The last word of Nahum 2:10 in Hebrew is of uncertain meaning. It refers to some color, but it is not clear what color. Some translators render it as “black” (the English version by James Moffatt, 1926/1935) or cramoisis — “crimson” (the French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, 2010), but the majority think that paleness fits better with a description of fear. Translators should use word pictures or idioms which are natural in their languages for expressing reactions to fear; for example, “soul (guardian spirit) disappears and bile is stirred up” (Thai). (See also terrified / afraid and also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling.”)
Translation commentary on Habakkuk 1:11
There are several difficulties in this verse.
(1) The Hebrew word translated wind in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation may also mean “mind” (King James Version) or “spirit” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Which meaning is more appropriate here?
(2) Is this word the subject of the verbs translated sweep by and go on in Revised Standard Version, or not?
(3) Does the Hebrew word translated guilty men in Revised Standard Version go with the first part of the verse, as the Hebrew punctuation suggests, or does it go with the second part, as most modern scholars and translators believe?
(4) Is this Hebrew word to be read as in the traditional Hebrew text, or as in the Dead Sea Scroll of Habakkuk, which has one letter different?
In response to (1), if the meaning is taken to be “mind” or “spirit,” then the sense of the verse is that the Babylonians go beyond the command God had given them and become proud of their own strength (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible footnote). However, most scholars and translators (Revised Version, Revised Standard Version, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) prefer to take the meaning as “wind.”
In answer to (2), if “wind” is taken as the subject (Jerusalem Bible “Then the wind changes and is gone”), then the first sentence is a metaphor. Its meaning is that the Babylonians, after conquering one place, “sweep on” to attack other places. Sweep by means to pass by, moving along at great speed. However, most translations take the Babylonians as the subject and translate as “like the wind (or, storm)” (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). This really involves adding one letter to the traditional Hebrew text. But it has the advantage of keeping the same subject as in the preceding verses. This interpretation has much the same meaning as the one in Jerusalem Bible above and fits more smoothly into the paragraph as a whole.
In answer to (3), those who prefer the meaning “mind” or “spirit” in (1) tend to take the word translated guilty men in Revised Standard Version with the first part of the sentence (King James Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). This fits the meaning that the Babylonians become guilty by overstepping the task God has given to them (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Most translations take “guilty men” with the second part of the verse (Revised Standard Version, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) and take that as the explanation of the guilt.
Under (4) Good News Translation seems to be the only English translation which follows the Dead Sea scroll. This manuscript has “set up” instead of “guilty” and gives the meaning “they set up their own power as a god.” This avoids the problem of (3) but is otherwise not much different from most other translations, which assume some such word as “is” (Revised Standard Version whose own might is their god).
Therefore, although the main thrust of the verse is fairly clear, it is almost impossible to make firm decisions about the details. Taking the majority decision on each of the above questions, we recommend a translation model as follows: “Then they hurry on just like the wind and pass by. They are guilty men whose power has become just like a god to them” (compare Bible en français courant). Or “Then they hurry on, just as the wind blows by and disappears. They are guilty men who worship their own power as if it were a god.” Compare the second half of verse 7 with the second half of this verse.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Habakkuk 3:6
The prophet now speaks of the effect of God’s presence on the world. The description mingles language appropriate to a thunderstorm with language appropriate to an earthquake. This kind of mixture is acceptable in Hebrew poetry, which sees God’s presence in all the major events in the world of nature.
He stood is ambiguous. It may refer either to standing up from a sitting position (Jerusalem Bible “When he stands up”) or to standing still in contrast with moving (New American Bible “He pauses,” New English Bible “He stands still”). Since the previous verse implied that God was moving, the second possibility seems much more apt. Good News Translation accepts it and translates unambiguously as “When he stops.” In some languages it will be necessary to indicate what action was completed or stopped. In such a case one may say “When he stops moving…” or “When he stops walking…” (compare Bible en français courant).
Measured the earth: the word translated measured in Revised Standard Version is doubtful in meaning. Many scholars think that the Hebrew form comes from a different verb which means “to shake” (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; compare the Septuagint). Good News Translation accepts this interpretation and renders “the earth shakes.” This fits the context better and is recommended to translators.
