Translation commentary on Nahum 3:17

The first two lines are closely parallel to each other in both structure and sense, and both contain words of uncertain meaning. Revised Standard Version renders Your princes are like grasshoppers (Hebrew ʾarbeh), your scribes are like clouds of locusts (Hebrew gobh gobhai). The words translated princes and scribes are probably both Assyrian words which Nahum has borrowed. The first one is perhaps related to a Hebrew word for “crown,” which suggests the meaning princes. Scholars have proposed a number of other possible meanings, and several English translations prefer the word “guards” (Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have words meaning “inspectors” or “overseers.” At any rate, a word should be used which denotes a class of people who are numerous, since that is the point of the comparison with locusts. On that basis “guards” or “overseers” are more likely than princes.

The second of the two words thought to be Assyrian is almost certainly the word for scribe. The equivalent word in Hebrew came to have a military meaning as well, and some scholars think that this was also the case with the Assyrian word. This gives rise to the term “marshals” in the Revised Standard Version footnote (compare Revised Version, New Jerusalem Bible). However, scribes understood in the sense of “civil servants, officials” seems on the whole more probable here. In some languages scribes may be rendered as “servants of the king (or, chief).” Another translation model for the first two lines is: “Your guards are as numerous as grasshoppers, and the servants of your king (or, chief) as a cloud (or, swarm) of locusts.”

Since the exact meanings of these two keywords are uncertain and the lines are closely parallel, Good News Translation runs them together into one and includes the meanings of the two Assyrian words under one general term, “officials.” For a discussion of the Hebrew words used here for clouds of locusts, see the comments of Thompson quoted under verse 15. Clouds of locusts or “a swarm of locusts” can also be rendered as “a huge crowd of locusts” or “great numbers of locusts which resemble a cloud.” The emphasis here is on the tremendous number of the insects.

Settling on the fences in a day of cold: the second half of verse 17 speaks of the way locusts are affected by changes of temperature. As Good News Translation puts it, they “stay in the walls on a cold day” and move about only a little if at all. “Walls” refers not to the walls of houses but to the stone walls around a field, which would have plenty of spaces for the locusts to shelter in. Probably the word fences is a better one (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, NJV). However, in many languages it will be better to say “fences made of stone,” or perhaps “walls made of stone which surround your fields.”

When the sun rises, they fly away: when the locusts are warm again, they are able to fly away once more. In the same way the officials of Nineveh, instead of fighting, will run away when the city is attacked. Good News Translation marks the contrast with the previous line by using the introductory “But.”

No one knows where they are: just as people cannot keep up with a swarm of locusts when they fly away, so no one will be able to find the officials of Nineveh and bring them back to defend the city.

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 2:15

This verse summarizes the fate of Nineveh. This is the exultant city: the meaning is given somewhat more fully in Good News Translation as “That is what will happen to the city that is so proud of its own power.” The words that dwelt secure are also expressed in more detail in Good News Translation as “and thinks it is safe,” that is, safe from enemy attack.

That said to herself, “I am and there is none else”: the city is made to speak as though it were a person, and the words spoken are quoted directly. In a case like this the city stands for its inhabitants. Good News Translation drops the figure of speech and turns the quotation into indirect speech, saying “Its people think that their city is the greatest in the world.”

The third part of the verse is an exclamation which repeats the main points of the two previous verses. What a desolation she has become echoes the second half of verse 13, and a lair for wild beasts! echoes verse 14. The verbs are probably to be understood as “prophetic perfects,” in which the prophet speaks about things which have not yet happened as though they were already past. Several modern translations retain past tenses (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version), but Good News Translation uses the future, “will become … will rest,” to make clearer that this is a prediction about the future (compare Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The words desolation or “desolate” are difficult to translate in many languages. Another way to express the clause is “It will become a complete ruin.”

In the last part of the verse, the prophet states the reaction of those who see the city in its ruined state. Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist. These were gestures of horror, scorn, and revulsion (compare, for instance, 1 Kgs 9.8; Lam 2.15; Micah 6.16), and Good News Translation gives their plain meaning with “Everyone who passes by will shrink back in horror.” If the gestures of hissing and shaking the fist carry the right meaning in the receptor culture, a literal translation is possible here. However, in certain cultures other gestures or bodily movements such as pointing a finger or shaking the head may be used to signify horror or scorn. Translators may mention such gestures as long as they do not involve anything incompatible with Biblical culture. If no such solution is possible, then translators will do better to follow the example of Good News Translation and give the plain meaning without mentioning the actual gestures.

Possible restructurings of the whole verse are:

• That is what will happen to the buildings of the city because its people are proud of their power and think they are safe (from danger). They consider that their city is the greatest in the world, but it will become a complete ruin where wild animals live. Everyone who passes by will show how scornful they are, and how much they detest this city.

Or:

• The people of this city are so proud that they think nothing can harm them. They say to themselves, “Our city is greater than all others.” But that city will fall and will become utterly desolate. Only wild animals will live there, and everyone who passes by will show their scorn and horror.

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 1:14

Verses 14-17 give a figurative description of the way the Babylonians treat their enemies. Verse 14 gives the setting, verses 15-16 describe what happens, and verse 17 states the question which the situation raises in the prophet’s mind.

In verse 14, thou makest, Habakkuk boldly blames God for bringing about the conditions under which the Babylonians can abuse their power. In some languages it may be necessary to say “You cause men to become…” or “You allow men to become….” He uses two comparisons: thou makest men like the fish of the sea and like crawling things that have no ruler. The point of the comparison with crawling things is that they have no leaders to help defend them. The point of the comparison with the fish is not stated here, but in the light of the following verse, it seems to be the casual way in which people kill them without worrying about it. Perhaps this can be brought out by saying “treat people as if they were only fish” or “… as if they were no more important than fish.”

Fish of the sea is a Hebrew expression which sounds rather odd in English. Some modern translations say “fish (or, fishes) in the sea” (Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version), but Good News Translation recognizes that “fish” alone is sufficient (compare Good News Translation Zeph 1.3). Translators should consider what expression sounds natural and appropriate in their own language.

Crawling things may refer either to small “sea creatures” (New International Version) or to “a swarm of insects” (Good News Translation) such as ants or locusts. In languages which do not have a general word which equals the English word “insects” in meaning, one may say “a swarm of tiny crawling creatures,” or even “a swarm of ants.” The point here is that they “have no ruler” and are therefore disorganized and defenseless. This is a forceful picture of the way other nations were helpless before the Babylonian armies.

This verse is a statement in Hebrew, but Good News Translation has turned it into a rhetorical question, “How can you treat…?” as has New English Bible. There is no great advantage in this, and few translators will wish to do the same. However, the sense of the Hebrew in the phrase thou makest men like shows a direct causative action by God rather than a more passive one as in Good News Translation‘s “How can you treat people….” Therefore the following are legitimate translations: “You cause people to become…” or “You allow people to become….” Another translation model for this verse is “You cause people to become like mere fish, or like a swarm of insects that have no ruler to direct (or, lead) them.”

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 3:9

In general terms, this verse continues to describe the LORD’s activity in the storm by using symbolic language.

Thou didst strip the sheath from thy bow means that the LORD took his bow from its protective cover, ready for use. Jerusalem Bible puts it more simply as “You uncover your bow,” and Good News Translation explains the meaning of this action by saying “You got ready to use your bow.”

And put the arrows to the string: in this line the three Hebrew words of the traditional text are a serious problem. The first two words have different possible meanings, but no combination of the various possibilities makes much sense or shows much connection with the context. Probably the best one is found in the Revised Version: “The oaths to the tribes were a sure word.” This can be taken to mean that the LORD had promised to act on behalf of his people, to save them (compare verse 13).

However, after the mention of a bow in the first line, one expects some mention of arrows in the second line. The word translated “tribes” in Revised Version may also mean “rods, sticks,” which can stand symbolically for arrows. The word translated “oaths” in Revised Version may be read with different vowels with the meaning “you filled.” One manuscript of the Septuagint has a translation “you filled your quiver with arrows”; this involves assuming that the third Hebrew word is different from the one in the traditional text, but it does give a meaning which fits the context. This possibility is accepted by some modern versions: New American Bible has “filled with arrows is your quiver,” and New English Bible “charge thy quiver with shafts.”

