all around / encircling

In Gbaya, the notion of something or someone being completely encircled or surrounded is emphasized in the referenced verses with liŋgɔm, an ideophone that expresses the fact of being all around, of completely encircling.

Note in Exodus 14:27, this refers to the sea returning to its normal depth.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

Translation commentary on 2 Maccabees 5:5

When a false rumor arose that Antiochus was dead, Jason took no less than a thousand men: The introductory word When may be rendered “About this time.” A false rumor arose may be translated “a false report began to spread” (Good News Bible), “a rumor spread around,” or even “people were spreading a rumor everywhere.” Readers may find it helpful to have Antiochus identified as “King Antiochus” at the beginning of this new section, and the city identified as “Jerusalem” (so Contemporary English Version). No less than a thousand men is more easily expressed as “more than a thousand men” (Good News Bible). Contemporary English Version says “a force of over one thousand soldiers.”

And suddenly made an assault upon the city: Good News Bible‘s model is helpful here.

When the troops upon the wall had been forced back: There were soldiers stationed on the walls surrounding the city to defend it. Jason’s men were able to force these soldiers off the walls and into the streets of the city. In languages that do not have a passive voice, translators may say “They forced the soldiers that Menelaus had stationed on the walls back down into the city.”

And at last the city was being taken means Jason’s men were overcoming the resistance in the city streets of Jerusalem. This clause may be rendered “When the fighting was going on in the city streets” or “When Jason’s soldiers and Menelaus’ soldiers were fighting each other in the city streets.”

Menelaus took refuge in the citadel: For citadel see the comments on 1Macc 1.33. Good News Bible connects this clause with the next verse, which works well. Other possible models for the last half of this verse are “The soldiers defending the city were forced off the city wall. When fighting broke out in the city streets, Menelaus fled for safety to the fort, near the Temple hill” and “They forced the soldiers that Menelaus had stationed on the walls back down into the city. Then when Jason’s soldiers and Menelaus’ soldiers were fighting each other in the streets, Menelaus….”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.