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)
  • Wantoat: “cold windy place where no one lives” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2-20)
  • 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)
  • Cherokee: inage or “far away downstream” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16)
  • 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)
  • Adioukrou: loj or “savannah” — “land that is not village, nor forest, nor field (source: Hill 2006)
  • Morelos Nahuatl: “where nobody lives”

    • Isthmus Mixe: “dry country” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

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.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (2Kings 3:8)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the inclusive pronoun, including everyone.

complete verse (2 Kings 3:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 3:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “Which route should we take?’ Joram answered, ‘Let us go around by the road through the wilderness of Edom.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jehoshaphat asked, "By which route will we go to make the attack?"
    Joram replied, "We will go by way of the wilderness of Edom."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Jehoshafat asked, ‘Which way are- we (incl.) -going-to-pass-through when we (incl.) attack?’ Joram replied, ‘Through the desolate-place of Edom.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He asked, ‘On which road shall we march to attack them?’
    Joram replied, ‘We will go south to Jerusalem, where your army will join us. Then we will all go south of the Dead Sea, and then turn north through the Edom Desert.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 3:8

Then he said: The text again leaves a great deal to the imagination. Here it sounds like the two kings are now together and no longer using messengers as intermediaries. The pronoun he refers to Jehoshaphat. Since the question that follows is a continuation of words from the same speaker as at the end of verse 7, certain modern versions leave the quotation open and omit Then he said. If these words are retained in translation, they are probably best translated “and added” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “He [Jehoshaphat] added” (La Bible du Semeur).

By which way shall we march?: From Samaria the attacking armies could go to the country of Moab by going east across the Jordan River and then moving south along the east side of the Dead Sea, or they could go south along the west side of the Dead Sea and then to the south of it before turning back north to attack Moab. Jehoshaphat was inquiring about which plan of attack would be wiser.

Most manuscripts of the Septuagint have the singular “By which way shall I go up?” but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament does not discuss this variant, and translators should follow the Masoretic Text here.

By the way of the wilderness of Edom: The route implied in this response would involve going almost directly south from Samaria through Jerusalem and continuing to the south of the Dead Sea and then turning north after passing through Edom. The proposed route perhaps explains how the king of Edom (verse 9) also got involved in this military action. This longer, indirect approach was probably chosen to add an element of surprise. Or perhaps the northern and western borders of Moab were better fortified than the southern border. Joram’s grandfather, Omri, had made peace with the kingdom of Judah. In this alliance Israel dominated Moab while Judah dominated Edom (1 Kgs 22.47). Just as Moab revolted against Israel, so Edom will later revolt against Judah when Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram is king (2 Kgs 8.20-22). For wilderness see 1 Kgs 2.34; for Edom see 1 Kgs 9.26 and 11.1.

New American Bible provides a possible model for those languages that prefer indirect discourse in this verse:

• They discussed the route for their attack, and settled upon the route through the desert of Edom.

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

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Kings 3:8

3:8a Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?”

Then he asked, “By which way shall we (incl.) go/march?”

-or-

Then Jehoshaphat asked, “Which road shall/should we (incl.) take?”

-or-

Then he asked ⌊Joram⌋ what road/route he planned to use to attack ⌊Edom⌋ .

3:8b “By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.

Joram answered, “⌊We will go/march⌋ through the Desert of Edom.”

-or-

Joram replied, “⌊We will take⌋ the road/route ⌊that winds/circles⌋ through the wilderness of Edom.”

-or-

Joram told him/Jehoshophat that ⌊they would take the long route⌋ through the wild/deserted country ⌊in the south⌋ of Edom.

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