widow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “widow” in English is translated in West Kewa as ona wasa or “woman shadow” (source: Karl J. Franklin in Notes on Translation 70/1978, pp. 13ff.) and in Newari as “husband already died ones” or “ones who have no husband” (source: Newari Back Translation).

The etymological meaning of the Hebrew almanah (אַלְמָנָה) is likely “pain, ache,” the Greek chéra (χήρα) is likely “to leave behind,” “abandon,” and the English widow (as well as related terms in languages such as Dutch, German, Sanskrit, Welsh, or Persian) is “to separate,” “divide” (source: Wiktionary).

See also widows.

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 (Psalm 78:64)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 78:64:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “their priests were killed with a sword,
    and their widows were not able to cry.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Being cut with swords, their priests died,
    their women did not even get a chance to weep.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Their priests died in battle,
    and their widows were- not -able-to-mourn for them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “Their priests were killed by swords,
    and theirs widows could not cry.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Makuhani wao waliangamizwa na upanga,
    wake zao walishindwa kulia kilio.
    Mungu anamchagua Daudi kuwa mfalme” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Many priests were killed by their enemies’ swords,
    and the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed to mourn.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 78:62 - 78:64

Good News Translation has restructured the two lines in verse 62: “his own people” translates both his people and his heritage (see comments at 16.6). Vented his wrath (“He was angry”) translates the same verb used in verse 59a.

The sword (verse 62a) represents death in battle. The reference is probably to the same battle with the Philistines (1 Sam 4.10-11; see the commentaries). Gave … over to the sword means “let them be killed.”

In verse 63 Fire means war, battle, in parallel with sword. Care should be taken lest the modern notion of “firearms” be inadvertently expressed. It is doubtful that the text means the young men were burned to death (so New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and others).

Good News Translation “young women had no one to marry” translates their maidens had no marriage song, which is a reference to the songs at the wedding which praised the bride’s beauty and charms. New Jerusalem Bible translates “their maidens remained unwed.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “there were no wedding songs for the brides” could be misleading. Maidens had no marriage song is, of course, a consequence of their future husbands being killed in battle. In many languages it will be necessary to make explicit the logical relationship between line a and line b; for example, “because the young men were killed in war, the young women had no one to marry.”

In verse 64 the statement about priests being killed may refer to Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli (1 Sam 4.11). Their widows made no lamentation in line b means either that so many priests were killed that there was no time for proper burial rites for each dead priest, or else that the widows were not permitted to have public mourning for their dead husbands (as Good News Translation expresses it; also Weiser, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or that the conditions of war made normal mourning impossible. It does not mean that the widows were unmoved by the death of their husbands.

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 .