Then the LORD awoke as from sleep . . .

The Hebrew of Psalm 2:4 that reads “Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine” or similar in English is translated in the Judeo-Arabic translation by Saʿadia Gaon (882–942) as “Until wakes-up Allah people-his from-what was in-it, as-sleeper, and became as-a-strong-man sobering from drunkenness-his.” (Literal back-translation)

Judeo-Arabic is the language of Jewish communities in the Arab world, consisting of Arabic with Hebrew and other influences written in Hebrew script. The influential translation by Saʿadia Gaon tends to avoid anthropomorphisms (attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions) as they relate in the original Hebrew text to God and rationalize them. In this verse he “similar to what we see in Ps 2, Saʿadia ascribes the action of sleeping, waking, and sobering from drunkenness to Allah’s people and not to Allah himself. In this rendering, Allah is projected as the one who awakens his sleeping, drunk people. This strategy of translating anthropomorphism is consistently used throughout [in Sa’adia’s translations]. All verbs of human action or emotion are transferred to human beings and Allah is projected as the one who caused them.” (Source: Sameh Hanna in The Bible Translator 2024, pp. 331ff.)

See also Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Targumim and their treatment of anthropomorphisms.

He who sits in the heavens laughs . . .

The Hebrew of Psalm 2:4 that reads “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord (or: Lord) scoffs at them” or similar in English is translated in the Judeo-Arabic translation by Saʿadia Gaon (882–942) as “And inhabiting-he heavens causes-laugh people at-them also Allah causes-mock people at-them.” (Literal back-translation)

Judeo-Arabic is the language of Jewish communities in the Arab world, consisting of Arabic with Hebrew and other influences written in Hebrew script. The influential translation by Saʿadia Gaon tends to avoid anthropomorphisms (attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions) as they relate in the original Hebrew text to God and rationalize them. In this verse he “ascribes the actions of laughing and mocking to other people who deride the wicked for their rebellion against Allah and his anointed one. Allah only causes people to mock and laugh at the wicked.” (Source: Sameh Hanna in The Bible Translator 2024, pp. 331ff.)

See also Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Targumim and their treatment of anthropomorphisms.