sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Malagasy culture, the sea is perceived as sacred because it was a path taken by the ancestors. That is why the Malagasy word for the “sea” is ranomasina, which literally means “the sacred water.” The word masina actually has two different meanings: “salted” and “sacred/holy.” Salt is used for the conservation of some foods, such as meat or fish, that are to be set aside for later use. In this sense, the Malagasy phrase for “Holy Spirit” has the literal meaning of “Salted Spirit.” (Source: Brigitte Rabarijaona in The Bible Translator 2022, p. 103ff.)

Translation commentary on 1 Esdras 4:23 - 4:24

A man takes his sword …: Here Zerubbabel refers to criminals. They are just like other men—they bring back to their lovers whatever they gain. However, they use violence to get things. Zerubbabel is not talking about any man, but a criminal, and this should be brought out in translation; for example, we may begin this verse with “Criminals take their swords [or, machetes/weapons]” or “Criminals are the same. They take their weapons….” Both Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version mistakenly have “man” instead of “criminal.” For sword see the comments on 1 Esd 1.53. Here it may be rendered more generally as “weapon.”

And goes out to travel and rob and steal and to sail the sea and rivers: Criminals will rob and steal anywhere. They will do it on the road and the water. Contemporary English Version renders this last half of verse 23 as “and goes out on the roads, the rivers, and the seas, robbing and stealing.”

He faces lions, and he walks in darkness: Criminals will face dangers of all kinds to get what they want. In this context lions may be rendered “wild animals.” For these two clauses Contemporary English Version has “He is in danger from wild animals, and he has to travel at night.”

And when he steals and robs and plunders, he brings it back to the woman he loves: Whatever criminals take, they give it all to women. The Greek word translated the woman he loves is not the same word for “women/wife” in verses 13-22, but a form of the verb meaning “love,” with an erotic sense. We prefer to say “his lover,” which implies (in the case of a man) a woman to whom the man is not married, but with whom he has a sexual relationship.

Here is an alternative model for verses 23-24:

• 23 A criminal is the same way. He will take his sword [or, weapon] and go out on the roads, the rivers, and the seas to rob people. 24 He will face lions [or, wild animals], and do his robbing in the dark. But whatever he steals, he takes back to his lover.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.