18Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they, every one of them; they resembled the sons of a king.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 8:18:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, ‘How were those people you killed there at Tabor?’ The answer was, ‘You were alike, because they were like children of a king.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “At that time he asked Zeba and Zalmunna — "How did the men you killed at Tabot look?" They responded — "They looked like you, their faces all looked like the sons of a king."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then Gideon asked Zeba and Zalmuna, ‘What is the appearance/face of the men whom you (plur.) killed in Tabor?’ They replied, ‘The-same-as you (sing.), like children of a king.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, ‘The men you killed near Tabor Mountain, what did they look like?’ They replied, ‘They were like you; they all looked like they were sons of a king.’” (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.”
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna: Then renders the Hebrew waw conjunction. The narrator gives no indication if this event happened immediately after Gideon’s punishment of the people in Penuel or sometime later. If a new paragraph is begun here, translators can replace the pronoun he with “Gideon” (Good News Translation). Said may be rendered “asked” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).
Where are the men whom you slew at Tabor?: This could be a real question or a rhetorical one. If it is the latter, Gideon is reproaching the kings for killing his troops. Instead of asking Where the men are, Revised English Bible says “What sort of men did you kill in Tabor?” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is similar with “Those men you killed at Tabor, what were they like?” (similarly New Jerusalem Bible). These versions change the Hebrew interrogative word at the beginning of the question for this reading, so that it better matches the answer of the Midianite kings. However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text, so translating Where remains a valid option. The men whom you slew refers to Israelite troops killed by the Midianite army. Slew is an old-fashioned English word that is better rendered “killed” (New Revised Standard Version). Tabor was a mountain located on the northern side of Jezreel Valley (see verse 4.6). Up till now, the events described in the Gideon story have occurred much further south. Gideon may be referring to an incident that has not yet been told. This question may be rendered “What about [or, How about] the men you killed at Mount Tabor?”
They answered is literally “And they said.” Both verbs are acceptable here.
As you are, so were they, every one of them is literally “As you, as them, one.” This brief reply resembles a proverb. The pronoun you refers to Gideon, and they to the men who were killed. Revised Standard Version takes the Hebrew word for “one” to mean every one of them, though other interpretations are possible. This clause could mean they all look the same, as in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, which says “They looked just like you.” New American Bible is similar with “They all resembled you,” and so is Contemporary English Version with “They were a lot like you.” Translators may be able to imitate the style here, for example, “As you, so they.” Otherwise, translators may say “They were just like you.”
They resembled the sons of a king is literally “like the form of the sons of the king.” Obviously the Midianite kings are trying to flatter Gideon, who is on the point of executing them. In the next verse Gideon reveals that those who resembled the sons of a king were, in fact, his own brothers. Translators should follow the style of the narrator and keep this secret until Gideon reveals it. Ironically at the time these events are happening, Israel had no king (verse 18.1). For king see the comments on verse 1.7. Presumably this clause refers not only to the physical likeness of princes but also to their general conduct and bearing. It may be rendered “They were like princes” or “They resembled royalty.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• Later Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men you killed at Mount Tabor?”
And they answered “As you are, so were they. They looked like the sons of a king.”
• Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed at the mountain of Tabor, what were they like?”
And they replied, “Just like you! They were like royalty.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.