Translation commentary on Zephaniah 1:6

Again Revised Standard Version keeps the Hebrew sentence structure, continuing the sentence begun in verse 4. Good News Translation begins a new sentence and once more repeats the verb “I will destroy” from verse 4. (For comments on “destroy” see verse 3.)

The people condemned this time are those who, while they may not have taken up the worship of other gods, are no longer active in the worship of the LORD; they have turned back from following the LORD. In many languages one cannot speak of following a person in the sense of “serving.” In such a case translators may say “going with the LORD” or “serving the LORD.” The whole sentence may be restructured as “I will destroy those who have stopped serving me.” For the LORD’s reference to himself in the third person, see comments on verse 5.

In the second half of the verse, Revised Standard Version translates literally the rather technical terms of the Hebrew, seek the LORD and inquire of him. These are expressed in clearer language in Good News Translation‘s “come to me” and “ask me to guide them.” In certain languages it will be helpful to make these last two clauses into a separate sentence and say “These people do not come to me or ask me to guide them.”

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 3:7

This verse shows the intended purpose of the LORD’s actions in verse 6 and the actual result, which was quite different from what was desired.

Verse 7 opens with the words I said and then gives a quotation within the main quotation that runs from verse 6 to verse 13. Good News Translation interprets I said to mean “I said to myself” (compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant) and translates as “I thought” (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). Then it continues by turning the words quoted into indirect speech. Translators may use direct or indirect speech according to the normal patterns of their own language.

In the first two clauses Revised Standard Version uses the third person pronoun she where Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and New International Version use the second person “you.” The Hebrew actually has second person feminine forms in these two clauses (addressing the city, which is feminine in Hebrew) but third person forms in the third and fourth clauses. Such a change of person is somewhat awkward in English. It is not clear whether the Revised Standard Version translators changed the Hebrew text, or whether they made the alteration to third person on translational grounds. Translators should use whichever form best fits the overall paragraph structure in their own language. Note that by using indirect speech Good News Translation avoids this problem.

Surely (Good News Translation “then”) refers back to the words of the LORD in verse 6. Many translators will need to say, for example, “Because of this I thought that my people….” The LORD’s intention was that his own people, on seeing the punishment of gentile nations, would fear me and accept correction. The words “have reverence for” (Good News Translation) give the meaning in this context of the word translated fear in Revised Standard Version and most other modern English versions. The main component of meaning of fear in ordinary usage is “to be afraid of,” whereas the sense intended here is rather that of “respect.” The expression accept correction is the same expression which occurred in verse 2, and its recurrence here helps to tie these paragraphs together.

In the next part of the verse, most modern versions follow the Septuagint in rendering not lose sight or something of similar meaning such as “remember” (compare Bible de Jérusalem, New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). This understanding depends on reading the Hebrew word meʿonah “her dwellings” with different vowels as meʿeneha “from her eyes.” The Hebrew is retained by Traduction œcuménique de la Bible and New International Version as it stands (compare Hebrew Old Testament Text Project), but the Septuagint understanding as found in the majority of modern versions fits the context better, and translators are recommended to follow it.

All that I have enjoined upon her: the Hebrew verb translated enjoined is a word of wide meaning. The basic sense is “to visit” (compare New American Bible), either with the intention of punishing (compare Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or of giving responsibility or instruction (compare Moffatt, New English Bible). Revised Standard Version enjoined has the idea of responsibility. Good News Translation has the idea of instruction and expresses it in simple terms as “the lesson I taught them.”

But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt: the final sentence shows the reaction of the people to the lessons the LORD had tried to teach them. Literally it says “but they rose early and corrupted all their doings” (Revised Version). The combination of the verb translated “rise early” with another verb is a favorite expression of Jeremiah (for example, Jer 7.13, 25; 11.7; 25.3, 4). It usually means “to do something persistently or eagerly,” and this is the sense here. The words eager or “eagerly” are used in Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible, but Good News Translation seems to miss this element of meaning. It apparently takes the idea of rising early to refer to time and translates “But soon they were behaving as badly as ever.” An alternative translation model can be “But they were just as eager as before to do all sorts of wicked things.”

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 2:4

Here at last the content of “the vision” referred to in verse 2 is given. It is introduced by a Hebrew word translated Behold in Revised Standard Version. The function of this word is shown more clearly in Good News Translation with “And this is the message.” One may also say “Here is the message” or “This is what I want you to write.”

The message itself consists of two statements, but unfortunately the first one is somewhat uncertain in meaning. Since the second statement is about the righteous, it is reasonable in a context like this to expect that the first statement will be in contrast to it, speaking about the wicked. Most translations fit this expectation, but the details of the statement remain uncertain.

The traditional Hebrew text is translated literally in Revised Version as “his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him.” There is no noun for the pronouns “his” and “him” to refer to, but the general setting suggests that they refer to “the wicked” of 1.13, that is, the Babylonians. The expression “puffed up” in English usually means “full of pride” (as in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and some versions have something similar to this (New American Bible “rash,” New English Bible “reckless”). George Adam Smith translates “swollen, not level is his soul within him,” and compares this with the everyday English expressions “swollen headed” (that is, proud of one’s achievements) and “level headed” (that is, having a fair assessment of oneself and one’s situation).

Some scholars prefer to change the order of two letters in one Hebrew word. This gives a translation like that of Revised Standard Version, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail (compare Moffatt, Jerusalem Bible). He whose soul simply means “he.” The soul stands for the whole person, as it often does in the Bible. Good News Translation also accepts this change but expresses it in a clearer way as “Those who are evil will not survive.” Good News Translation uses the plural to express the general statement, and replaces the negative not upright with the single term “evil.” This gives a balanced contrast with the second half of the verse, and translators are recommended to follow it. Shall fail (“will not survive”) may be expressed more simply as “will die.”

The second statement, in its King James Version form “the just shall live by his faith,” is the best known text in the book of Habakkuk. Revised Standard Version replaces “just” with righteous, which is less ambiguous (compare New English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Jerusalem Bible uses the more modern term “upright.” In Habakkuk’s time, to be “righteous” or “upright” meant to obey God’s law and to treat other people fairly. So Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “whoever keeps faith with me and does what is right.” A good summary of the conduct intended is given in Psalm 15. The righteous here are the people of Judah, or at least those of them who share Habakkuk’s concerns. Righteous may be rendered as “good people,” “straight people,” “upright people,” “people who obey (or, are loyal to) God,” or even figuratively as “people with straight livers.”

The word translated faith in Revised Standard Version is more accurately “faithfulness” (Revised Standard Version footnote, Jerusalem Bible; compare “faithful” in Moffatt, New English Bible, Good News Translation). This means being loyal to God and obedient to his law, even when outward circumstances make it difficult, as they did in Habakkuk’s day. In modern speech we may perhaps use the word “integrity,” though this does not have the religious overtones that “faithfulness” has.

Good News Translation again uses the plural to express a general statement: “those who are righteous.” Good News Translation also makes the religious aspect explicit by saying “because they are faithful to God.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• This is what I want you to write: ‘Those people who are evil will die, but the good people will live because they obey God (or, follow God faithfully).’ ”

