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.

Ezra

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Ezra” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “scribe” referring to Ezra’s profession. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Ezra” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts the return from Babylon to Jerusalem and toward God.


“Ezra” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

More information on Ezra .

complete verse (Nehemiah 8:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nehemiah 8:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra who was a priest brought the book where those laws were written to come before the gathering. In that gathering were men, women and all the children who were big/grown up and able to understand what was going on.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore that day, the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before/[lit. in front of] the people — males, females, and children who have now understanding. He read it aloud to them from the rising of the sun till noon, there in the plasa which is in front of the Gate Going to the Water. All the people listened carefully/[lit. good] to the Book of the Law.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore on date 1 of the seventh month, Ezra brought-out that-on-which-was-written the law in front of the gathered people, who were men and women and children who were able-to-understand.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Ezra, who taught people the laws of Moses, had a scroll on which the laws of Moses were written. Those were the laws that Yahweh had commanded the Israeli people to obey. On October 8 of that year, all the people gathered together in the plaza/square that was close to the Water Gate. Men and women and children who were old enough to understand gathered together. Someone told Ezra to bring out that scroll.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nehemiah 8:2

Ezra the priest: Ezra was identified as a scribe above and here he is called a priest (see the comments at Ezra 7.6, 11).

Brought the law before the assembly: Ezra brought out the book of the Law to where the people had gathered together. His reading of the Law on this day when all the people gathered together in an assembly may have been in accordance with the regulation that every seventh year there was to be a proclamation of the Law during the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles (see Deut 31.10-13). For assembly see the comments at Ezra 2.64; 10.1.

Both men and women and all who could hear with understanding gathered on that occasion. Because the gathering did not take place in the Temple, the women could also participate. The Hebrew words that are translated who could hear with understanding could also be translated “interpreters” and could refer to the Levites who interpreted the reading from the Law to the people (verse 8). But the words more naturally refer to “children” (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). Children are specifically mentioned since their presence at religious gatherings was not usual. Children were, however, expected to attend the readings of the Law at the Feast of Tabernacles (see Deut 31.12; also Josh 8.35).

On the first day of the seventh month: The seventh month is the month of Tishri in the Jewish calendar. The first day of this month occurred at the autumnal equinox, which is usually September 21 in the Gregorian calendar and is the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere (see “Translating Ezra and Nehemiah,” pages 25-26). It was near this period that the Jewish New Year began to be observed on this date, but at this time it was probably observed as the most important of the New Moon days. The Hebrew text repeats the reference to the date (first in Neh 7.73b), but here it makes the date of the reading of the Law very specific. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible restructures the temporal phrase into a separate sentence: “It was the first day of the seventh month.” Good News Translation moves this time reference back into verse one, so it only occurs once. Other versions move it to the beginning of verse two (so New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) and some restructure the first two verses to reflect a logical recounting of the event (so Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant). Translators should restructure if necessary to make the time factor clear and to ensure that the prose is natural.

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 .