SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:7

2:7a

As my life was fading away: The expression my life was fading away means that Jonah was almost dead. You may have some dramatic expression in your language to express this. He was losing consciousness and his last conscious thought was of the LORD.

2:7b

I remembered the LORD: As in 2:2a–b, Jonah first referred to the LORD in the third person here in 2:7b. Then in 2:7c he changed to second person “you(sing).” As in 2:2, you need to decide what is natural in your language.

In the Hebrew text, the words translated the LORD have been placed at the front of the clause, probably for emphasis. This could be expressed in English as:

“it is the Lord whom I recalled.” (Sasson, p. 167)

2:7c

My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple: This was Jonah’s way of saying that the LORD had heard his prayer.

Your holy temple: See note on 2:4b.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:3

1:3a

Jonah, however: Other versions say “But Jonah.” This verse clearly contrasts with verse 2. The LORD had told Jonah to do one thing, but Jonah had decided to do something completely different.

got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD: As an Israelite, Jonah knew that the LORD was everywhere—yet he tried to flee from his presence. So in what sense could he flee from the LORD? Perhaps he thought that by leaving Israel, the country where the LORD’s temple was, and going far away to a country where the people did not follow the LORD, there would be less chance that the LORD would bother him with the command to preach to the people of Nineveh.

to flee to Tarshish: One thing is certain: Jonah had no intention of obeying the LORD or of going to Nineveh. Instead, he went in the opposite direction, towards the city of Tarshish. This was probably in the country now known as Spain. In Jonah’s time, it was considered to be at the western end of the world. Nineveh, however, was northeast of Israel. Jonah wanted to get as far away from Nineveh and its people as possible, since he did not want to give the LORD’s message to them.

1:3b

He went down to Joppa: Joppa was a city in Israel on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Ships would stop there to pick up passengers and cargo.

went down: Jonah went from higher land down to the coast.

and found a ship bound for Tarshish: There in Joppa, Jonah found a ship which was ready to sail to Tarshish. The sailors (the men who worked on the ship) were not Israelites but were probably from the country of Phoenicia (Clarke, p. 702; Ellison, p. 370).

1:3c

So he paid the fare: The text does not tell us to whom Jonah paid the money. If it is necessary in your language to supply this information, you could say, “to the owner of the boat.”

fare: This refers to the money Jonah paid to travel on the ship.

1:3d

and went aboard to sail for Tarshish: The Revised Standard Version has: “to go with them to Tarshish.” Most commentators agree that “with them” (omitted by the Berean Standard Bible) refers to the sailors. For example:

went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain (Good News Translation)

However, the Good News Translation makes it sound like Jonah and the sailors got on the ship together, that is, at the same time. This may be confusing, since the crew were probably already on the ship.

1:3e

away from the presence of the LORD: This is the second time this expression has occurred in this verse. See note on 1:3a. The phrase is probably repeated to emphasize it. Most English versions repeat the phrase as the Hebrew text does, although they use different words. For example, compare 1:3a and 1:3e in the Contemporary English Version.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 3:8

3:8a

Furthermore, let both man and beast be covered with sackcloth: Here again, the Hebrew word translated man is ʾaḏam and means a human being. Also, as mentioned in 3:7c, the Hebrew word behemah translated beast is a general term and refers to any domestic animal.

covered with sackcloth: In the Hebrew text, the same verb is used for people and animals covered with sackcloth. In your language, you may need to use two different verbs. For example:

“let the people wear sackcloth and the animals be covered in sackcloth.”

The king hoped that by including the animals in the fasting, and having them also covered in sackcloth, that God would no longer be angry with the people.

3:8b

and have everyone call out earnestly to God: The king also commanded the people to pray to God for mercy.

The Hebrew text here is literally “let them call upon God.” Take care that you do not use a pronoun here and in 3:8c which gives the impression that the king was ordering the animals to pray or turn from their evil behavior! The Berean Standard Bible has solved this problem by using the word everyone, which can only apply to people.

3:8c

Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in his hands: The king also ordered them to stop behaving in a wicked and violent way.

his evil ways: Literally, “their evil path,” that is, “their evil behavior.”

the violence in his hands: The Hebrew word translated the violence in his hands is not limited to physical injury but includes any wrong done to someone else. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

stop doing harm (New Century Version)
-or-
stop being…cruel (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:14

1:14a

So they cried out to the LORD: This is the first time the sailors prayed to the LORD, the true God, instead of to their own gods.

1:14b

Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life: When the sailors became sure that they could not save themselves, they decided that they must kill Jonah by throwing him into the sea. However, they wanted to make sure that the LORD would not punish them for killing Jonah, so they asked to be forgiven even before doing it.

Please: This translates a word in Hebrew which indicates that what follows is a plea or entreaty. It is sometimes translated in older English translations as “we beseech you.” If there is a word or phrase in your language which is used in a situation where someone is begging another person to do something for them, you can use it here.

1:14c

Do not charge us with innocent blood: The Good News Translation does not translate the word innocent. Instead, it combines this sentence with 1:14b, since it considers 1:14b–c as a doublet. However, most other English versions make a difference between 1:14b and 1:14c, and it is recommended that you do so too.

There are two ways to understand this statement:

(1) The sailors were saying that there was a slight chance that Jonah might be innocent.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, King James Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible Revised Standard Version).

(2) The sailors were saying that Jonah was guilty.

(New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004))

Although option 2 makes some sense in the context (since Jonah had admitted his guilt), most major commentaries and English versions support the first interpretation (1). It is recommended that you follow the first option too and translate this part of the verse in a way that makes it clear that the sailors still thought that Jonah might be innocent.

1:14d

For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased: In the sailors’ minds, the LORD was responsible for the whole situation. He had sent the storm and he had indicated through the casting of lots that Jonah was the guilty party. Therefore he was also responsible for them needing to throw Jonah overboard. Therefore they asked the LORD not to blame them for Jonah’s death.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:9

4:9b

Have you any right to be angry about the plant?: Once again God scolded Jonah for his anger. This is another rhetorical question and implied that Jonah did not have the right to be angry.

4:9c

“I do,” he replied. “I am angry enough to die!”: Jonah, however, insisted that he was indeed right to be angry because the plant had withered.

angry enough to die!: This phrase can have two meanings: First, it means that Jonah was so angry that he actually preferred death to life. And secondly, it is an idiom to show that Jonah was very angry.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:8

2:8a

Those who cling to worthless idols: In 2:8–9 Jonah contrasted himself, a believer in the true God, with people who worshiped idols. Jonah may have been referring to a particular group of people—for example, the sailors—or he may have been thinking about anyone who worshiped idols rather than the true God.

2:8b

forsake His loving devotion: Literally “they forsake their grace.” This is a very difficult expression in Hebrew. Commentators and translations differ on how they interpret it, depending on how they translate ḥeseḏ, which means “grace, kindness, loyalty, unfailing love,” and what they understand by the expression “their grace.”

The two main possibilities are:

(1) “their grace” means “the LORD’s grace to them,” that is, the love and kindness which the LORD would have shown them if they had believed in him rather than worshiping idols.

(2) “their grace” means “the loyalty which they should show to the LORD.” Here is another way to translate this:

have abandoned their loyalty to you (Good News Translation)

There is good support for each of these possibilities. However, in the context, it seems as if Jonah was referring to the pagan sailors. From his point of view, as a Hebrew, people who were not Hebrews had never been “loyal” to the LORD, so how could they “have abandoned their loyalty to” him? The first interpretation makes more sense, therefore, and should be followed. Those who worship idols and follow them forsake the grace they might have obtained from the LORD.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:4

1:4a

Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea: The Israelites believed that the winds were the LORD’s servants (see Psalm 104:4). The image of hurling wind may not be clear or natural in your language. Decide what would be the best verb to use in your language: could the LORD “hurl” the wind, “send” it, or “cause” it to blow? If possible, use a term which expresses how violent and sudden the action was. For example:

the Lord sent a great wind (New International Version)
-or-
the Lord flung a powerful wind (New Living Translation (1996))

1:4b

and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart: As a result of the strong wind, a fierce storm developed. The waves started to hit against the ship with great force, and the ship was about to break into pieces. It may be necessary in your language to include the information about the waves to explain how the storm affected the boat.

a violent storm: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as violent means “great.” You should choose the most natural word in your language to describe a severe storm.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 3:9

3:9a

Now the purpose of the decree is given. The king and his nobles hoped that God would notice that they had repented and would not destroy them.

Who knows?: This is a Hebrew idiom (as it is in English) that means that no one knows whether a certain thing will happen. Here are some other ways to translate this:

perhaps (Good News Translation)
-or-
maybe (Revised English Bible)

God may turn and relent: There are two problems with this part of the verse.

First, in Hebrew this expression contains two verbs: šuḇ “to turn” and naḥam “to be sorry, have compassion, repent.” There are two ways of understanding this double verb structure:

(1) The two verbs should be translated as one single action. The second verb naḥam “to be sorry, have compassion, repent” is the main verb. The other verb šuḇ, literally “to turn,” is often used in Hebrew as an auxiliary verb with the meaning of “do something again.” This can be expressed in a translation by the word “again” or even omitted when the main verb already contains the idea of repeated action. For example:

change his mind (Good News Translation)
-or-
reconsider his plans (God’s Word)

(2) The two verbs represent two separate actions. For example:

relent and change his mind (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
turn and relent (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1) here. The verb šuḇ is often used as an adverb in Hebrew, and the adverbial sense of “doing something again” fits well with the range of meaning of the second verb naḥam.

The second problem about which scholars and versions differ is the meaning of naḥam in this context. The two main possibilities are:

(1) It should be translated “to change his mind, relent, repent”.
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(2) It should be translated “to have compassion, to be moved with pity”.

Both are possible meanings of naḥam and both make sense in the context. However, the first meaning, “change his mind,” goes best with the use of šuḇ as an auxiliary verb. Also these are the words of the pagan king of Nineveh, who had little knowledge of the compassionate God of Jonah. His interest was mainly in causing God to change his mind about destroying his city. For these reasons the first option is recommended (1).

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000