The word play in the Hebrew original between “shaqed” (translated in most English versions as “almond tree”) of Jer 1:11 and “shoqed” (translated in most English versions as “watching”) in Jer 1:12 is reproduced in the German Good News translation (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) of 1982 with Wacholderzweig (“juniper branch”) and wache (“watch”). Accompanying the translation is a note, indicating that the literal translation would be Mandelbaum (“almond tree”), which they point out is the first to bloom in the spring, giving the appearance not to have slept. Then they explain that just as Hebrew has a play on words between “shaqed” and “shoqed,” so also they have made a play on words between Wacholder and wachen in their translation.
Translation: German
Das Wortspiel im hebräischen Oiginal zwischen "shaqed" (zu deutsch "Mandelbaum") in Jer. 1.11 und "shoqed" (zu deutsch "sehen", "schauen") in Jer 1.12 wird von der Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch von 1982 mit "Wacholderzweig" and "wache" nachgebildet. Die Übersetzung wird von folgender Fußnote begleitet: "Der Mandelbaum blüht im Frühjahr als erster und scheint im Winter sozusagen gar nicht 'geschlafen' zu haben." Dann wird erklärt, dass das hebräische Wortspiel dem deutschen Wortspiel zwischen "Wacholder" und "wachen" Vorbild war.
The Hebrew that is translated as “break up your fallow ground” in some English versions is translated as “prepare your hard hearts like a person prepares a garden spot” in Bassa.
The Hebrew that is translated as “scarecrow” in English is translated in Bassa in Liberia as “a stick that a person decorates with clothes and sets in a farm.”
The musical instrument that is most often translated as “flute” or “pipe” in English is more or less universally used, so it’s typically translated directly with the applicable term.
Since its cultural significance is sometimes different it might be translated with a different instruments is some cases (see also below). When in Matthew 11:17 and Luke 7:32 the flute is mentioned as an instrument played at a wedding, the Chichewa (interconfessional translation, 1999) translates it as “we played the wedding drum for you” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 74), the Yakan and Kankanaey translations use “gongs” (source: Yakan and Kankanaey Back Translations), in Western Bukidnon Manobo “drumming” is used (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation), and in Tagbanwa “stringed-instruments” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).
Or in Jeremiah 48:36 where the flute is used for mourning, Bassa uses “funeral drum” (source: Newman / Stine) or Hiligaynon, while using “flute,” makes the meaning explicit: “like a lonely music of a flute for the dead” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation).
Description: The flute was a wind instrument consisting of a tube with a series of finger holes used to alter the tone. Some flutes were made of reed and could take several forms: the tube could be a cylinder or it could be more in the shape of a cone. There were instruments made of a single tube, while others had two tubes side by side. Often ancient double flutes or double pipes were arranged in a V-shape, with two separate reeds. One of these pipes had several holes while the other had only one hole and acted as a kind of drone, providing an unchanging tone to accompany the varying tones coming from the first pipe. Some pipes or flutes were made of other materials, such as wood, ivory, bone, or metal.
Usage: Sound was produced with the flute by blowing across an opening leading into a hole running inside the length of the instrument; in some cases the opening hole was in the end of the instrument while in others this hole was in the side of the instrument toward one end. With the reed pipe, on the other hand, a column of air was set in motion by blowing over a reed device, causing it to vibrate.
Translation: If there is no wind instrument available to translate “flute,” a different kind of wind instrument may be used.
The Hebrew word ‘ugav is usually understood to refer to a wind instrument. It is possible, however, that it is a generic term for “instrument” or even refers to a particular stringed instrument. In Job 21:12 and Job 30:31 it is identified as an instrument that expressed joy and contentment.
Psalms 5:1: The Hebrew word nchiloth appears only here in the Old Testament, and its meaning is uncertain. It may mean “wind instruments” in general or “flutes” in particular. Extra-biblical evidence indicates that it may have been an instrument played for funeral laments.
Matthew 9:23: Here NRSVue has “flute players”: According to Jewish tradition, even the poorest people were expected to have two flute players and a wailing woman for a funeral. In order to clarify the role of the flute players Good News Translation adds “for the funeral.” This information was immediately evident to a Jewish reader who was familiar with the funeral customs, but it will not be clear to other readers. Many cultures are familiar with the flute or other instruments that are played by blowing through a wooden tube. If no such instrument exists, then translators can say “those who played musical instruments for a funeral” or, as in Good News Translation, “musicians for the funeral.” See also flute players.
Men playing flutes (source: Louise Bass (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1994)
The words of Jeremiah, a literal rendering of the Hebrew, represents what is found in most other translations (for example, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade, Zürcher Bibel. However, in Hebrew words may also mean “deeds” or “history,” as the footnote of Traduction œcuménique de la Bible indicates. Therefore Moffatt has “The story of Jeremiah” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “In this book is written what Jeremiah said and did.” The problem of interpretation (whether words has the extended meaning of “words and deeds”) is made more difficult by the nature of the construction of the book of Jeremiah. As is well known, the book of Jeremiah is not put together according to a chronological arrangement, and it is only with difficulty that we can uncover even a topical arrangement of the sayings and deeds recorded in the book.
Since 25.13a indicates the closing of a “book” within the larger framework of the whole book of Jeremiah, some scholars believe that The words of Jeremiah must be taken only with 1.1–25.13. In fact the Septuagint deletes 25.14 and places chapters 46–51 immediately following 25.13, thereby suggesting that the first part of Jeremiah is looked upon as a sayings source. We would then have here the words spoken by Jeremiah between the time of his call (627 B.C.) and the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign (605 B.C.). In this regard it is interesting to note that this time span coincides precisely with that indicated in the scroll that Jeremiah dictated in 605 B.C. (chapter 36).
On the other hand, it is quite possible that The words of Jeremiah was attached to the beginning of the book by the final editor, who used this as a designation for the whole of the book. No final decision is possible. However, regardless of what decision we come to, it is advisable to open the book with a complete sentence, rather than slavishly to follow the wording of the Hebrew text. Depending on which interpretation of words they follow, translators can say “Here are [or, These are] the words of Jeremiah,” “This is the story of Jeremiah,” or “This book is about what Jeremiah said and did.” Good News Translation has a passive construction, “what was said by Jeremiah,” but in many languages an active sentence, such as “what Jeremiah said,” will be more natural.
Jeremiah was obviously a frequently used name among the Hebrews, as is indicated by both the Old Testament itself and other sources of the same period. The meaning of the name is disputed, though it may possibly mean either “the LORD exalts” or “the LORD loosens [the womb].” In the book itself the name seems to hold no symbolic significance, and so the root meaning is of no consequence as far as translation is concerned. Therefore translators should transliterate the name, not translate it.
How to transliterate proper nouns is something that translators should agree on very early in any translation project. Some will follow some major language such as English, Spanish, or French, and write the names as they would be pronounced in their own languages. Others will transliterate the Hebrew (in the Old Testament) form. Lists of all proper nouns in the Bible are available from Bible Society consultants or offices, as well as some rules of thumb to follow to be sure that the problem is handled consistently.
Hilkiah was also the name of the High Priest who in the days of Josiah discovered “the book of the Law” in the Temple (2Kgs 22.8), though modern scholarship tends not to identify this Hilkiah with the father of Jeremiah. As with the name Jeremiah, so Hilkiah was also evidently in common use among the ancient Hebrews. Had Jeremiah been the son of a famous priest, it is not likely that he would have encountered as much rejection during the course of his ministry. Translators will render the son of Hilkiah in whatever way is natural. In some languages this would be “Hilkiah was his father.”
The phrase of the priests is difficult. Some scholars argue that it seems to make an intrusion into the text and must therefore not be considered an original part of the Hebrew manuscript. But there are no textual grounds for its omission, and so it must be dealt with in translation. The general consensus of scholars is that the reference is to Hilkiah rather than to Jeremiah; that is, although Jeremiah was the son of a priest, he himself was not a priest. Jeremiah’s outlook was primarily prophetic, and he often found himself in opposition to the priests (5.31; 6.13; 23.11; 26.8, 11; 29.26); so it may well be that he was not of their group. Good News Translation translates of the priests by “one of the priests.” The Bible en français courant has “Jeremiah was of a family of priests.”
Priests is a term that translators will normally have translated already in other books. Many translators use a term such as “sacrificers,” which emphasizes the main role of the priests, and works especially well if translators have rendered “temple” as “house [or, building] of sacrifice.” Other translators have used short phrases such as “those who go before God [for the people]” or “mediator between God and the people.”
Jeremiah’s home town was Anathoth (see 11.21, 23; 29.27; 32.7-9). The exact location of ancient Anathoth is uncertain, though biblical archaeologists tend nowadays to identify it with the modern Ras el-Kharrubeh, about 800 meters (a half mile) south of Anata, which was previously thought to be the site. If this identification is correct, then ancient Anathoth was about four or five kilometers (two-and-a-half or three miles) north of Jerusalem. In many languages it is helpful to identify Anathoth as “the town [or, village] of Anathoth,” although since the text goes on to say in the land of Benjamin, this may not be necessary. King Solomon banished Abiathar the High Priest to Anathoth (1Kgs 2.26) because of his part in the plot to have Adonijah succeed David as king. It is then likely that Jeremiah was a descendant of Abiathar, which would account for the reference to the priests who were in Anathoth. Some scholars, however, see no basis for the claim that Jeremiah was a descendant of Abiathar.
The land of Benjamin was the territory assigned the tribe of Benjamin in the division of the land under Joshua (Josh 18.11-28). Translators should be careful not to make the translation sound as if Benjamin were still alive. “The land of the tribe of Benjamin” or “the territory of Benjamin’s descendants” will avoid this.
In Revised Standard Version this verse is just part of a long sentence that extends to the end of verse 2. Good News Translation has made this verse one sentence. In other languages this verse can even be expressed more naturally as two sentences, as in:
• This is the story of Jeremiah. He was the son of Hilkiah who was one of the priests in Anathoth in the land of the tribe of Benjamin.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The word of the LORD came is a Hebrew way of saying “the LORD spoke” (Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The form of the construction reflects the Hebrew thinking that the word of the LORD possessed life itself and was almost to be looked upon as an entity in itself apart from the LORD. Similar constructions are found in 14.1; 46.1; 47.1; 49.34. In some languages the most natural way to express this is “The LORD gave him a message.”
The LORD: In this Handbook we will follow Revised Standard Version and use LORD.
Josiah the son of Amon was king of Judah from 640 to 609 B.C.; the thirteenth year of his reign would then be 627-626 B.C. He came to the throne at the age of eight, and in his eighteenth year as king he initiated a religious reform for which he is famous. In 22.15-16 Jeremiah contrasts him with his evil son Jehoiakim. Elsewhere in the book he is mentioned in 3.6; 25.3; 36.2. Son of Amon may have to be handled like “son of Hilkiah” in verse 1. Whether in the thirteenth year of his reign means he had been king for twelve years or thirteen is not clear, but most scholars understand it to mean twelve. Thus translators can have either “in the thirteenth year” or “after Josiah was king for twelve years.”
Judah can be referred to as “the country of Judah,” but since it is such a common term in the Bible, most readers will be familiar enough with it that this may not be necessary.
Translators should express this verse as naturally as possible. For example, in some languages a good expression is “The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, son of Amon, in Judah” or “The LORD spoke to Jeremiah at a time when the son of Amon named Josiah had been king of Judah for twelve years.” Since in verse 3 we learn that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah again at later times, the New American Bible (New American Bible) has here “The word of the LORD first came to him….”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
It refers to the message from the LORD in verse 2. Some translators will render this “The LORD spoke to Jeremiah” or “Jeremiah also received a message from the LORD in the days….” It came also … until the end of is expressed in Good News Translation by “After that, the LORD spoke to him many times, until….”
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah reigned 609-598 B.C. He was succeeded by Zedekiah who reigned 598-587 B.C. In the eleventh year of his reign (587 B.C.) Jerusalem and the entire country of Judah fell to the Babylonian army. Although Jeremiah indicates that this was the end of his prophetic ministry, he did exercise his calling during the years immediately following the fall of Jerusalem (40.7–44.30). However, it was this event that really was the climax of his ministry.
The captivity of Jerusalem refers to when the people of Jerusalem were defeated and led away to exile in another country. This reflects the custom of transporting the people of captured nations into foreign lands where they would be less likely to rebel against their conquerors. The expression is rendered as a complete statement by both Good News Translation (“the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile”) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“when the inhabitants of Jerusalem were led into exile”). In some languages the fact that they were defeated has to be made clear, as in “conquered and forced to go into exile.”
In the fifth month does not mean that Jeremiah continued to receive messages from the LORD until the people had been held in captivity five months. It means that the people were carried away in the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign.
Having until twice in this verse may not be very natural. One way to render the verse would be:
• Jeremiah also received messages from the LORD during the time when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was king of Judah and when his son Zedekiah ruled, up to the eleventh year that he was king and the time when in the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.
In order to make a link between verses 1-3, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates: “1 In this book is written what Jeremiah said and did … 2 The Lord spoke to him for the first time … 3 But this book also contains what the Lord later said to Jeremiah….” Many translators will find this approach helpful in their translations.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