He looked and shook the nations: the second line is parallel to the first but extends its thought to include the effect of God’s presence on people. Good News Translation expresses this from the point of view of the people concerned and says “at his glance the nations tremble.” “At his glance” will be difficult to translate in certain languages. An alternative translation is “When he looks….” “The nations” will be rendered in certain languages as “all the people of the world.”
The next two lines say the same thing twice in different words: then the eternal mountains were scattered, the everlasting hills sank low. The language here is drawn from the effect of an earthquake (compare Micah 1.4). The Hebrew verb translated scattered in Revised Standard Version is taken by Good News Translation to come from another root meaning “to shatter.” “Scatter” means to be dispersed or to move away from something (in this case, from the LORD), and “shatter” means to break into little pieces. Major translations are evenly divided between them. “Scatter” or something similar is found in Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Bible en français courant, while “shatter” or the like occurs in New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Both meanings fit the context well, and it makes little difference to the overall effect of the verse which one is chosen.
The words translated eternal and everlasting do not imply that the mountains and hills were not created by God. Rather they refer to the apparent permanence and stability of the mountains in contrast with the brief span of a human life. It may perhaps be better to use terms like “ancient mountains” and “age-old hills” (New International Version; compare Gen 49.26; Deut 33.15). In languages which do not use the passive, one may say “He causes the ancient mountains to shatter into pieces (or, to scatter) and the hills to sink down.”
The last line, His ways were as of old, may be understood in two ways. First, it may be taken as a separate statement about God (compare New International Version “His ways are eternal”). Second, it may be taken as in apposition to the previous statement about the mountains and hills. His ways then refers to the mountains and hills as the route by which God moves over the earth. This would be another allusion to the giving of the Law, when the LORD appeared to Moses at the top of Mount Sinai amidst storm and earthquake (Exo 19.16-20). This second interpretation fits the context better and is preferable. Good News Translation accepts it and translates “the hills where he walked in ancient times” (compare Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Some translators will prefer to begin a new sentence with this final clause: “These are the hills where he walked….” See Nahum 1.5 for an alternative translation of “mountains.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• When he stops walking, the earth shakes; as he looks, all the people of the earth tremble. He causes the ancient (or, very old) mountains to shatter into pieces (or, to scatter) and the hills to sink down (low), the hills (or, high ground) where he walked in times long ago.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Nahum 2:5
The difficulty with the first half of this verse lies in deciding whether it speaks of the attackers or the defenders. There are two main problems. The first is that the verse opens with a singular verb in Hebrew (“He summons” in New International Version; “He commands” in New Jerusalem Bible). The nearest singular subject for the “he” to refer to is “The shatterer” of verse 1. If this is indeed the subject, then the description must be of the attackers.
However, the second problem is the occurrence of the word stumble, which seems out of place if applied to well-organized attackers. One of the marks of such an army is that its men do not stumble (Isa 5.27). The word stumble is more appropriate if used about unready defenders hurrying to man the walls. But if this is the case, there is no real subject for the singular verb “summons.”
Those who take this verse to refer to the attackers (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project) may explain the stumbling as caused by their eagerness and haste (Watts). Or else they may change the Hebrew by one letter to form a similar word and translate “they take command of their companies” (J. M. P. Smith).
Those who take the verse to refer to the defenders have to assume that it is the king of Assyria who summons The officers (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Lehrman). This would be rather odd, since he has not previously been mentioned, but it is not impossible in such an abrupt passage as this.
Another possibility is to read a different form of the verb for “summon,” as Revised Standard Version does, and to translate The officers are summoned. This wording seems to have the support of the ancient Greek translation but does not in itself resolve the question of whether the attackers or the defenders are in view. Revised Standard Version applies the words to the attackers (compare Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Good News Translation uses the same words “The officers are summoned” but applies them to the defenders.
This is one of those cases where it is virtually impossible to be certain what the original writer intended. It seems more likely that the whole of verses 3-5 describes the attackers. However, translators will do well to consider which interpretation sounds best in their own languages. For languages which do not use the passive, a translator can restructure and say “The officers receive a summons,” or else introduce a nonspecific subject and say “they summon (or, call) the officers.” If the second choice is taken, the next sentence will then need to be rendered as “who stumble as they go,” so that the subject refers to officers.
They hasten to the wall: in the second half of the verse the description is definitely of the attackers. Good News Translation makes this explicit: “The attackers rush to the wall,” that is, the wall which protects the inner city.
The mantelet is set up: in ancient warfare the attackers would attempt to break down the gates of a city with a battering ram. This was usually a large tree trunk with an iron tip in the shape of an ax head. It was either carried by soldiers or mounted on a frame which allowed it to be swung at the gates. In either case the attacking soldiers would be exposed to missiles hurled by the defenders. In order to protect their men, the attackers would place over the battering ram a kind of movable shelter called a mantelet (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible). This is what Good News Translation refers to with the words “set up the shield for the battering ram.” It will be useful in some languages to say “set up a protective shield (or, protective device) over the battering ram.” It may be helpful to include an explanatory footnote here, as Bible en français courant does. “Battering ram” may need to be rephrased as “the tree trunk for battering the walls or gates.”
Another translation model for this verse is:
• They call the officers, who stumble as they press forward.
The attackers (or, enemy soldiers) run quickly up to the wall
and set up the shelter for the tree trunk to batter the wall.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A . A Handbook on the Book of Nahum. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Zephaniah 1:7
This verse is an introduction to a long section of direct speech from the mouth of the LORD covering verses 8-13. It sets forth the topic of the following verses, namely, the day of the LORD.
To be silent in the presence of God is a sign of reverence and is mentioned elsewhere in this connection (Hab 2.20; Zech 2.13). The clause Be silent before the LORD GOD may be expressed idiomatically in certain languages as “Be silent in front of the face of the Lord GOD,” or “Do not say anything when you are in front of the Lord GOD’s face,” or “Do not say anything when you are in the place where the Lord GOD is.”
For the spelling of GOD with capital letters, see the comments on Habakkuk 3.19.
The day of the LORD: Good News Translation expands this expression to make the full meaning clear by saying “The day … when the LORD will sit in judgment.” Other possible translation models are “… sit to judge people” or “… cut judgment against the people of the world.” The day … is at hand may also be expressed as “The day when … will come very soon” or “The time when … will come very soon.” Good News Translation also reverses the order of the first two clauses in Hebrew, giving the reason (the nearness of judgment) before the command which follows from it, “so be silent in his presence.”
The second half of verse 7 uses the technical language of sacrificial ritual. The Hebrew roots underlying the words sacrifice, consecrated, and guests all appear in 1 Sam 16.5, but whereas there a literal sacrifice is being described, here the terms have a figurative meaning. The judgment of God is pictured as a sacrifice in which God’s own people are slaughtered by their enemies. When guests at a sacrifice were consecrated, this involved ritual purification and also constituted official invitation. Here the focus is on the invitation, and so Good News Translation translates “has invited.” The guests in this case are enemies who will punish the people of Judah, and Good News Translation “enemies” makes this meaning explicit. Good News Translation makes the identification of all the participants clear by saying “The LORD is preparing to sacrifice his people and has invited enemies to plunder Judah.” One can also make the event or action implied in the word sacrifice more explicit by saying “to slaughter his people as animals are killed in sacrifice.” (Compare with Jehu’s slaughter of the worshipers of Baal in 2 Kgs 10.18-27.)
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Zephaniah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Zephaniah 3:8
This verse goes more closely with those that follow than with those that precede. It turns again to the theme of universal judgment found earlier in 1.2-3, 17-18. The persons addressed here are not stated clearly but are referred to in the second person plural. In the light of the note of hope sounded in verses 9-13, many scholars think that verse 8 is addressed to the minority of people in Jerusalem who remain faithful to the LORD (compare 2.3). Jerusalem would of course be involved in a universal judgment, but those of her people who continued to trust the LORD would still have cause to hope for blessing in the end. See especially verse 11.
The opening word of the verse, Therefore, normally refers back to what has gone before. In this case it is not clear exactly how the sins of the people of Jerusalem in verses 1-7 are linked with the LORD’s universal judgment. Good News Translation omits any exact equivalent.
