SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000 – Page 5

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.

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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).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:15

1:15a

they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea: The verbs translated picked up and cast are the same verbs which the Berean Standard Bible translated “pick up” and “cast” in 1:12a. See the note there.

1:15b

and the raging sea grew calm: This is a dramatic point in the story. The sailors’ reaction in 1:16 shows this. The Good News Translation uses a phrase to indicate this:

at once (Good News Translation)

raging: As the English word raging used by the Berean Standard Bible suggests, the Hebrew word is connected with “anger.” You will need to check whether or not you can use a similar image in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:10

The LORD wanted Jonah to see that his attitude towards the people of Nineveh was not reasonable. If Jonah could care about a plant which he never looked after or caused to grow, then was it not right that the LORD should care about the people of Nineveh, whom he created and whom he loved?

4:10a-b

You cared about the plant: The Hebrew verb ḥus which the Berean Standard Bible has translated cared about really means “to pity, to look on with compassion.” It is the same verb which God uses in 4:11a for his emotions regarding the people of Nineveh. If it is not possible in your language to say “have compassion for the plant” (NET Bible), or “feel sorry for it [the plant]” (Good News Translation), you could say “felt sorry about what happened to the plant.”

4:10c-d

It sprang up in a night and perished in a night: The rapid growth of the plant shows that this was a miraculous event. The fact that the plant only lived a short time seems to emphasize the fact that it really was not as important as Jonah thought it was.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:9

2:9a

But I: In this verse Jonah contrasted himself and his behavior with those who worshiped idols (2:8). One way in English of showing this contrast is to begin the verse with “But as for me, I…”

with the voice of thanksgiving: It can refer to either spoken or sung praise. Hence Contemporary English Version has “shouts of praise” instead of Berean Standard Bible’s voice of thanksgiving. Both are a kind of prayer.

will sacrifice to You: While Jonah thanked the LORD, he also intended to make a sacrifice to him. Exactly what the sacrifice would be is not mentioned, but, as in 1:16, the Hebrew verb used here usually refers to animal sacrifices.

2:9b

I will fulfill what I have vowed: Here Jonah promised to fulfill the promise/vow he made to the LORD. He made this promise while he was still in the belly of the fish. He had not drowned, but now he needed to be delivered from inside the fish. The text does not tell us what Jonah promised to do. This is similar to the sailors’ reaction to their deliverance in 1:16.

2:9c

Salvation is from the LORD!: This statement declares that the LORD alone is able to save/rescue. Jonah was stating that the LORD was in control of the situation and could save him. Jonah again referred to the LORD in the third person (see 2:2 and 2:7). However, here it is probably best to keep the third person reference and consider that Jonah was making a statement about the LORD rather than addressing a remark to him. No major English version substitutes a second person reference here.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000