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Verse: 2 Esdras 12:48
Ego enim non dereliqui vos neque excessi a vobis, sed veni in hunc locum, ut deprecarer pro desolatione Sion, et ut quaererem misericordiam pro humilitate sanctificationis vestrae.
48As for me, I have neither forsaken you nor withdrawn from you, but I have come to this place to pray on account of the desolation of Zion and to seek mercy on account of the humiliation of our sanctuary.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
“to beg” or “to ask,” (full expression: “to ask with one’s heart coming out,” which leaves out selfish praying, for asking with the heart out leaves no place for self to hide) (Tzotzil)
“to raise up one’s words to God” (implying an element of worship, as well as communication) (Miskito, Lacandon) (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
Shilluk: “speak to God” (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
Mairasi: “talk together with Great Above One (=God)” (source: Enggavoter, 2004)
Ik: waan: “beg.” Terrill Schrock (in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 93) explains (click or tap here to read more):
What do begging and praying have to do with each other? Do you beg when you pray? Do I?
“The Ik word for ‘visitor’ is waanam, which means ‘begging person.’ Do you beg when you go visiting? The Ik do. Maybe you don’t beg, but maybe when you visit someone, you are looking for something. Maybe it’s just a listening ear.
When the Ik hear that [my wife] Amber and I are planning trip to this or that place for a certain amount of time, the letters and lists start coming. As the days dwindle before our departure, the little stack of guests grows. ‘Please, sir, remember me for the allowing: shoes, jacket (rainproof), watch, box, trousers, pens, and money for the children. Thank you, sir, for your assistance.’
“A few people come by just to greet us or spend bit of time with us. Another precious few will occasionally confide in us about their problems without asking for anything more than a listening ear. I love that.
“The other day I was in our spare bedroom praying my list of requests to God — a nice list covering most areas of my life, certainly all the points of anxiety. Then it hit me: Does God want my list, or does he want my relationship?
“I decided to try something. Instead of reading off my list of requests to God, I just talk to him about my issues without any expectation of how he should respond. I make it more about our relationship than my list, because if our personhood is like God’s personhood, then maybe God prefers our confidence and time to our lists, letters, and enumerations.”
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning (click or tap here to read more):
For Acts 1:14, 20:36, 21:5: kola ttieru-yawur nehla — “hold the waist and hug the neck.” (“This is the more general term for prayer and often refers to worship in prayer as opposed to petition. The Luang people spend the majority of their prayers worshiping rather than petitioning, which explains why this term often is used generically for prayer.”)
For Acts 28:9: sumbiani — “pray.” (“This term is also used generically for ‘prayer’. When praying is referred to several times in close proximity, it serves as a variation for kola ttieru-yawur nehla, in keeping with Luang discourse style. It is also used when a prayer is made up of many requests.”)
For Acts 8:15, 12:5: polu-waka — “call-ask.” (“This is a term for petition that is used especially when the need is very intense.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
As for me, I have neither forsaken you nor withdrawn from you: These two clauses have exactly the same meaning. Ezra assures the people that he, like God, has not deserted them. Contemporary English Version combines these clauses, saying simply “I haven’t left you.” However, if possible, translators should keep both clauses for emphasis (so Good News Bible).
But I have come to this place to pray on account of the desolation of Zion: This place refers to the field where Ezra was sitting (see 2 Esd 9.26). Good News Bible renders to pray on account of the desolation of Zion as “to pray for Jerusalem in her time of trouble,” but this is not the meaning of the Latin clause here. It is better rendered “to pray on account of the lonely city of Jerusalem” or even better “to pray for Jerusalem now that all its people are gone.”
And to seek mercy on account of the humiliation of our sanctuary: Instead of our sanctuary, the Latin text has “your sanctuary” (Revised Standard Version footnote). We may take Revised Standard Version‘s textual footnote as a translational matter, so it is not needed. However, we prefer the Latin text here (so also Good News Bible with “your Temple”). For the Latin word rendered sanctuary, which refers to the Temple, see the comments on 2 Esd 10.21. This clause may be rendered “and to ask God to have mercy because your Temple has been disgraced” or “… now that our enemies have disgraced our Temple.”
Here is a possible model for this verse:
• As for me, I have not abandoned you either, and I have not forgotten about you. I came to this place to pray for Jerusalem now that its people are gone, and to ask God to have mercy now that your Temple has been disgraced [or, that our enemies have disgraced our Temple].
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.
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