Language-specific Insights

rainbow / bow

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “bow” or “rainbow” is translated in Yagaria with a term — fugigina — that is also used as a term for “glory.” (Source: Renck, p. 94)

In Maltese it is translated with qawsalla, literally “bow of God,” and in Southern Samo as “snake up above” (source: Lynell Zogbo).

The Manya term for it is “frog-monkey-bridge” since “they believe the rainbow comes from the mouth of a frog.” (Source: Don Slager)

my rainbow

The Hebrew in Genesis 9:13 that is translated as “my rainbow” in English had to be translated without the possessive in Southern Samo. Lynell Zogbo explains: “Sometimes ‘my’ cannot be rendered. In Samo, it would come out ‘my snake up above,’ which might be OK in it itself, but it implies there are several rainbows that can be put in the sky and God decides to put his (in contrast to everyone else’s).”

Se also rainbow / bow.