fast (verb)

The Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “fast” in English is translated in Isthmus Mixe as “going without food to worship God,” in Lacandon as “leaving eating in order to talk to God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.), in Vidunda as “resting to eat” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), and in Kankanaey as “endure hunger” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation).

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign referring to abstinence from food and drink. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and Andrea Bokros)


“Fast” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also fast (Luke 5:33).

sackcloth

The Hebrew or Greek which are translated into English as “sackcloth” are rendered into Chamula Tzotzil as “sad-heart clothes.” (Source: Robert Bascom)

Pohnpeian and Chuukese translate it as “clothing-of sadness,” Eastern Highland Otomi uses “clothing that hurts,” Central Mazahua “that which is scratchy,” Tae’ and Zarma “rags” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), and Tangale as “torn clothes that show contrition on the body” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin). In the English translation by Goldingay (2018), “put on sackcloth” is translated as wrap on sack.

“In Turkana, a woman removes her normal everyday skin clothes and ornaments and wears rather poor skins during the time of mourning. The whole custom is known as ngiboro. It is very difficult to translate putting on sackcloth because even material like sacking is unfamiliar. The Haya, on the other hand, have a mourning cloth made out of the bark of a tree; and the use of this cloth is similar to the Jewish use of sackcloth. It was found that in both the Turkana and Ruhaya common language translations, their traditional mourning ceremonies were used.” (Source: Rachel Konyoro in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 221ff. )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing what a sackcloth looked like in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also mourning clothes and you have loosed my sackcloth.

complete verse (1 Kings 21:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 21:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put on sacks. He fasted, cried and slept on/in other sacks.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After hearing Elijah’s messages, Ahab tore his clothes. Then he wrapped himself in sackcloth and fasted. Having wrapped himself in sackcloth and even slept in it and he humbled himself.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When- Ahab -heard what Elias had- said, he tore his clothes and clothed (himself) in sackcloth, and fasted. He slept clothed in sackcloth, and went-around mourning.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “After Elijah finished talking to Ahab, Ahab tore his clothes to show that he was sorry for all the sins that he had committed. He put on rough clothes that were made from sacks, and he refused to eat anything. He even wore those rough clothes made from sacks when he slept, to show that he was sorry.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 21:27

And when Ahab heard those words: The Hebrew verbal transition meaning “And it happened” is found at the beginning of this verse, but it is ignored by most modern English versions. It serves to introduce a new phase of the story here.

For And when Ahab heard, see the comments on verse 16, where the Hebrew wording is the same. Those words refer to the words spoken by the prophet Elijah in verses 20-24 (or verses 20-22, if verses 23-24 are taken as parenthetical comments by the author to the reader). Good News Translation has changed the wording at the beginning of this verse to “When Elijah finished speaking” in order to make it clear that those words will be understood by the reader as the words of Elijah. For the same reason Parole de Vie says “When Ahab heard the words of Elijah.”

He rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted: These are all symbolic actions that express sorrow. The first two of these actions occur frequently throughout the Bible. The tearing of clothing is mentioned, for example, in Lev 10.6 and 21.10. And the wearing of coarse cloth is referred to in 1 Kgs 20.31. For the Hebrew verb translated fasted, see the comments on the noun “fast” at verse 9. In many languages it will be wise to make explicit the meaning of these actions by adding “to show his sorrow” or something similar.

Lay in sackcloth means that Ahab “slept in the sackcloth” (Good News Translation; similarly New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente).

Went about dejectedly: Dejectedly translates a Hebrew adverb whose general meaning is “slowly,” “softly,” or “gently.” Some interpreters understand the adverb in light of a similar Arabic word meaning “to make a moaning sound.” Revised English Bible, for example, says that Ahab “went about moaning.” Translations based on the first interpretation of the meaning of the adverb include “dejectedly” (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version), “subdued” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, Anchor Bible), “slowly” (Nouvelle Bible Segond, Osty-Trinquet), “with slow steps” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant), and “gloomy and depressed” (Good News Translation). The idea of depression or dejection fits this context best.

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 .