The Hebrew that is translated as “ancestors” in English is translated in Kwere as “deceased ancestors” because the word for “ancestor” can also mean “grandfather.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
complete verse (Psalm 45:16)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 45:16:
- Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Your male children will take the place of your parents;
you will cause them to be the children of the king in the whole land.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) - Newari:
“Your sons will take the place of your ancestors,
you will make them princes of the whole world.” (Source: Newari Back Translation) - Hiligaynon:
“Beloved King, your (sing.) male descendants will- also -become king like their ancestors/[lit. old-ones].
You (sing.) will-make them leaders/[lit. heads] throughout the whole/entire land.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation) - Eastern Bru:
“Oh King! Your sons, in the future they will also become kings. They will replace your ancestors doing the work of a king. And in the future they will rule over every place on this earth.” (Source: Bru Back Translation) - Laarim:
“Your sons will inherit the place of your ancestors,
you will allow them to rule over the land.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation) - Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Watoto wako vijana wa kiume watakuja kuwa wafalme kama vile babu zako,
utakuja kuwaweka kuwa watawala katika nchi yote.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation) - English:
“Some day, your sons and your grandsons will become kings,
just like your ancestors were.
You will enable them to become rulers in many countries.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
king
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:
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- Piro: “a great one”
- Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
- Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
- Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
- 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.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
Translation commentary on Psalm 45:16 - 45:17
The poet concludes by addressing the king, promising him that he will have many sons who will, like his ancestors, also be “kings” and rule over the whole earth (or, “over all the land of Israel”; see Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, New English Bible). The Revised Standard Version translation of verse 16a is unintelligible. The Hebrew expression Instead of your fathers shall be your sons means that the king’s male descendants, his sons, will be kings, replacing, as it were, the king’s male ancestors (your fathers), who also had been kings. Princes were a kind of “rulers.” The title was not limited to sons of a king.
In verse 17 the poet promises that he will keep the king’s name, that is, his “fame,” alive forever (see comments on “name” in 5.12). For all time people will remember the king and praise him. Obviously the poet is referring to this song that he has just composed as the way in which the king’s memory will be kept alive forever, not only in Israel but in all the world. In some languages it is not possible to refer to someone’s fame as being alive. Therefore one must often say, for example, “I will cause people to remember always what great things you did.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Psalm 45: Layer by Layer
The following are presentations by the Psalms: Layer by Layer project, run by Scriptura . The first is an overview and the second an introduction into the exegesis of Psalm 45.
Copyright © Scriptura
Copyright © Scriptura
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