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). Likewise, in Toposa all the different bodies of water are all called by one term as well: nya-name̥ (source: Schröder 2026, p. 101).

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.)

“Sea” (or: “ocean”) is translated in Tepeuxila Cuicatec as “water land” and in Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac as “very big lake.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 13:5

This verse reflects the idea that in the last days the forces of evil will wage war against the forces of good. See Ezek 38–39; Rev 16.12-14; 20.7-10.

After this I looked, and behold: See the comments on 2 Esd 11.2. Good News Bible says “I looked again and saw.” Contemporary English Version has simply “Then I saw.”

An innumerable multitude of men were gathered together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came up out of the sea: An innumerable multitude of men is better rendered “a huge number of people” or “a crowd too large to count” (Good News Bible), since the Latin text refers to “people” not “men” in particular. For languages that do not have the passive voice, were gathered together may be translated “came together.” The idiomatic expression from the four winds of heaven means “from all directions.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• Then I saw a huge number of people that had come together from all over the world to go to war [or, fight] against the man who had come up from the sea.

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.