This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom 1.17; Gal 3.11; Heb 10.38) from its Septuagint translation. Paul makes it the basis for his doctrine of justification by faith, but in doing so he alters its meaning in two ways. First, the Greek word for “faith” does not have exactly the same components of meaning as the Hebrew word for “faithfulness.” The Greek word has a stronger element of intellectual and emotional commitment and less ethical emphasis. This change of focus was caused by the very fact of translation rather than by Paul’s deliberate choice. Secondly, Paul does deliberately link the words of Habakkuk together in a way different from that which Habakkuk intended. In linguistic terms, Paul uses a different immediate constituent analysis, that is, he sees a different set of semantic relationships between the words as they occur in the sentence. Whereas Habakkuk linked “by his faithfulness” with “shall live,” Paul linked “by faith” with “the righteous.” The contrast may be shown as “The righteous//shall live by faithfulness” (Habakkuk) as against “The righteous by faith//shall live” (Paul). In both the Hebrew and the Greek, the terms for “by faithfulness” or “by faith” come between “the righteous” and “shall live,” and so the change in the analysis can be made more easily than appears from the English. (Compare Revised Standard Version Rom 1.17, “He who through faith is righteous shall live,” with Good News Translation‘s restructuring, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”)

The translator of Habakkuk does not need to worry too much about Paul’s theology. However, he does need to see what Paul has done, so that he can understand the difference between the meaning Habakkuk intended and the meaning Paul later drew from these words. Among Christians, Paul’s teaching is much more familiar than Habakkuk’s, and translators must therefore be careful not to translate in such a way that they make Habakkuk sound like Paul! Habakkuk’s own meaning in its original context must be respected, and not changed to conform to the New Testament application of his words.

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

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 3:3

The graphic picture of the final attack on Nineveh continues. Horsemen charging: the term translated charging here may be understood as “rearing” (New English Bible). In that case the description is of the horses rather than the riders, and it speaks of them raising themselves up on their hind legs. However, if this is understood as a charging action, another possible rendering is: “Horsemen urge their horses forward” or “Horsemen urge their horses to race forward to fight.” In other languages one must be even more explicit and say “The soldiers riding horses urge their horses….”

Flashing sword and glittering spear: these words speak of the reflection of the sun on the metal weapons of the attackers (compare 2.3-4).

Hosts of slain, heaps of corpses: the attackers kill so many of the people of Nineveh that the bodies lie in heaps. Assyrian inscriptions record that this is exactly how the Assyrians had treated peoples whom they had conquered, so the prophet is here speaking of a just punishment upon them. Good News Translation reduces these two phrases to one clause, “corpses are piled high.” Some translations will need to say: “dead bodies lie in huge mounds” or “the dead bodies are piled up in high mounds.”

Dead bodies without end: these words emphasize the greatness of the slaughter. They are largely parallel in meaning with the previous words, and some translators may prefer to give all the information in a single clause. They can say something like “Dead bodies too many to count are piled high,” or “countless dead bodies are piled high,” or “dead bodies without number are piled high.”

They stumble over the bodies: there are so many dead people lying around that the attacking soldiers can hardly step over them, and so they stumble. They (Revised Standard Version) or “men” (Good News Translation) may need to be rendered “the enemy soldiers.”

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 1:18

Revised Standard Version apparently takes this verse to be a continuation of the direct quotation in verse 17, and it is also taken as such, for instance, by New International Version. If a translator regards verse 18 as a continuation of the quotation, he will probably need to retain first-person references to the LORD throughout the verse. In view of the parallel theme between verses 2-3 and verses 17-18, this seems the most probable interpretation. However, Good News Translation takes the verse to be a comment by the prophet, as does Bible en français courant.

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them: this may be another reference to the Scythian invasion. According to Herodotus, when the Scythians reached the borders of Egypt, they were bribed by the Pharaoh to turn back and not to attack his land. Zephaniah here makes the point that no amount of money can buy escape from the punishment of the LORD. Their and them refer to mankind in the previous verse. In some languages it will therefore be helpful to say “not even all the silver and gold of mankind will save them.” In cultures where silver and gold are not used or even known, one may say “How ever rich they are, their money will not help them to escape.”

On the day of the wrath of the LORD: Good News Translation changes the order of the Hebrew phrases so as to put this time phrase first, which it translates as “On the day when the LORD shows his fury.” This follows a more natural order in English and also matches verses 8, 10, 12, and 14, all of which begin with a time phrase.

In the fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed: this whole clause is repeated in 3.8. It is common in the Old Testament to speak of the LORD’s wrath as being like fire (for example, Psa 79.5; 89.46; Isa 30.30; 66.15; Jer 15.14; 17.4; Nahum 1.6), and if possible this figure of speech should be kept in translation. It may be expressed more easily in some languages as a simile or comparison than as a metaphor. The word translated jealous wrath refers to the LORD’s concern for the honor which is rightly his. It does not have the sense common in ordinary English conversation, of envious desire for that which rightly belongs to someone else. See also comments on Nahum 1.2.

As mentioned in the discussion of verse 17, Revised Standard Version understands this verse to refer to a universal judgment by God, and therefore uses the term earth rather than “land,” as in New English Bible. “Land” would refer only to Judah.

The verb translated consumed is literally “eaten.” Good News Translation drops this metaphor and renders as “destroyed,” but some translators may be able to keep it, if it is natural in their language to speak of fire eating things. In languages which do not use the passive, alternative translation models are “The LORD will destroy the whole world (or, earth) with the fire of his anger,” or “The LORD is so angry that he will destroy the whole world as if by fire,” or even “The LORD’s heart is hot just like a fierce fire and will burn up the whole world.”

For a full, yea, sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth: there is probably another play on the sounds of the Hebrew words here translated as full (end) and sudden end. In many languages it will be impossible to reproduce this play on sounds in Hebrew. In such cases one may say, for example, “he will suddenly kill every person who lives on earth.” This clause is the climax to the lengthy description of the LORD’s judgment, which has taken up most of chapter 1.

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 3:19

The verse begins in Hebrew with the exclamation translated Behold in Revised Standard Version. Since this is no longer used in modern spoken English, other versions have tried to convey the same effect of catching attention, but by different means. Thus New American Bible begins with “Yes,” and New English Bible has “see” later in the sentence. Good News Translation does not use a separate word but rather uses punctuation to achieve the same effect. It makes a separate sentence of the phrase at that time and adds an exclamation mark “The time is coming!”

The statement I will deal with all your oppressors has an overtone of threat (compare Ezek 20.44), and this is made explicit in Good News Translation as “I will punish your oppressors” (compare Jerusalem Bible). Your oppressors may be expressed as “those who oppress you” or “those who treat you cruelly.”

The next two clauses use the figure of a shepherd caring for sheep, to express what the LORD will do for his people: I will save the lame and gather the outcast. The language is closely similar to that used in Micah 4.6-7. The word translated outcast in Revised Standard Version is often used to refer to the people who were in exile, and Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “I will … bring the exiles home.” However, the word translated lame in Revised Standard Version is the same in Good News Translation. This means that Good News Translation retains the figure of speech in one clause and drops it in the other. It may be better for translators either to expand these two clauses and give both the figures and their meanings, or else to drop the figures and state the meanings in nonfigurative language. A translation model of the former can be “I will rescue the people who are as helpless as lame sheep, and will bring home those who, like scattered sheep, have been driven into exile.” For those who wish to state the meaning in nonfigurative language, a model can be “I will rescue the people who are helpless, and bring home those who have been driven into exile.”

I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth: the last clause promises that the people will have a new reputation to match their new status. Because of their exile, they had been mocked and scorned by other nations (compare Obadiah 10-14), but once restored by the LORD, they will have praise and renown in all the earth. Good News Translation turns this into two clauses and says “I will turn their shame to honor, and all the world will praise them.” In certain languages it will be necessary to rephrase these final clauses and say “I will make people honor them so that they will no longer be ashamed.”

The word translated their shame in Revised Standard Version makes the sentence a little awkward grammatically in Hebrew. Some scholars think that it is wrong and should be replaced by some words from verse 20 which are somewhat similar in spelling. These words are translated “when I restore your fortunes” in Revised Standard Version. This view is adopted in Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible, and thus Jerusalem Bible for instance has here “when I restore their fortunes.” However, the Hebrew text can be understood as it stands, and there is no need for translators to make this alteration.

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 2:15

This is where the fourth taunt begins. As with the first and second taunts (verses 6, 9), it starts in the third person and changes to second. Good News Translation, as in the earlier cases, treats it as second person throughout. The topic in this taunt is the misuse of liquor, which is given a figurative application. The Babylonians were fond of drinking, and their parties could easily turn into shameful orgies (compare Dan 5). In verse 15 the Babylonian treatment of conquered nations is pictured in terms of such an orgy.

Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink: the neighbors stand for the surrounding nations whom the Babylonians conquered. Their forced obedience to the Babylonians is pictured as if they were forced to drink. In some languages a literal translation of neighbors may give the wrong meaning. In such a case it will be helpful to translate explicitly and say “the neighboring countries.” For an alternative rendering of Woe (or “doomed”), see verse 6.

The next two words in Hebrew are of uncertain meaning. The first word may mean “pour” (Revised Version footnote, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible; compare New American Bible, New English Bible) or “add” (Revised Version). The second word has a basic sense of heat, which leads to figurative meanings of either “anger, wrath” (Moffatt, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New English Bible, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “poison, venom” (Revised Version, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant). The second word may also be taken as coming from a different root with the meaning “wineskin” (New International Version; compare King James Version). The first of these two Hebrew words ends with the same letter as the second word begins with. Some scholars think this letter appears twice by a copying error, and they have suggested that it should be dropped from the end of the first word. This suggestion is followed by Revised Standard Version and gives (drink) of the cup of his wrath, which fits the context well. Of the other possible combinations, most are used in at least one version: “addest thy venom” (Revised Version; compare Hebrew Old Testament Text Project); “pours his poison” (Jerusalem Bible); “you pour out your wrath” (New Jerusalem Bible; compare New American Bible, New English Bible); “pouring it from the wineskin” (New International Version). All make reasonable sense in the context, but none is outstanding. Whichever one is chosen, the overall thrust of the verse remains broadly similar. We are inclined to recommend the Revised Standard Version rendering as giving the best sense, and one which matches both the figure which follows in verse 16, and Old Testament usage elsewhere. As a second choice we suggest the New International Version interpretation.

The result of forcing drink upon others is that he (that is, the Babylonians) makes them drunk or “causes them to get drunk.”

The purpose of all this is to gaze on their shame. The word translated shame is literally “nakedness” (King James Version, Revised Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). When people are drunk, they lose control of themselves and may expose their sexual organs, as Noah did (Gen 9.20-23; compare the story of Lot in Gen 19.30-38). This was regarded as a great disgrace. The Babylonians made people drunk in order to disgrace them in this way. Good News Translation does not mention the nakedness but only the disgrace which it represents.

The Dead Sea scroll has a word meaning “festivals” instead of the one meaning “nakedness,” but this does not make much sense and is not used in any translations.

Good News Translation has completely restructured the verse so that it is difficult to see exactly how its parts match up with the more literal renderings of Revised Standard Version. In particular the clause “you made them stagger” has no clear basis in the Hebrew, and no parallel in Bible en français courant or Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. For this reason we cannot recommend Good News Translation as a model in this verse. If a restructured translation base is needed, one possibility is “You are doomed! You made neighboring nations drink from the cup of wine which represents your anger. You made them drunk, then disgraced them by gazing at their naked bodies.” Another possibility is “God will punish you! You made neighboring nations drink from the cup of wine which represents your anger. You made them drunk, then caused them to lose face by gazing at their naked bodies.” If the last part of the verse is hard to understand when the metaphor is retained, translators may prefer to follow the example of Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and state the meaning in nonfigurative language. One may say “you rejoiced to see them in a powerless and shameful condition.”

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 .