The word wait often has overtones of waiting for help from the LORD (for example Isa 8.17; 64.4), but here it carries rather the idea of waiting for disaster. The word day also reinforces this idea (compare 1.7-10, 14-16). Good News Translation‘s expression “Just wait” is very idiomatic. Another possible translation model is “You must wait for the day.”
In using the words as a witness, Revised Standard Version, in common with Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible, is following the ancient Greek and Syriac translations rather than the Hebrew, though only Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible acknowledge this in a footnote. The Hebrew actually has “rise up to the prey” (King James Version, Revised Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). In a context of judgment and punishment like this, the overall difference in meaning between these alternatives is not very great. However, the meaning given by the ancient translations seems to fit the context better and also matches other places in the Old Testament where the LORD is spoken of as a witness to give evidence of people’s crimes. See, for instance, Jeremiah 29.23; Micah 1.2; Malachi 3.5. As a witness may also be rendered as “to give evidence against” or “to accuse” (Good News Translation). Good News Translation also makes it explicit that the people to be accused are “the nations,” though in Hebrew they are not mentioned until the next sentence.
The central part of the verse uses parallel expressions to emphasize its point (to gather nations and to assemble kingdoms; my indignation and all the heat of my anger). Good News Translation avoids this repetition and expresses the meaning in more natural English as “I have made up my mind to gather nations and kingdoms in order to let them feel the force of my anger.” Note that the Hebrew figure to pour out upon them my indignation is replaced in Good News Translation by another figure, “to let them feel the force of my anger.” Translators will have to decide for themselves whether they can use the Hebrew figure, or whether they should replace it by a figure similar in meaning in their own language. If neither is possible, the sense can be stated in nonfigurative language as “they will experience my great anger” or “I will make them know that I am very angry with them.”
The last clause of this verse is repeated from 1.18 with only a change of pronoun. See the comments made there.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Zephaniah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Habakkuk 2:5
For the paragraph division, see the introduction to this section. Revised Standard Version includes verse 5 as part of “the vision” mentioned in verses 2 and 3. It should be noted that Good News Translation closes the quotation at the end of verse 4, but Revised Standard Version includes verse 5 as part of the quotation. Either arrangement is possible.
As the Revised Standard Version footnote shows, the traditional Hebrew text in the first two lines is hard to understand. The reference to wine seems to be completely out of place. Some scholars make a small change which gives the meaning “the traitor in his over-confidence” (New English Bible) or “he who boasts of being a traitor” (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project). This seems to fit fairly well with the rest of the verse, understood as speaking about the Babylonians.
The Dead Sea Scroll has a word meaning “wealth” instead of the one meaning “wine.” This possibility is followed by Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, and Good News Translation, which says “Wealth is deceitful.” This also fits a description of the Babylonians and probably gives the best sense available; translators are recommended to accept it. “Deceitful” here means “untrustworthy” or “something that one cannot put one’s trust in.”
The arrogant man shall not abide: this also speaks about the Babylonians. Some translators take this line more closely with the line that follows (His greed is as wide as Sheol). Good News Translation combines the first two lines of this verse into one clause, saying “Greedy men are proud and restless.” “Proud” is the Good News Translation equivalent of arrogant, and “restless” is the Good News Translation equivalent of shall not abide. This expression Good News Translation takes to mean “shall not remain still or at rest,” hence “restless.” Compare Jerusalem Bible “unable to rest”; New International Version “never at rest.”
His greed is as wide as Sheol: Sheol is the place where the dead were pictured as continuing their existence. It is spoken of as if it were an animal with a huge appetite. The greed of the Babylonians is compared with the greed of Sheol. In the next line, like death he has never enough, the meaning is almost identical. Good News Translation combines these two lines into one with “like death itself they are never satisfied.” In some languages one may prefer to say “like the land of death.” If translators can speak of death as being like a greedy animal, they may be able to keep the picture used in Hebrew, but in many languages it will probably be necessary to use nonfigurative language, as Good News Translation has done. For a similar thought compare Isaiah 5.14.
