingdom was the border with Sihon’s territory.
It is possible to translate this verse so that the geographical directions are more explicit:
• He ruled land as far north as Mount Hermon and as far east as the city of Salecah. He also ruled all of Bashan, as far as the territories of Geshur and Maacah to the east. In addition he ruled the northern half of Gilead, as far south as the territory of King Sihon of Heshbon.
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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