On the Day the Lord Taught Yushamin
Chapter 6 is the shortest chapter in the Yushamin cycle — and the most important. After five chapters of cosmic rebellion, imprisonment, threats, and forced submission, Yushamin does something no one expected: he rises from his throne and goes to Manda d'Heyyi willingly. Not in chains. Not under compulsion. He goes out to the Knowledge-of-Life and speaks a single sentence of praise: "Blessed is your splendor, O King!" The entire arc of Chapters 3 through 5 — the wrath, the shackles, the letter, the confrontation — resolves in seven lines.
The Mandaic repeats "Yushamin rose from his throne" twice, with different word order each time. The first rising is narrative: he stood up when the lord taught him. The second rising is volitional: he chose to stand. The repetition marks the shift from instruction to action, from receiving to responding.
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic. Translated from the critical edition text established by Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath (De Gruyter, 2020). The Haberl and McGrath English translation was consulted as a reference for verification of difficult passages and proper names, but the English below was independently derived from the Mandaic source text.
Yushamin rose from his throne
on the day the lord taught Yushamin.
He went out to Manda d'Heyyi and said to him;
Yushamin rose from his throne:
"King of the Excellencies
whose splendor is risen over us —
blessed is your splendor, O King!"
And Life triumphs!
Colophon
Good Works Translation from Classical Mandaic. Chapter 6 of the Mandaean Book of John (Drasha d-Yahia), the Yushamin cycle. Translated from the critical edition of Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (De Gruyter, 2020), open access via Internet Archive (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
The English translation was independently derived from the Classical Mandaic source text. The Haberl and McGrath English translation was consulted as a reference for verification of proper names, difficult passages, and one specific verse. Key translation decisions:
"The lord" for mara: The Mandaic word is ṃārā, meaning "lord" or "master." The critical edition's Table of Contents renders the chapter title as "On the Day the Intellect Taught Yushamen," interpreting the lord as Manda d'Heyyi (the Knowledge/Intellect of Life). This is a reasonable theological identification — the context confirms it is Manda d'Heyyi whom Yushamin addresses — but the Mandaic word itself means "lord," not "intellect." The literal rendering is preserved here.
"Went out to" for napaq: The root NPQ means "to go out, depart." The reference uses "left for." Both are valid; "went out to" preserves the directional movement.
"King of the Excellencies / whose splendor is risen over us": The Mandaic verse d'utria d'elavayan dina / brik zivak malka presented the most translational difficulty in this chapter. The word d'utria (of the excellencies) is clear; d'elavayan (from the root ʿ-L-Y, "to rise/be above," with the suffix -ayan, "upon us") corresponds to the reference's "which is risen over us." The word dina in this context appears to function as a connective or relative particle rather than carrying its more common meaning of "judgment/law." The reference was particularly valuable for confirming the structure of this verse. The rendering "whose splendor is risen over us" treats the relative clause as modifying the King, with "blessed is your splendor" as the declaration.
"Blessed is your splendor" for brik zivak: Straightforward. Brik = blessed (cognate with Hebrew barukh). Zivak = your splendor (from ZIV, radiance/splendor, with 2nd person suffix).
The double rising: The Mandaic repeats "Yushamin rose from his throne" (Yushamin min wkursiih qam / Yushamin qam min wkursiih) with inverted word order. The first occurrence places "from his throne" before the verb; the second places the verb first. Both are preserved in the translation.
This is a first free independent English translation. No previous freely available English translation of this chapter existed.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ — ࡐࡓࡀࡒࡀ ࡅ (Drasha d-Yahia — Chapter 6)
Classical Mandaic source text from the critical edition of Charles G. Haberl and James F. McGrath, The Mandaean Book of John: Critical Edition, Translation, and Commentary (De Gruyter, 2020). Open access via Internet Archive. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
ࡉࡅࡔࡀࡌࡉࡍ ࡌࡍ ࡅࡊࡓࡎࡉࡇ ࡒࡀࡌ
ࡁࡉࡅࡌࡀ ࡖࡀࡓࡐࡉࡔࡋࡇ ࡌࡀࡓࡀ ࡋࡉࡅࡔࡀࡌࡉࡍ
ࡅࡋࡀࡍࡉࡐࡀ ࡌࡀࡃࡍࡀ ࡖࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡍࡀࡐࡒ ࡅࡀࡌࡀࡓࡋࡇ
ࡉࡅࡔࡀࡌࡉࡍ ࡒࡀࡌ ࡌࡍ ࡅࡊࡓࡎࡉࡇ
ࡖࡏࡅࡕࡓࡉࡀ ࡖࡏࡋࡀࡅࡀࡉࡀࡍ ࡃࡉࡍࡀ
ࡁࡓࡉࡊ ࡆࡉࡅࡀࡊ ࡌࡀࡋࡀࡊ
ࡅࡄࡉࡉࡀ ࡆࡀࡉࡊࡍ
Source Colophon
Mandaic source text extracted from the Unicode text layer of the critical edition PDF (Haberl & McGrath, 2020). Published open access under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. The critical edition was based on manuscripts DC 17 (Bodleian Library, Oxford) and other witnesses.
The Mandaic script is presented in Unicode (Mandaic block U+0840-U+085F). The chapter constitutes verses 1–4 in the critical edition's numbering. The closing formula ("And Life triumphs!") that concludes the chapter is included.
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