In the last two lines (He gathers for himself all nations, and collects as his own all peoples) the application is made to the Babylonians. Just as death is never satisfied and is constantly taking more people, so the Babylonians are greedy for wealth and are constantly trying to conquer more nations. The fifth and sixth lines in Revised Standard Version are again parallel in meaning, and again Good News Translation combines them into one clause: “That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Translation commentary on Habakkuk 3:17 - 3:18
These two verses form one long sentence in Hebrew and also in most English translations. Verse 17 contains a series of six clauses introduced by Though (Revised Standard Version), and verse 18 gives two more clauses introduced by yet. There are two problems that must be resolved before we discuss the details: (1) how is this sentence related to its context; and (2) how is the translator to handle such a long sentence as this?
(1) Some scholars understand that verse 17 describes a series of facts rather than a series of possibilities. This has led them to regard the verse as a kind of side remark which is not closely related to the preceding and following verses. Thus Jerusalem Bible puts verse 17 in brackets, and implies that verse 18 both follows on from verse 16 and develops the expression of faith with which verse 16 ends. This makes verses 16-19 as a whole rather disjointed and robs verse 17 of any real relevance.
Even if verse 17 does describe facts rather than possibilities, in the context of this psalm, it is very reasonable to interpret them as possibilities which seem so vivid to the prophet that he describes them as if they had already happened. On this interpretation it is legitimate to translate verse 17 as a series of possibilities, to which verse 18 gives the prophet’s reaction. This makes verse 17 stand apart from verse 16, but gives a cohesion to the whole of verses 17-19 which enables them to be seen as a fitting climax to the psalm, and indeed to the whole book.
This second interpretation is found in most versions (King James Version, Revised Version, Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) and is definitely to be recommended to translators.
(2) If the above interpretation is accepted, there still remains the problem of how to handle such an unusually long and complex sentence. The Though of Revised Standard Version introduces no less than six clauses, before the yet of verse 18 introduces the balancing half of the sentence. Most English versions simply accept this, and indeed the structure remains clear in English, even in Revised Standard Version. Several versions repeat the word “though” at the beginning of the third and fifth clauses (New American Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). This helps to make the structure even clearer and also indicates that the clauses go together as pairs in Hebrew.
One alternative is to do as the French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has done, that is, to make verse 17 a separate sentence (“Yes, the fig tree does not blossom” and so on), then to begin again in verse 18 with “As for me, I will nevertheless rejoice in the LORD…” (compare Bible en français courant).
Another alternative is as follows: As already noted, the six clauses of verse 17 go together in pairs. In some languages it may be clearer to give the first line of verse 18 after each of the first two pairs of clauses in verse 17. This will necessitate combining the verses into one and numbering them as 17-18. It will also lead to some repetition which is not in the Hebrew. However, such repetition may help to increase the poetic effect in some languages. If this suggestion has to be adopted, a possible translation model for the two verses is:
• Even if there are no figs on the fig trees and no grapes on the vines, yet I will be joyful because of the LORD. Even if there are no olives on the olive trees, and no grain grows in the fields, yet I will be joyful because of the LORD. Even if there are no sheep in the sheep pens and no cattle in the cattle stalls, yet I will be glad because God protects me.
Once translators have decided how to handle the overall structure of the sentence, they can begin to examine the details. The verse is speaking of complete economic disaster, but it does so in the specific terms of the economy of Palestine. This was based on patterns of agriculture and animal use which may be unfamiliar in many cultures. However, the prophet is here speaking of things which are central features of his own culture, and these should be retained in translation if at all possible. If there is no way to speak of particular items like figs, grapes, olives, or grain, translators should not substitute other items (such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, and rice) which would have been unknown in Palestine in Habakkuk’s time. In such cases translators may have to use generic terms and perhaps combine each pair of clauses into one. A possible translation model in this kind of situation is:
• Even if the fruit trees do not bear any fruit and the gardens (or, fields) do not have any crops, yet I will be happy because of the LORD. Even if the animals that provide meat all die, yet I will be joyful and glad because God protects me.
In situations where it is possible to speak of the specific items of Palestinian culture, translators should note that the food items listed here seem to be mentioned in ascending order of importance. Figs were perhaps the most luxurious items in the list. They were important as a source of sugar but were not essential. See Nahum 3.12 for a detailed discussion on the translation of fig tree, which will also apply to other fruit trees. “Grapes” produced wine, the normal daily drink. To be without it was a hardship but would not kill anyone. “Olives” gave oil which was used for cooking and lighting, and the lack of this oil would be a serious inconvenience. “Grain” (primarily wheat and barley) provided the staple food for the entire population, and the loss of the grain crop would mean starvation on a large scale (compare Gen 42.2).
The death of all the “sheep” and goats would mean no meat, since these were the animals most often eaten. It would also mean no wool from the sheep, with which to make warm clothes for the winter, and no milk or other dairy products like butter and cheese from the goats. “Cattle” were eaten rarely and only as a luxury, but without them there would be no help with plowing to prepare the ground for a crop the following year.
Though the fig tree do not blossom: Good News Translation instead of blossom translates “have no fruit.” This appears to follow the Septuagint and implies a change of one letter in the traditional Hebrew text. But there is no real difference in meaning since, if the trees have no flowers, they cannot bear any fruit. The Good News Translation wording may have been chosen for translation reasons and may not in fact follow the Septuagint.
Nor fruit be on the vines: Good News Translation mentions the specific fruit that is to be expected on vines, namely, “grapes” (compare New International Version); but many languages will translate in a similar way to Revised Standard Version and say, “and the vines produce no fruit.” In cultures where grapevines do not exist, one may need to use a generic word for vines or vine-like plants, along with the English word “grape.” However, when choosing a word for a vine-like plant, one must avoid terms which may give the reader the wrong picture. One should identify the grapevine as a vine which produces fruit, and avoid types of vine which produce such things as pumpkins.
The produce of the olive is expressed more simply as “the olive crop” in Good News Translation (compare Moffatt, New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). In many languages this will be expressed as “there is no fruit on the olive tree.”
The fields yield no food: this is a generic statement which in this context obviously refers to the main crops grown in the fields, wheat and barley. These were the most important items of diet and were used in making bread. Good News Translation makes the meaning of food explicit by saying “grain” (British edition “corn”). In many languages the generic term for food will be identical with the name of the staple crop, such as rice, yam, sago, or sweet potato.
The flock be cut off from the fold: the word flock was used in Hebrew of both sheep and goats. Some English versions retain the ambiguity by keeping the word flock, which may refer to both sheep and goats (Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, New American Bible, New English Bible). Other versions give the name of one particular animal; all the available English versions which do this say “sheep” (Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Presumably this is because sheep are much more common than goats in English-speaking countries. In areas where goats are more common, there is no reason why translators should not say goats rather than sheep, or else “goats and sheep.”
Be cut off is a common Hebrew expression for death or destruction (compare Nahum 1.12, 14, 15; 2.13; 3.15; Zeph 1.3, 4, 11; 3.6; and many other Old Testament passages). Good News Translation translates the plain meaning as “even though the sheep all die.”
The fold (“pen” in New International Version) and New Jerusalem Bible was a walled enclosure where sheep and goats were kept at night for safety from wild animals and robbers. In areas where this method of looking after sheep and goats is not known, there is no need to mention the fold (compare Good News Translation).
And there be no herd in the stalls: the term herd refers to “cattle” (Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). This means mainly cows and oxen, and in languages with no generic term equivalent to “cattle,” it may be necessary to mention by name whichever species is better known.
Stalls were places where cattle could be kept and fed. As most people possessed few cattle, the stalls were often near, or even inside, the house where the family lived. Again the emphasis is on the animals rather than their accommodation, and in areas where stalls are unknown, there is no need to mention them. Compare the two possible translation models suggested above for variation in this respect.
In the Hebrew verse 18 says the same thing twice in different words: I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Most English versions retain this parallel structure, as it has some poetic value in English. However, in some languages this may not be desirable. Good News Translation has restructured the verse as “I will still be joyful and glad, because the LORD God is my Savior.”
The God of my salvation (compare Psa 18.46; 24.5; 25.5; 27.9; Isa 17.10; Micah 7.7) is expressed in Good News Translation as “God is my Savior.” In some languages this may need to be expressed with a verb such as “the God who saves me,” “the God who protects me,” or “the God who delivers me” (compare New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .