SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000 – Page 6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:11

1:11a

Now the sea was growing worse and worse: All the time the sailors were talking to Jonah the sea grew rougher. The Hebrew idiom used here has the sense of “more and more,” that is, “the sea continued to get rougher.”

1:11b

What must we do to you to calm this sea for us?: Now that the sailors knew that the storm had happened because Jonah had disobeyed the LORD, they asked Jonah what they should do to him to make it stop. They felt that they needed to punish him so they could be rescued from the storm.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:6

4:6a

the LORD God appointed a vine: This phrase means that God caused a plant to grow. The Hebrew verb minneh used here is the same one that was translated appointed in 1:17a. There the LORD provided a great fish to save Jonah, now he provided a plant to shelter him. The rapid growth of this plant indicates that this was miraculous.

the LORD God: In the book of Jonah, God is usually called the LORD (Yahweh) or God (ʾelohim), although in chapter 2 he is called “the LORD his God” and “the LORD my God.” Here the two names for God are joined together without any pronoun. The use of LORD God without a possessive pronoun is fairly rare in the OT. It is found mainly in Genesis 2–3 and in 1 and 2 Chronicles. How you translate this phrase will depend on the term you have chosen for Yahweh. See the note in the Introduction.

vine: The word translated vine by Berean Standard Bible only occurs in this passage in the OT and no one has been able to identify for certain what sort of plant is being referred to. So most English versions translate it as “plant”. You should use as generic a term as possible for “plant” in your translation here rather than using the name of a specific plant from your area which possibly did not grow in Nineveh. The important thing about this plant is that it was leafy and provided enough shade to protect Jonah’s head and to ease the discomfort he was experiencing from the hot sun. This made Jonah very happy.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:5

2:5a

The waters engulfed me to take my life: The Hebrew for this is literally “waters surrounded me as far as my soul.” The Hebrew term nep̄eš has a number of possible meanings including “soul,” life, and “self.” Occasionally it can mean “neck, throat,” see Isaiah 5:14. This last meaning makes good sense here and a number of versions translate in a similar way to the New Century Version, which has:

“The waters of the sea closed around my throat” (New Century Version)

and Sasson (p. 182) who has:

“Water envelops me up to my neck.”

The important thing to express here is that Jonah was in a situation in which he was likely to die.

2:5b

the watery depths closed around me: 2:5b is parallel to 2:5a. Jonah expressed the threat and danger of death that he felt as he found himself sinking deeper and deeper into the sea. Notice the parallelism:

The waters engulfed me to take my life ;

the watery depths
_______
closed around me ;

2:5c

the seaweed wrapped around my head: Seaweed is a plant which grows on the bottom of the sea. It also floats freely in the sea and can wrap itself around people who are in the water. The Hebrew word used here is more general and can refer to any sort of plant which grows in water.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:1

Section 1:1–17

The LORD told Jonah to take a message to the people of Nineveh but Jonah disobeyed

This section tells about the LORD’s command to Jonah to preach a message of judgment and destruction to the people of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. Jonah, however, disobeyed the LORD and tried to flee from him; he got on a ship heading for Tarshish, a city in the opposite direction.#

1:1

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying: The expression the word of the LORD came to Jonah refers to the message which the LORD communicated to Jonah. We do not know how Jonah received this message. It could have been in a vision or a dream, or perhaps the LORD spoke directly to him.

In Hebrew the story begins abruptly: the word of the LORD came to Jonah. Most English versions follow the Hebrew style. However, in your language it may be necessary to reorder the verse so that the story begins in a more natural way for your readers. Notice that the second meaning line in the Display gives one possible way of doing this. You need to decide which is the best way in your language for introducing this story.

LORD: LORD represents the Hebrew Yahweh, the personal name of God. See the notes in the Introduction on how to translate this term.

Jonah son of Amittai: Jonah was the son of a man called Amittai. Nothing more is recorded about Jonah’s background in this book. 2 Kings 14:25 gives a little more information. The important thing to keep in mind is that he was an Israelite and the LORD told him to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh, who were enemies of the Israelites. In the New Testament, Jesus referred to Jonah as a prophet (Matthew 12:29).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 3:6

3:6a

When word reached the king of Nineveh: The king of Nineveh heard about the message Jonah was announcing and he too believed that God was going to destroy the city in forty days.

3:6b

he got up from his throne: The king got up from his throne, the special seat that a king sits on to show his authority.

3:6c

took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth: He also took off his royal robes, which he wore to show he was king, and put on sackcloth like the ordinary people had done, to show that he too had repented.

sackcloth: See note on 3:5c.

3:6d

and sat in ashes: It was a custom in that part of the world to sit on the ground in ashes to express sorrow. (See Job 2:13.)

Each of the actions in 3:6b–d was a sign that the king was repenting and humbling himself before God.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:12

1:12a

Pick me up…and cast me into the sea: You may not need to use both the verbs Pick…up and cast in your language. For example:

Throw me into the sea (Good News Translation)

The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible has translated cast is the same word used in 1:5c for throwing the cargo into the sea. It is also the same word used for the LORD’s action of “hurling” the wind in 1:4a.

1:12b

For I know that I am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you: Jonah knew that the storm had happened because he had disobeyed the LORD.

General Comment about 1:12

In your language you may need to reorder the parts of this verse to show more clearly how they relate to one another. For example,

Jonah answered them, “I know that it is because of me that you (plur) are in this terrible storm. So take hold of me and throw me into the sea. If you (plur) do that, then it will become calm.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:7

4:7a–b

When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered: Jonah’s relief only lasted one day, because the next day God sent a worm which chewed the vine so that it withered and died. Then there was no longer enough shade to protect Jonah from the burning sun.

God appointed a worm: The Hebrew verb minneh translated here as appointed is the same word as in 1:17a and 4:6a. See the notes on those verses. The same verb also occurs in 4:8a. In each case God “provided” something which affected Jonah. In all four verses the Berean Standard Bible uses appointed. If you can use the same verb in the four verses, you should do so. The important thing in each case was that God initiated the action and was in control.

worm: Scholars have suggested a number of possible translations for the Hebrew term translated worm in the Berean Standard Bible and most other English versions. Some other suggestions are: larva, maggot, weevil, beetle, or centipede. If possible, use a general word for this creature, one that refers to something that eats stems or leaves.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:6

2:6a

To the roots of the mountains I descended: As Jonah sank to the bottom of the sea, he settled at the roots (that is, base, foot) of the mountains under the sea.

I descended: This translates the normal Hebrew verb yaraḏ “to go down” and contrasts with the Hebrew ʿalah “to go up” in 2:6c.

There are two possible ways of dividing this part of the verse:

(1) Attach the phrase “I sank down” to the phrase “to the roots of the mountains.” This is the way the Hebrew text seems to be grouped and makes best sense of the grammar of the Hebrew, but it leaves 2:6b without a verb.

(2) Place a sentence break after the word “mountains,” and in this way join the phrase “to the roots of the mountains” to 2:5c. The phrase I descended is then included in 2:6b. For example:

“weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; (Revised Standard Version)

(See Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow the first option like the majority of English versions.

2:6b

the earth beneath me barred me in forever!: At the very bottom of the sea, Jonah felt like he was in prison behind barred doors—without any chance of escape. Literally, the Hebrew says “the earth/land, its bars, behind me forever.” It is a clause without a verb, and English translations resolve this in different ways:

(1) By supplying a verb from the noun “bars.” Berean Standard Bible has: barred me in. Here is another example:

closed upon me (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(2) By treating the clause as parallel to “at the roots of the mountains.” For example:

“I went down to the very roots of the mountains, into the land whose gates lock shut forever.” (Good News Translation)

Either of these alternatives is acceptable.

the earth beneath me: This probably refers to “the land of the dead.” The Good News Translation puts a footnote here to make this clear. Jonah was again saying that he had given up hope of living.

2:6c

But You raised my life from the pit: The LORD rescued Jonah by having a huge fish swallow him alive. The expression You raised my life from the pit is Jonah’s way of saying that the LORD had spared his life when he was so close to death. The term pit is a synonym for šeʾol —the place of the dead. See the note on 2:2c.

O LORD my God: Jonah addressed the LORD here as my God. This does not mean that he owned God. This is an expression of faith, that is, he referred to God in this way because he was the God whom he served and worshiped. See note on 2:1.

Notice that English versions place this phrase O LORD my God in different places in the sentence. For example, the Berean Standard Bible has it at the end of the sentence while the Good News Translation puts it near the beginning. You should place it where it is most natural in your language.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000