SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000 – Page 6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:8

1:8a

who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us?: It is not entirely clear why the sailors should have asked this question when the lot had already proven that Jonah was to blame. So some English versions have reworded the question. For example, the New Revised Standard Version asks the reason for the storm: “Tell us why this calamity has come upon us.” However, the way the Berean Standard Bible (as well as the New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New Century Version) has translated it is the clearest way of understanding the Hebrew, so you should follow these versions. Perhaps the sailors wanted Jonah to admit his guilt himself, so they could be certain it was his fault.

1:8b

What is your occupation: There are two possible interpretations of this question:

(1) The sailors wanted to know what Jonah’s occupation was. This seems to be the clearest meaning of the Hebrew word melaʾḵah and is probably how this should be translated. The main difficulty is why the sailors should have been interested in Jonah’s occupation at all. It has been suggested that they thought it was possible that his occupation may have been one which would have caused the gods to be angry.

(2) The sailors wanted to know what was Jonah’s purpose or reason for traveling on the ship. This fits the context well, but is not the most natural understanding of the Hebrew.

It is recommended that you follow the first option (1).

1:8c

and where have you come from? What is your country: This would appear to be the same question expressed in two different ways. The Good News Translation translates this as a single question:

What country do you come from? (Good News Translation, see also New Living Translation (2004))

However, these two questions could reflect the many questions the sailors were asking Jonah. If you think this is the case, you may want to keep both questions. You need to decide which is most natural in your language, that is, to keep both questions as the Berean Standard Bible has done, or to combine these two sentences into one as the Good News Translation and New Living Translation (2004) have done.

1:8d

and who are your people?: Here the sailors wanted to know what ethnic group Jonah was from. Perhaps it was clear from his speech or appearance that he was a foreigner to them. This was important to them because different ethnic groups usually worshiped different gods.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:3

4:3a–b

And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live: Jonah became so angry that he asked the LORD to let him die. He preferred to die than live and see the LORD be merciful to his enemies, the people of Nineveh.

And now: The word translated And now is not used in the sense of “At this minute” here, and you should avoid using a word in your language which would give this impression. This expression in Hebrew indicates that what follows is Jonah’s conclusion based on what he said in 4:2, that is, if God was going to spare the people of Nineveh, Jonah would prefer to be dead. In English And now can have this function, but other versions use words that more directly introduce conclusions. For example:

So (God’s Word)
-or-
Therefore (Revised Standard Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:2

2:2a

In my distress I called to the LORD: Jonah had been in a dangerous situation, about to drown in the sea, so he had called to the LORD to rescue him from death.

distress: The word in Hebrew translated distress by the Berean Standard Bible means “distress, trouble.”

2:2b

and He answered me: The LORD responded to Jonah’s cry for help and rescued him from death by providing a huge fish to swallow him.

Notice that in 2:2a–b Jonah first addressed the LORD in the third person He as if he were giving a testimony about his experience with the LORD. Then in 2:2d, Jonah switched to the second person “you (sing).” Alternating between the second and third person is a typical pattern in Hebrew, especially in poetry. In some languages this would not be natural or possible. The Good News Translation has used only the second person 2:2 to make it clear that Jonah is addressing his prayer to the LORD. You may need to do the same thing.

2:2c

From the belly of Sheol I called for help: This is parallel to the expression “In my distress I called to the LORD” in 2:2a.

In my distress

I called to the LORD

From the belly

I called for help

of Sheol

It further describes the danger that Jonah was in as he was about to drown in the sea.

the belly of Sheol: The word Sheol often refers to the place of the dead. This does not mean that Jonah had actually died. The term Sheol (Hebrew šeʾol) is often used in the Psalms to refer to immediate danger of death (Kleinert, p. 26). So by using this expression, Jonah was saying that he had felt sure that he was about to die. So he had called to the LORD to rescue him. Here is another way to translate this:

deep in the world of the dead (Good News Translation)

I called for help: This is one word in Hebrew, a synonym for the word translated “called” in 2:2a.

2:2d

and You heard my voice: This is parallel to “and He answered me” in 2:2b and means the same thing, that is, the LORD rescued Jonah when he cried to him for help.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 3:3

3:3a

the word of the LORD: This expression should be translated in the same way as in 1:1 and 3:1.

3:3b

an exceedingly great city: This translates a very difficult expression in Hebrew (literally “great to God”). There are two possible interpretations:

(1) The phrase is a superlative, meaning “a very great city.” Most translations understand this in the sense of “large.”

(2) The phrase may be understood in a more literal way such as “it was great in God’s eyes.” Some commentators prefer this interpretation and understand it to mean that God thought that Nineveh was important enough to send Jonah to it with a message.

Although the second interpretation makes sense in the context, no major English version has followed it, so it is recommended that you follow the first interpretation.

3:3c

requiring a three-day journey: The Hebrew here is literally “a walk/journey of three days.” This probably means that it took three days to go across it, or to make a visit to it. Since the main city of Nineveh was only 3 miles across, this description probably included the areas surrounding the city as well.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 1:9

1:9a

“I am a Hebrew,”: Jonah only answered the final question. By this statement, he made it clear he was a foreigner to the sailors.

Hebrew: This was the term other people used when they referred to the Israelites. The Israelites themselves often used it when they spoke about themselves to foreigners. You should probably transliterate the word Hebrew here to distinguish it from your translation of the term “Israelite.”

1:9b

I worship the LORD: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as worship is literally “fear” (same verb as in 1:5a). The OT often uses the verb “to fear” when referring to people’s relationship to God. In such a context, this verb is sometimes translated “stand in awe of” but worship makes better sense here.

LORD: See the statement on Yahweh in the Introduction. By using God’s special name, Jonah was distinguishing the true God whom he worshiped from the various “gods” whom the sailors worshiped.

the God of the heavens: Jonah described God as the God of the heavens. Here of refers to where God was thought to live. It can be translated “the God in the heavens.”

In the Hebrew text, the expression “the LORD, the God of heaven” occurs at the beginning of the sentence (not its normal place) for emphasis. We could translate this emphasis in English as

“It is the LORD, the God of heaven, whom I worship.”

1:9c

who made the sea and the dry land: By saying that the LORD was the creator of the sea and the dry land, Jonah implied that the LORD controlled these areas and therefore the terrible storm as well.

the sea and the dry land: This means “the whole world.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 4:4

4:4b

Have you any right to be angry?: God replied to Jonah’s protest and request to die with a rhetorical question. God was saying that Jonah had no right to be angry about the outcome of the situation or the way the LORD had acted.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2:3

2:3a

For You cast me into the deep: The events Jonah refers to in 2:3 happened before the events he refers to in 2:2: Jonah was first thrown into the sea and then he called for help.

It was of course the sailors who had thrown Jonah into the sea. However, Jonah acknowledged here that the LORD had caused them to do it.

2:3b

into the heart of the seas: This phrase is parallel to “the deep” in 2:3a. Both phrases refer to the deepest parts of the sea.

2:3c

and the current swirled about me: This continues the description of Jonah in the water. The Hebrew verb saḇaḇ which the Berean Standard Bible has translated swirled about means “surround, envelop.” Here are other ways to translate this clause:

the waters were all around me (Good News Translation)
-or-
The floods engulfed me (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

2:3d

all Your breakers and waves swept over me: This phrase is an exact quotation from Psalm 42:7. It is parallel to 2:3c. Jonah referred to the breakers and waves as belonging to the LORD. In this way he acknowledged that it was the LORD who had caused them.

breakers and waves: breakers are the rough waves which arrive at the shore or hit against rocks. If you have only one term for waves in your language, you could combine the two terms. For example:

mighty waves (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 3:4

3:4a

On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city: Literally “Jonah began to enter the city going one day.” There are two ways of understanding the connection between this part of the verse and 3:4b :

(1) 3:4a takes place before 3:4b, that is, Jonah did not begin announcing God’s message until he had walked through the city for a whole day—perhaps waiting until he reached the center of the city.

(2) 3:4a and 3:4b take place more or less at the same time, that is, Jonah went through the city announcing God’s message as he walked.

Either is possible. The display follows the first interpretation.

3:4b

and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”: Jonah announced to the people of Nineveh that they and their city were going to be destroyed in forty days.

You need to decide whether you should use direct or indirect speech here in your translation.

Nineveh: This refers not only to the city, but also to the people who lived there. You need to decide if you need to make this clear in your translation

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Jonah 2000