male (pisseth against the wall)

The Hebrew phrase that literally means “urinating against the wall” and likely refers to a pejorative, dog-like meaning of “male” or “man” (see translations with a Hebraic voice [1 Samuel 25:22]) is translated verbatim in the Latin Vulgate, the Greek Septuagint and early English translations (Tyndale, King James / Authorised Version, Douay-Rheims) but in most other languages and versions with a term that simply refers to “man” or “male.”

complete verse (1 Kings 21:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 21:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “Oh no! God will send an amazing suffering to you. He will kill you and every man/male in your home whether (he) is a free man or not.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Since it is like that the LORD says to you, ‘I will bring total destruction upon you. I will destroy your male children. Whether they are slaves or free, all the men of the family of Ahab in Israel will be killed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So this is what the LORD says to you: ‘I will-destroy you. I will-kill all your male descendants, whether slaves or not.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So this is what Yahweh says to you: ‘I will soon get rid of you. I will kill you, and I will also kill every male in your household, including those who are slaves and those who are not slaves.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 21:21

Behold focuses the reader’s attention on the statement that follows. As indicated in the discussion on the previous verse, what the prophet says here is closely related to the previous statement about Ahab’s commitment to evil. For this reason this verse should begin with a transition word like “Therefore” or the two verses should otherwise be connected structurally to show this relationship. For example, New Jerusalem Bible translates the last half of verse 20 and the beginning of verse 21 in the following way: “For your double dealing, and since you have done what is displeasing to Yahweh, 21 I shall now bring disaster….”

I will bring evil upon you: See the comments on 1 Kgs 14.10. Elijah was speaking at the end of verse 20. In order to show that it is God who will bring disaster upon Ahab, and not the prophet Elijah who will do so, Good News Translation reminds the reader of this by inserting the words “the LORD says to you.”

I will utterly sweep you away: See the comments on the same Hebrew verb used here in 1 Kgs 14.10 (where Revised Standard Version has “will utterly consume”) and 16.3.

Will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel: For cut off, see the comments on 1 Kgs 11.15-16. The LORD uses the words from Ahab, but he is speaking directly to Ahab. For this reason most languages will transform this into a second person reference, saying something like “I will kill you and every male in your family…” (New Century Version).

Every male is literally “anyone urinating against a wall” (see the comments on 1 Kgs 14.10).

Regarding the words rendered bond or free, it will be noted that Good News Translation takes this to mean “young and old alike.” But see the comments on 1 Kgs 14.10.

New Century Version translates the entire warning in this verse as follows: “I will soon destroy you. I will kill you and every male in your family, both slave and free.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Kings 21:21

21:21a This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you

Yahweh says, ‘Look! I am about to bring evil/trouble to/upon you.
-or-
Yahweh says, ‘Watch/Beware, for I will send evil/terrible things into your life.
-or-
Yahweh is going to destroy/ruin your life.

21:21b and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,

I will sweep away your descendants. I will destroy/kill every male descendent of Ahab in Israel,
-or-
I will completely wipe you out. I will not leave any male relative of yours alive in Israel,
-or-
He will destroy/kill all of your offspring. He will not leave any male relative of yours alive in ⌊the whole land of⌋ Israel.

21:21c both slave and free.

whether slave or free.
-or-
neither slave nor free.
-or-
Whether they are bondservants or free men, ⌊they will die⌋.

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