poetry in Ecclesiastes 6:4-5

The Hebrew poetry in Eccl. 6:4-5 is translated by the German Gute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:

»Als ein Nichts kommt sie,
in die Nacht geht sie,
namenlos und vergessen.
Das Sonnenlicht sieht sie nicht,
was Leben ist, weiß sie nicht;
doch Ruhe hat sie gefunden.«

(Literal translation:
“She comes as a nothing,
she goes into the night,
nameless and forgotten.
She doesn’t see the sunlight,
She doesn’t know what life is;
but she has found peace.”)

The syllable count of the lines is 5-5-7-7-7-7 and lines 1 and 2 as well as lines 4 and 5 rhyme. Lines 2 and 6 don’t rhyme but provide an interesting counter-balance with the words vergessen (“forgotten”) and gefunden (“found”).

Source: Jan P. Sterk in OPTAT 1989/1, p. 36ff.

uphold the law

The Greek in Romans 3:31 that is translated in English as “uphold the law” is translated in Nuer as “make the law true.”

In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as Das Gesetz wird dadurch sogar bestätigt, dass sein Sinn positiv gesehen wird or “The law is even confirmed by the fact that its meaning is seen in a positive light.”

covetousness, greed

The Greek that is translated in English as “greed” or “covetousness” (or “avarice”) is translated in these ways:

  • Zande: “having a big heart for everything” (source: Jan Sterk)
  • Akan: “close-fisted” (pɛpɛe) (source: J.E.T. Kuwornu- Adjaottor)
  • Tzeltal: “small-hearted”
  • Yucateco “desiring what other have”
  • Shipibo-Conibo; “going crazy for things” (source and two above: Nida 1952, p. 133f.)
  • Bariai: “rotten intestines” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “desiring peoples’ things” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also covet, extortioner / swindler, all who are greedy for gain, one who is greedy..