The narrative in Nehemiah 2:12-15 mentions that Nehemiah is accompanied by a number of other people. Yet, the verb forms (and pronouns) in this and the preceding verses are all singular in the Hebrew text. In the Chuj translation everything is retold in plural forms, except the verb forms of “inspect” in verses 13 and 15 since Nehemiah “had not confided in the men what his plans are, so presumably only he is inspecting walls.”
For the Mam on the other hand, translation consultant and the translators reached a different decision: “The team and I discussed this issue in depth and concluded that the level of leadership of the other men was so extremely low (they are only mentioned once and were not even aware of the purpose of the trip) that the singulars could stand.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 2:14:
Kupsabiny: “Then, I went to the Gate of the Spring/Hole of Water to the Well of the King, but my donkey was not able to go through where the rubble had fallen.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I continued to the Gate Towards the Springs as far as the place-of-bathing of the king, but my donkey could- not -get-through.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “In the middle of the night, I-got-up and I circled the city so-that I would be-able-to-see the likeness of the fence.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Then we went to the Fountain Gate and to the pool called the King’s Pool, but my donkey could not get through the narrow opening (OR, the rubble).” (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.”
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool: From the Dung Gate Nehemiah went 150 meters (490 feet) along the Kidron Valley to the southeast corner of the city to the Fountain Gate. This is possibly En-Rogel or Job’s Well at the place where the Valley of Hinnom and the Kidron Valley meet. The King’s Pool was outside the wall in the Kidron Valley near the Fountain Gate. This pool was probably a reservoir of water from a spring, possibly the Gihon Spring. It has been identified with the Pool of Shelah or Shiloah (see Isa 8.6).
There was no place for the beast that was under me to pass: At this point Nehemiah encountered massive ruins left from when the Babylonians destroyed the city. The buildings on the east side of the city had been terraced down into the Kidron Valley. So when the wall was destroyed, all the buildings fell down the slope. Good News Translation makes explicit that the donkey Nehemiah was riding was unable to pass because of the rubble from the walls. Contemporary English Version says that the path became too narrow for the donkey to pass without explaining why it was narrow. However, it is not necessary for the translator to offer an explanation. The translator can simply say “there was no way for the animal that I was riding on to pass.”
The beast that was under me means “the animal I was mounted on” or “the animal I was riding.”
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 .
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