Other scholars prefer to assume a different change in the third Hebrew word and translate as put arrows to the string or “you ply its string with arrows” (Jerusalem Bible).

Good News Translation feels the importance of mentioning arrows in this context but does not indicate whether it prefers to understand “quivers” or “strings.” Good News Translation has translated with a general statement, “ready to shoot your arrows,” which gives a good parallel with the first line.

New International Version tries to obtain sense without changing the traditional Hebrew text. To do this its translators have accepted a third possible meaning for the first of the three Hebrew words, namely, “sevens,” that is, “many.” New International Version thus translates “you called for many arrows.” Yet another possibility that retains the traditional Hebrew text is found in the French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, “the words of oaths are arrows” (compare New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project).

With so many possibilities to be found in reputable translations (and many other suggestions in scholarly writings), how are translators to decide what to do? Their first and most important duty is to say something that makes sense, and in this case it seems that this is best achieved by accepting that the traditional Hebrew text needs to be changed. The change followed by New American Bible and New English Bible has at least some ancient manuscript support and therefore seems to offer the best possibility available. We therefore suggest as a translation base for these first two lines “You drew your bow from its case and filled your quiver with arrows.” It is also acceptable to express this meaning in more general terms, as Good News Translation has done. “Quiver” in certain languages will be expressed as “container for arrows.”

It remains to note that the arrows here are symbolic and stand for the flashes of lightning that in ancient thinking were shot from the hand of God (compare Psa 29.7; 77.18; Hab 3.4).

The second line in Hebrew ends with the word Selah. See comments on verse 3.

The third line, Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers, is expressed in more modern language by New International Version as “you split the earth with rivers.” Good News Translation has linked this with the earlier part of the verse, understanding an implied cause–effect relationship, and at the same time has made explicit that the arrows stand for lightning flashes: “Your lightning split open the earth.” It is not clear why Good News Translation, unlike Bible en français courant and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, has failed to mention the rivers. There seems to be no good reason for this. In mountainous desert areas the rare and fierce thunderstorms do indeed quickly produce roaring torrents of water which can change the landscape considerably (compare Judges 5.21). The mention of God making rivers reminded the original readers of the way he provided water in the desert for the people of Moses’ day (Exo 17.6; Num 20.11; compare Psa 74.15; 77.17-18; 78.15-16). One possible translation model is “As your lightning flashes, rivers split the earth.” Other possibilities are “The earth opens and rivers gush out” (Bible en français courant) or “You split the earth and streams spurt forth” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

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 2:8

If the Hebrew text is correct as it stands, the meaning is “Nineveh has been like a (placid) pool of water from earliest times. Now they flee” (New Jerusalem Bible). The words here translated “from earliest times” are probably the result of a copying error. The majority of modern translations change them in accordance with the ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint. Revised Standard Version, for instance, translates Nineveh is like a pool whose waters run away (compare Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Since this is the first mention of Nineveh in the Hebrew text since 1.1, it will be helpful in many languages to say “The city of Nineveh.”

Good News Translation follows this wording but makes the point of the comparison explicit: “Like water from a broken dam the people rush from Nineveh!” This refers of course to the people trying to escape when the city is captured. In some languages the second line needs to be placed first: “The people rush from the city of Nineveh just as water pours out of a broken dam.”

The second half of the verse gives a vivid picture of the officers trying in vain to stop the defending troops from fleeing with everyone else. They call out “Halt! Halt!” … but none turns back. The words they cry are not in the Hebrew but are inserted in several modern versions (Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New International Version; compare Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) to make clear that the previous words “Halt! Halt!” are direct speech. Good News Translation uses the idiomatic English expression “the cry rings out” to make the effect more vivid and dramatic. In many languages it will be necessary to state explicitly who is crying out; for example, “The officers shout, ‘Stop! Stop!’ But no one turns around and comes back.”

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 1:10

Verses 10 and 11 go together and describe a scene in which Jerusalem is being captured by an enemy army. This continues the theme of the LORD punishing his people, as is suggested by the repetition of the phrase On that day at the beginning of verse 10.

A cry will be heard from the Fish Gate: Good News Translation avoids the passive and supplies a subject, saying “you will hear the sound of crying.” The cry is the noise made by people shouting in distress, and in some languages it will be necessary to make this explicit and say “you will hear people (or, the sound of people) crying out.” The site of the Fish Gate can no longer be identified, but it was on the north side of the city (Neh 3.3), the side on which an enemy would attack. In some languages the Fish Gate may be expressed as “the gate named Fish.” It may also be helpful to identify the city as Jerusalem (Good News Translation).

A wail from the Second Quarter: a wail is also a sound expressing distress, but it is probably not intended as a contrast with the word translated cry. Rather the two words are in parallel with each other, and if translators can find two words in their own language with similar meanings, that will probably give much the same effect as the Hebrew. A wail may be translated as “you will hear people wailing.”

The Second Quarter: this was a district on the northern side of the city, near the Fish Gate (2 Kgs 22.14). As it had been built more recently than other areas, Good News Translation translates as “the newer part of the city.” One may also say “the new part of the town nearby (or, near the Fish Gate).”

In some languages it may be helpful to combine the two parallel clauses and say “you will hear the sound of people shouting and crying in distress at the Fish Gate and in the newer part of the city.”

The loud crash from the hills is caused by the fall of buildings being destroyed by the enemy army. In certain languages this will need to be made explicit by saying “the noise of buildings crashing down on the hills.” The hills refers to the hills on which Jerusalem was built, so one may say “from the hills in (or, of) Jerusalem.”

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 3:11

The opening words On that day (compare 1.9; 3.16) refer to the period when the LORD’s punishment is carried out and the time immediately following, rather than to a particular day. Good News Translation accordingly translates by a more general term, “At that time.”

The verbs have a second person singular feminine subject, which is the city of Jerusalem, or as the paragraph goes on to explain, the few remaining people in the city who trust the LORD. Good News Translation makes it clear at this point that the subject is different from the previous verses by saying “you, my people.”

The exact sense here of the verb rendered you shall not be put to shame is uncertain. Revised Standard Version together with New English Bible and New International Version seems to understand it to mean “you will no longer need to suffer shame and punishment for your wicked deeds.” This will be because the wicked people will have been removed, as the rest of the verse states. An alternative possibility is that, because the people responsible for the wicked deeds are no longer there, the righteous people who remain will no longer need to feel ashamed of what had happened in the past. This understanding is somewhat less convincing but is represented in Good News Translation‘s wording, “you … will no longer need to be ashamed” (compare Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Good News Translation‘s “you, my people” may be expressed in many languages as “you, who are my people.” The concept of shame may be translated in many languages idiomatically as “lose face” (Mandarin, Thai, Lao, and others) or even “lose face lose eye” (Thai).

The reason for the shame which the people had either suffered or felt was the wicked deeds of the leaders (verses 3-4), which showed that they had rebelled against the LORD. The word rebelled emphasizes deliberate rejection of the LORD’s commands. In certain languages it will be necessary to make the underlying meaning explicit and say “you refused to obey my commands.”

In certain languages it will be necessary to expand the clause I will remove from your midst to “I will remove (or, take away) all of you who…” or “I will remove every person from Jerusalem (or, from among you) who….” Those leaders who had rebelled the LORD will remove from among his people as part of his judgment. They are described as proudly exultant, the same phrase as is used in Isaiah 13.3 to describe conquering soldiers who are confident in their own power. Good News Translation uses more natural English in translating as “everyone who is proud and arrogant.” See 2.10 for comments on how to translate “arrogant.” In languages where it is difficult to find two words with similar meaning like “proud” and “arrogant,” it may be necessary to say “very proud.” Pride is regarded as the basic human sin, and when the leaders are taken away, no one else will be haughty in my holy mountain. The word translated be haughty implies an open show of contempt for God. This effect is conveyed in various ways in modern English translations such as “you will cease to strut” (Jerusalem Bible) and “never again shall you flaunt your pride” (New English Bible). The religious aspect of the pride is underlined by the words in my holy mountain, that is, the hill where the LORD’s Temple stood. Human pride exhibited in such a place was an intentional insult to the LORD, and so Good News Translation translates “you will never again rebel against me on my sacred hill.” “On my sacred hill” may be translated “on the hill where my sacred (or, holy) house stands.” See verse 4 for comments on ways to translate “sacred” or holy.

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 .