desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

complete verse (1 Samuel 25:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 25:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Samuel died, all the Israelites came and mourned, after that Samuel was buried in his home in Ramah. Then David with his people went to the wilderness of Maon.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Samuel died and all the Israelites gathered and were in mourning. They buried him near his house in Ramah.
    From there David went down to the Maon desert.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now Samuel died, and all the Israelinhon gathered and mourned for him. They buried him in his town/city in Rama.
    After that, David moved to the desolate-place of Maon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Soon after that, Samuel died, and all the Israeli people gathered and mourned for him. They buried his body outside his home in Ramah.
    Then David and his men moved to the Maon Desert.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).


“David” in German Sign Language (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 25:1

Rose: see the comment on this verb at 9.3 and on page 20. There is no need to translate in such a way as to indicate that David had been sitting or lying down prior to the events described in this verse.

The wilderness of Paran: Paran was a region located north of the Sinai Peninsula; it was between Egypt, southern Palestine, and the country of Edom. Since Paran is located so far away, quite a few modern translations follow the Septuagint in reading “the desert of Maon” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New Century Version, Moffatt, An American Translation, and Stuttgarter Erklärungsbibel). Modern commentaries also prefer this solution (so Anchor Bible, Klein, and Gordon). Smith, however, notes that “the historical improbability of David’s going so far into the wilderness is not a sufficient reason for changing the text” (page 220). Regarding Maon, see the comments on verse 2. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text.

On the translation of the word wilderness, see the comments at 4.8.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .