priest

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that are typically translated as “priest” in English (itself deriving from Latin “presbyter” — “elder”) is often translated with a consideration of existing religious traditions. (Click or tap for details)

Bratcher / Nida (1961) say this:

“However, rather than borrow local names for priests, some of which have unwanted connotations, a number of translations have employed descriptive phrases based on certain functions: (1) those describing a ceremonial activity: Pamona uses tadu, the priestess who recites the litanies in which she describes her journey to the upper or under-world to fetch life-spirit for sick people, animals or plants; Batak Toba uses the Arabic malim, ‘Muslim religious teacher;’ ‘one who presents man’s sacrifice to God’ (Bambara, Eastern Maninkakan), ‘one who presents sacrifices’ (Baoulé, Navajo (Dinė)), ‘one who takes the name of the sacrifice’ (Kpelle, and ‘to make a sacrifice go out’ (Hausa); (2) those describing an intermediary function: ‘one who speaks to God’ (Shipibo-Conibo) and ‘spokesman of the people before God’ (Tabasco Chontal).”

In Obolo it is translated as ogwu ngwugwa or “the one who offers sacrifice” (source: Enene Enene), in Mairasi as agam aevar nevwerai: “religious leader” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Ignaciano as “blesser, one who does ritual as a practice” (using a generic term rather than the otherwise common Spanish loan word sacerdote) (source: Willis Ott in Notes on Translation 88/1982, p. 18ff.), and in Noongar as yakin-kooranyi or “holy worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

For Guhu-Samane, Ernest Richert (in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. ) reports this: “The [local] cult of Poro used to be an all-encompassing religious system that essentially governed all areas of life. (…) For ‘priest’ the term ‘poro father’ would at first seem to be a natural choice. However, several priests of the old cult are still living. Although they no longer function primarily as priests of the old system they still have a substantial influence on the community, and there would be more than a chance that the unqualified term would (in some contexts particularly) be equated with the priest of the poro cult. We learned, then, that the poro fathers would sometimes be called ‘knife men’ in relation to their sacrificial work. The panel was pleased to apply this term to the Jewish priest, and the Christian community has adopted it fully. [Mark 1:44, for instance, now] reads: ‘You must definitely not tell any man of this. But you go show your body to the knife man and do what Moses said about a sacrifice concerning your being healed, and the cause (base of this) will be apparent.'”

For a revision of the 1968 version of the Bible in Khmer Joseph Hong (in: The Bible Translator 1996, 233ff. ) talks about a change in wording for this term:

​​Bau cha r (បូជា‌ចារ្យ) — The use of this new construction meaning “priest” is maintained to translate the Greek word hiereus. The term “mean sang (មាន សង្ឃ)” used in the old version actually means a “Buddhist monk,” and is felt to be theologically misleading. The Khmer considers the Buddhist monk as a “paddy field of merits,” a reserve of merits to be shared with other people. So a Khmer reader would find unthinkable that the mean sang in the Bible killed animals, the gravest sin for a Buddhist; and what a scandal it would be to say that a mean sang was married, had children, and drank wine.

See also idolatrous priests.

complete verse (Nehemiah 12:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 12:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah.
    These people where leaders of the priests together with their helpers during the days of Joshua.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “This is the list of the priests and of the Levites who returned from being-captive with Zerobabel the child of Sealtiel and Jeshua the leading priest. The priests were Seraya, Jeremias, Ezra, Amaria, Maluc, Hatush, Shecania, Rehum, Meremot, Eddo, Ginetoi, Abia, Miamin, Moadia, Bilga, Shemaya, Joyarib, Jedaya, Salu, Amok, Helkia, and Jedaya. They were the leaders/[lit. heads] of their fellow priests and of their companions during the time of Jesua.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
    All those men were leaders of the priests during the time that Jeshua was the Supreme Priest.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 12:2 - 12:7

Ginnethoi: In many Hebrew manuscripts, in the Vulgate, and in Neh 10.6 and 12.16, this name is spelled “Ginnethon,” which may be the correct form (so New International Version, Revised English Bible).

In the Hebrew text the connective conjunction occurs before Joiarib and sets off the last six names in the list from the first sixteen names. The words their brethren may refer to this group of names starting from Joiarib. These men were perhaps not yet chiefs or family heads at the time of the return from captivity in Babylonia. Their brethren has been translated as “their associates” in some versions (New International Version, New Revised Standard Version). It would be advisable to put “and in addition” or “also” before Joiarib to show that there is a distinction between two groups of priests. Good News Translation incorporates the priests together with “their associates” and calls them all “fellow priests” of the leaders whose names have been cited. Their brethren cannot refer to the Levites because the priests were not their chiefs.

Chiefs: See the comments at Neh 10.14.

In the days of Jeshua may be rendered “during the time of Joshua” (Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “during the time when Joshua was high priest” (see the comments on Jeshua at Ezra 2.2). The temporal phrase in the days of is used once in the book of Ezra (4.7) and eight times in Nehemiah, all in this chapter. The phrase “in those days” occurs three times (Neh 6.17; 13.15, 23). This reference to time in both forms is a stylistic device that focuses on the historical aspect of the narrative.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .