Translation commentary on Zechariah 12:4

On that day, says the LORD: The words On that day mark the beginning of the next subparagraph. Says the LORD represents the formula neʾum YHWH. Here, as in 13.2, it has the function of reinforcing On that day as a marker for the beginning of a new unit. The Hebrew word translated says is actually a noun, and some versions render this formula as “oracle of the LORD” (Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). This may be a possible approach in other languages. Since this phrase does carry some information at the discourse level, it is preferable not to omit it entirely as Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch do. So we recommend that translators keep both phrases. In some languages the order may be reversed; for example, “The LORD says, ‘On that day….’ ”

I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness: The LORD will intervene in the siege of Jerusalem on behalf of his people by causing chaos in the army of the attackers, especially the cavalry. Panic means excessive, unreasoning, and overwhelming fear (compare 14.13). In this case the unreasoning fear probably causes the horses to turn around and flee from the battlefield. Other ways to translate panic are “they will be terrified,” “they will have hearts full of fear,” and “their hearts/livers will fall [or, be cold] with fear.” The words for panic and madness (and indeed blindness later in the verse) are rare terms that all occur together in Deut 28.28 (where Revised Standard Version has “confusion” instead of panic). The context there is the curses that the LORD promised to bring on his own people if they disobeyed the Law. By referring so clearly to that passage, Zechariah is saying that the curses originally threatened against Israel will be turned upon their enemies. Compare 2 Kgs 6.18. For “go crazy” in the American editions of Good News Translation, the British and Australian editions have “go mad.” No difference in meaning is intended.

But upon the house of Judah I will open my eyes: The house of Judah is a figure of speech called a metonymy, and means “the people of Judah.” When the LORD acts against the army of those besieging Jerusalem, he will spare the people of Judah who are (probably against their will) part of that army. To open my eyes upon someone means to show favor to them (compare Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kgs 8.29). Good News Translation puts this into modern language as “I will watch over the people of Judah” (similarly Contemporary English Version). New Revised Standard Version tries both to convey the meaning and to keep the picture with “But on the house of Judah I will keep a watchful eye” (similarly New International Version). Some languages may have a similar idiom.

When I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness: The blindness of the horses may be the reason for their panic mentioned earlier. In more modern English we might say “I will make every horse in the enemy army blind.” There is no textual justification for the omission of the word “horse” from Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible so as to say that the LORD makes the people blind. Contemporary English Version, without a footnote, omits this final sentence. This may be a misprint, but in any case translators should not leave it out.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Zechariah 14:16

As in 13.8, the Hebrew begins with a word rendered in King James Version and Revised Version as “And it shall come to pass.” Again as in 13.8, this word has no equivalent in Revised Standard Version and many modern versions. It does, however, have the discourse function of marking the beginning of a new subparagraph, and translators should be aware of this. Several English versions have as a rough equivalent a time phrase at the beginning of the verse, such as Then (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, Good News Translation, New International Version), “After this” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “Afterwards” (Contemporary English Version). Almost all modern versions begin a new paragraph at this point and many translators will find it convenient to do the same.

Every one that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem: This is the first mention of any survivors among the enemy, and casts some light back on verse 12. Although every nation that formed part of the attacking army would be affected by the plague, not every individual among them would die. Every one that survives may also be expressed as “All the enemy soldiers that did not die [or, are still alive].”

Shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts: Go up is a technical term for going to Jerusalem to participate in worship (compare verse 17). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates it as “make a pilgrimage,” which captures the religious overtones well. Year after year may be rendered “each year” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The Hebrew word translated to worship is derived from the idea of bowing down, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates here “to bow low to” (compare Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Another possibility is “to prostrate themselves before.” The combination the King, the LORD of hosts is unusual. See also Isa 6.5. For the translation of King, see the comments on verse 9 and Hag 1.1. For LORD of hosts, see Hag 1.2. In some languages it will be helpful to restructure as Good News Translation has done: “… to worship the LORD Almighty as king.” Other possible translation models are “… to worship the LORD, the king of the universe” (Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) and “… to honor the LORD of the whole world as their king” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition).

And to keep the feast of booths: The feast of booths, or in modern English, “The Festival of Shelters” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), was the third and most important of the three annual festivals that all Jewish adult males were supposed to keep or “observe” (Exo 23.14-17). It was sometimes referred to simply as “the feast” (1 Kgs 8.2, 65). The regulations for it are found in Lev 23.33-36. According to Deut 16.14, foreigners were also allowed to join in this festival, so this idea is not new in Zechariah. It was held in the seventh month (September-October), and was primarily a time of joy and thanksgiving for the harvest. The people made temporary dwellings or booths in which they lived for a week. The feast of booths may also be expressed as “the festival [or, feast/fiesta] when people lived in temporary shelters [or, huts].”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Malachi 2:16

The punctuation of Revised Standard Version is very strange at this point: the whole of verse 16 is enclosed in quotation marks, including the quotation verbs of speaking. It seems likely that this is a printing error, since the quotation marks are removed in New Revised Standard Version. This Handbook will ignore the quotation marks.

For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel: As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the Hebrew text has “he hates.” A large majority of versions and commentaries change the vowels of the traditional Hebrew to make it read I hate. New King James Version produces the same effect without changing the vowels by rendering “For the LORD God of Israel says that He hates divorce” (similarly King James Version). For many translators the choice between direct and indirect quotation will be a matter of style rather than of a change in the text, and of course, both options are translationally valid.

The real problem is that the Hebrew words behind For I hate divorce can be taken to mean almost the opposite of what Revised Standard Version says. They could mean “If someone hates, let him divorce,” with the unstated object being “his wife” in both clauses (as brought out in Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, Septuagint, Vulgate, Luther, New English Bible/Revised English Bible). If the words carry this meaning, they could be seen as contradicting the general thrust of Malachi’s argument through this section. On the other hand, if the rendering of Revised Standard Version and most other versions is followed, Malachi may appear to be contradicting the legislation about divorce in Deut 24.1-4. We should observe, however, (1) that for the LORD to disapprove of divorce is not the same thing as forbidding it, and (2) that Deut 24.1-4 does not encourage divorce but rather sets restrictions on how it may take place. The two passages are therefore not necessarily in conflict.

Most translators will probably follow the interpretation found in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. But they should note that even versions which accept the interpretation “If someone hates, let him divorce” do not treat this sentence as a charter for casual divorce. This becomes clear when those versions take the following clause to express the unfavorable result of such conduct. See the comments below.

Some languages may lack a noun for divorce. In such cases there will usually be a verbal expression that translators can use, such as “I hate it when husbands send their wives away” or “… separate from their wives.”

The words says the LORD the God of Israel are found only here in Malachi. As an expression unique in this book, it presumably had some purpose in the eyes of the prophet, even if it is not clear to us what that purpose was. (For a suggestion, see the Additional Note on the structure of verses 13-16 below.) Accordingly, translators should preserve the expression, rather than run it in with the second quotation formula says the LORD of hosts, as do Moffatt, New English Bible, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

And covering one’s garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts: The meaning of these words is uncertain. Both the internal structure of the clause, and its relationship with the previous clause are open to different interpretations. If the words carry their ordinary meaning, then covering one’s garment with violence probably carries the idea of getting blood on a garment when making a violent attack on someone else. This would be a second object of the verb hate in the previous clause, and the effect of the whole sentence would be to say that divorce is as bad as attacking innocent victims. Those versions that, like the Vulgate, translate the previous clause as “if you hate your wife, divorce her” treat this clause as the unwelcome result of such action and say, “however, iniquity will cover your garment.”

Some scholars and translators treat the word garment as a symbolic reference to a wife. They base this view on Ruth 3.9 and Ezek 16.8, where spreading a garment over a woman is a symbol of marriage. Some scholars even quote a passage in the Koran which refers to husband and wife as garments to each other (Sura 2.183), but this is hardly relevant as it comes from a period over a thousand years later than Malachi. If this view is accepted, then covering one’s garment with violence refers to a man behaving unjustly toward his wife. This view is represented in Revised English Bible, which has “If a man divorces or puts away his wife … he overwhelms her with cruelty.”

It is also possible (though much less likely) that the words can mean “cover violence with his garment” (compare King James Version). This possibility is found in New Jerusalem Bible with “I hate divorce … and people concealing their cruelty under a cloak.” Other renderings are “I detest divorce … and covering oneself with lawlessness as with a garment” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “I hate divorce … and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment” (New International Version). These both depend on adding one letter to the traditional Hebrew text. Neither rendering however succeeds in showing what the relationship is between divorce and violence, so they cannot be recommended.

The formula says the LORD of hosts serves to close and emphasize the climax of the paragraph of verses 13-16.

So take heed to yourselves is the same expression as occurred in verse 15. See the comments there.

And do not be faithless: This is a partial repetition of the words at the end of verse 15. The phrase “to the wife of [your] youth” is not repeated, so it may be that here the command refers to wider social relationships and not just marriage. If so, it could be taking up the first and very general occurrence of the term faithless in verse 10, and forming an inclusion for the whole section.

An alternative translation model for the verse is:

• The LORD, the God of Israel says that he hates divorce. It is equivalent to a person violently attacking someone else, says the LORD Almighty. So keep guard on your attitudes, and do not be disloyal.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Malachi. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Haggai 2:3

In Hebrew this verse consists of three questions, as in Revised Standard Version. Of these, the second assumes that the answer to the first is “yes,” and the third is really an answer to the second. Accordingly Good News Translation translates the third question as a statement.

Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?: This first question suggests that there were some people old enough to remember the earlier Temple (compare Ezra 3.12). The second question is addressed to such people. The Temple built by Solomon had been destroyed in 586 B.C., sixty-six years earlier, so only people of 70 years old or more would be able to remember it. Jewish tradition has taken the question to indicate that Haggai himself was one of the small group who could remember the earlier Temple. This is quite possible, but it cannot be proved. It is equally possible that Haggai had simply heard these old people making discouraging comparisons between the earlier Temple and the new one, and was trying to prevent the discouragement from spreading. Less than one month had passed between the time when work on the new Temple was started (1.15) and the time of the present message (2.1), so that little progress could have been expected. This house of course refers to the Temple. See the comments on 1.2. Its former glory refers to the “beauty” or “magnificence” of Solomon’s Temple. Good News Translation “Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be?” is a good alternative translation model for this question.

How do you see it now?: As noted above, this second question is addressed directly to those old people who could remember the earlier Temple. Haggai already knew the answer to this question, either from his own memory or from what he had heard people saying. Good News Translation expresses this from a different perspective with “How does it look to you now?” New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and New Living Translation are identical or similar. Translators may use whichever perspective is more natural in their language.

The answer in Hebrew takes the form of a third question, this time a negative one, Is it not in your sight as nothing? Such a construction would be very awkward in some languages, so a number of translators will prefer to follow the example of Good News Translation and translate the question as a statement: “It must seem like nothing at all.” Another way of expressing this is “You probably think that it has no beauty at all.” In languages in which rhetorical questions are used, but negative questions are confusing, it may be possible for translators to follow the example of Jerusalem Bible and use a positive question, “Does it seem nothing to you?”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Haggai. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Zechariah 1:16

Therefore, thus says the LORD: The word Therefore (Good News Translation “So”) links the statements and promises of this verse with the reasoning in verses 14 and 15. In Hebrew the expressions thus says the LORD and says the LORD of hosts both occur in this verse. The first is a fourth degree quotation introducing a fifth degree quotation, as explained in the introduction to 1.14-17. The second marks the climax of the fifth degree quotation. Since the beginning of the verse is a continuation of the message in verses 14 and 15, Good News Translation does not interrupt it by repeating these quotation formulas. Translators may include or omit the formulas as best fits the pattern of their language, but they should be aware of their discourse significance in the Hebrew.

I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion: The LORD had originally chosen Jerusalem, and his temporary punishment of its people did not cancel this choice. Therefore he shows kindness to his people again at the right time. The word returned is the same word in Hebrew as that translated “return” in verse 3 and “repented” in verse 6. To speak of the LORD coming back to Jerusalem would have reminded Zechariah’s hearers or readers of the vision of Ezekiel (Ezek 43.1-5). The word translated with compassion is a form of the same root that occurred in the question in verse 12, where it was translated “have … mercy.” These verbal links help to hold the Hebrew text together in a way that is often unavoidably lost in translation. The Septuagint and some modern versions such as New International Version translate the verb return as a future, but this is not a good idea as it reduces the strength of the encouragement in the message.

My house shall be built in it: The LORD’s return is here said to involve two particular forms of blessing. The first is that my house shall be built in it, or as Good News Translation says, “My Temple will be restored.” In these words Zechariah encourages the people with the assurance that the work recently begun under the ministry of Haggai (Hag 1.12-15) will be brought to a successful conclusion. In languages that do not use the passive, translators may render this clause as Contemporary English Version does with “my temple will stand again,” or they may use “The people [or, They] will rebuild my Temple [or, my house].”

The second aspect of blessing is that the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. This refers to the work of a surveyor on the site before the actual building begins. Since the meaning of the action would not be clear to some readers, Good News Translation expresses it in plain language as “the city will be rebuilt” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Alternatively translators may say “the people will rebuild my city.” Many may wish to follow these models.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Zechariah 4:4

And I said: Since the prophet’s words are a question, it may be helpful to indicate this in the introductory words, and say, “I asked” (as in Moffatt, New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

For comments on the angel who talked with me, see verse 1.

What are these, my lord?: These may refer to the olive trees (Baldwin, Petersen), the lamps (Driver), or, more probably, both (Mitchell, Merrill). Several translations convey the sense that it refers to both by saying “these things” (Good News Translation) or “those things” (Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The question is about meaning rather than identity. Good News Translation makes this clear by saying, “What do these things stand for, sir?” and Contemporary English Version has “But, sir, what do these mean?” Translators could also say, “Sir, what does all this mean?” as do Bible en français courant and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente.

The Hebrew word for lord is not the personal name of God here. It is simply a polite form of address, and is adequately translated into English as “sir” (Moffatt, New English Bible/ Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Zechariah 6:15

The instructions given to the prophet probably end at the end of verse 14. At any rate verse 15 is not very closely linked with them. This is shown in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation by printing it as a separate paragraph. Jerusalem Bible goes as far as to print verse 15 after verse 8, but there is no textual evidence to support this and translators should not follow this example. New Jerusalem Bible changes this, and prints the verses in their traditional order. In its traditional position, the verse functions as a closing summary to the whole of chapter 6.

And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD: Those who are far off probably refers primarily to those Jews who were living outside of Judah. It may refer to the gifts sent by the Babylonian Jewish community, as mentioned in verse 10. For shall come and help to build, the Hebrew text says “shall come and build” (King James Version, Revised Version, New American Bible), but the addition of help to (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version) is justified. The prophet is not saying that huge numbers of people will assist with the actual labor, but that they will make a contribution toward its success. In many cases this would have been a financial contribution like that brought by Heldai and his companions. It is possible in the light of 8.22 and Hag 2.7 that the prophet also has in mind contributions from gentile sources (compare Ezra 6.8, 22). Translators should not exclude this possibility by saying “those who are in exile,” but should keep a more general expression like “Men who live far away” (Good News Translation) or “people from distant lands” (Contemporary English Version). For the temple of the LORD, see the notes on verse 12.

And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you: Compare the notes on 2.9, 11; 4.9. In this case, you is plural in both of its occurrences. In many languages it will be useful to begin this clause with a statement linking it with the previous clause, as in Good News Translation “when it is rebuilt.”

And this shall come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God: New Revised Standard Version puts this shall come to pass into current English as “This will happen.” The Hebrew text actually has no equivalent to this. The sentence is in fact incomplete and consists only of a conditional clause. So New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has just “if only you will obey the LORD your God.” R. L. Smith notes that it may be an incomplete quotation of Deut 28.1. Perhaps this text would have been sufficiently familiar that mention of even part of it would bring the rest to the reader’s mind. It could be rendered “it will happen that if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God….” Some versions such as Moffatt, Knox, and New American Bible use dots to show that the text breaks off. Most however, try to provide a satisfactory ending. The most frequent solution is to provide this as the subject referring back to the arrival of foreign contributions to the work on the Temple (King James Version, Revised Version, Revised Standard Version, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Revised English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). This is the solution that translators are advised to adopt.

The voice of the LORD your God is of course a Hebrew way of referring to “the commands of the LORD your God” (Good News Translation), and many translators will find it better to state the meaning plainly. Another possibility is to say directly “obey the LORD your God” (New English Bible, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Contemporary English Version); for example, “… if you truly obey the LORD your [plural] God.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Zechariah 8:19

Thus says the LORD of hosts: See the comments on 7.9. There is no equivalent to this clause in Good News Translation; Contemporary English Version, however, includes an equivalent: “People of Judah, I, the LORD, demand that.” For LORD of hosts, see the comments on Hag 1.2.

The fast of the fourth month was not mentioned by the questioners in 7.3. It commemorated the day on which the Babylonians had first breached the walls of Jerusalem, the ninth day of the fourth month during the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign (2 Kgs 25.2-4; Jer 39.2).

For the fast of the fifth month, see the comments on 7.3.

For the fast of the seventh month, see the comments on 7.5.

The fast of the tenth month was not mentioned before either. It commemorated the day on which the Babylonian armies had begun their siege, the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of King Zedekiah’s reign (2 Kgs 25.1; Jer 39.1). It appears that the exiles had been keeping all four of these days as fast days during their time in Babylon. The most important fast was that of the fifth month, commemorating the destruction of the Temple. If that fast was to be abandoned, then of course the lesser fasts would also be abandoned. This was probably assumed in the way the question was framed in 7.3. In giving the answer, Zechariah states it clearly. He declares that there is no need to keep any of the four fasts any longer. Instead, for the future, the days on which they were observed shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Good News Translation expresses this more naturally as “will become festivals of joy and gladness….” Contemporary English Version is similar with “you should have a joyful festival.” In some languages “festival” will be rendered as “fiesta” and in others “religious celebration.” This change of attitude can take place because of the promises of God that the future will be better than the past (verses 1-17). The house of Judah means “the people of Judah” (Good News Translation).

Therefore love truth and peace: These words are added rather awkwardly at the end of the verse. The Hebrew has no equivalent to the Revised Standard Version therefore, and it is difficult to see any reason for inserting it, since there is no obvious logical connection with the previous clause. Nevertheless, a number of modern versions have “So” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation makes this a separate sentence with no connective: “You must love truth and peace” (similarly New English Bible). Other modern versions (Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Biblen: Det Gamle og Det Nye Testamente) begin the last clause with “But.” The sense that this gives is that in times of feasting, people may forget their moral responsibilities, so the prophet reminds them of them. This seems the most convincing explanation, and translators are advised to use “but” rather than therefore or “so” as the connective.

An alternative model is:

• This is what the LORD says: Instead of having days of going without food in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months, the people of Judah are to have days of glad celebration. But they must remember to love honesty and live together peacefully.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .