The Hebrew in Jonah 4:2 that is translated as “my country” in English is translated in Luba-Lulua as “our country” (the phrase “my country” is reserved for chiefs and presidents).
poetry in Isaiah 5:1-6
The Hebrew poetry in Isaiah 5:1-6 is translated by the German Gute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:
| Auf fruchtbarem Hügel, da liegt mein Stück Land, dort hackt ich den Boden mit eigener Hand, ich mühte mich ab und las Felsbrocken auf, baute Wachtturm und Kelter, setzte Reben darauf. Und süße Trauben erhofft ich zu Recht, doch was dann im Herbst wuchs, war sauer und schlecht. Jerusalems Bürger, ihr Leute von Juda, was sagt ihr zum Weinberg, was tätet denn ihr da? Die Trauben sind sauer – entscheidet doch ihr: War die Pflege zu schlecht? Liegt die Schuld denn bei mir? Ich sage euch, Leute, das tue ich jetzt: Weg reiß ich die Hecke, als Schutz einst gesetzt; zum Weiden solln Schafe und Rinder hinein! Und die Mauer ringsum – die reiße ich ein! Zertrampelnden Füßen geb ich ihn preis, schlecht lohnte mein Weinberg mir Arbeit und Schweiß! Ich will nicht mehr hacken, das Unkraut soll sprießen! Der Himmel soll ihm den Regen verschließen! |
Literal translation: “On a fertile hill, lies my piece of land, I hoe the ground there with my own hand, I worked hard and picked up boulders, I built watchtower and wine press, put vines on it. And for sweet grapes I had reason to hope for but what then grew in the fall, was sour and bad. Jerusalem’s citizens, you people of Judah, what do you say about the vineyard, what were you doing there? The grapes are sour – you decide: Was the care too bad? Is the fault all mine? I’m telling you, people, this is what I’m going to do now: I’ll tear the hedge away, once placed as protection; Sheep ill enter to graze and so will cattle come! And the wall all around – I’ll tear it down! I’ll open it up to trampling feet, My vineyard didn’t warrant my work and sweat! I don’t want to hoe anymore, let the weeds sprout! the sky shall block the rain form falling” |
The syllable count of the lines is 5 and 6 and the rhymes are highlighted (note: the highlights are not in the original).
Source: Jan P. Sterk in OPTAT 1989/1, p. 36ff.
See also word play in Isaiah 5:7.
acknowledge the Son, confess the Son
The Greek in 1 John 2:23 that is translated as “confesses the Son” or “acknowledges the Son” in English is translated in Mbandja as “whoever says openly that he has faith in the Son.”
poetry in Micah 2:4b
The Hebrew poetry in poetry in Micah 2:4b is translated by the German Gute Nachricht Bibel (last rev. 2018) in poetic form:
»Unser Ende ist gekommen,
Gott gab Fremden unser Land.
Alles haben sie genommen,
nichts mehr blieb in unserer Hand!«
Literal translation:
“Our end has come near,
God gave our land to strangers.
They took everything
nothing remained in our own hands!”
The syllable count of the lines is 8-7-8-7 and the rhyming pattern is A-B-A-B.
Source: Jan P. Sterk in OPTAT 1989/1, p. 36ff.
promise
The Greek in 1 John 2:25 that is translated as “promise” in English is translated in Mbandja as “the thing which he said he would certainly give.”
take a wife
The Hebrew in Hosea 1:2 that is translated in English as “(go) take (yourself) a wife” is translated in Meru as “go buy (marry) buy a prostitute.’ “In Meru, ‘buy’ is used for ‘marry.’ In churches, a new expression ‘take’ is gaining ground (being more respectful, it is thought). But the common way of referring to marriage is by using the verb ‘buy.'”
my Baal
The Hebrew in Hosea 2:16 that is translated as “My Baal” in English presented an “interesting problem in Meru: the pronoun concord on ‘my’ will indicate whether ‘Baal’ is a living being or not. It is either BAALI WAAKWA (Baal being a living being) or BAALI YAAKWA (Baal being a thing, an idol). But since one can hardly call God a non-living being, it was suggested to use WAAKWA.”
See also Baal.
God's anger, wrath of God
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)
Translations in other languages:
- Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
- Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
- Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
See also anger and the coming wrath.