Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are in the mountain of Samaria/Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan. The most important translation problem is how to handle the picture and comparison cows of Bashan. There is no doubt about the persons to whom the cows are being compared. They are the women of the leading class of the capital. In the translation this must be made clear by saying something like you women of Samaria. If the receptor language has a specific word for women who belong to the upper classes of society (like the British English “lady”), the use of such a special term may be good. However, it may also be unnecessary since the social position of these women is clearly shown in the passage.

The basis of the comparison is not so clear. Nowhere else in the Old Testament are women called cows; perhaps the expression belonged to the stock-breeder’s way of talking. Bashan was very fertile country east of the river Jordan stretching from the river Yarmuk in the south up to Hermon in the north (see map|fig:Map_Amos.jpg ). It was, among other things, famous for its excellent cows.

With this little knowledge, there seem to be several possibilities to provide the basis for the comparison: “nobility,” “excessive demand” (since it is said that the cows of Bashan required much attention from their herdsmen), but most likely “plumpness” or “fatness” (as the cattle of Bashan had been characterized as “fattened cattle” in Ezek 39.18). There is at least some overlapping between the last two possibilities.

It is, of course, impossible to translate the picture and comparison literally in languages in which human beings are never compared to animals, or in which cows are completely unknown, or where they are never thought of as fat or well cared for. The Good News Translation who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan will be a good solution in many cases. If the language has no specific word for “cows,” a more general term for “cattle” or “domestic animals” or “animals fit to be eaten” can be used.

Unfortunately, we cannot be sure what the emotional force of the Hebrew picture was. It sounds scornful in English, but in some other modern languages it would be a compliment, since fatness is a sign of beauty. It is even possible that Amos used a compliment in order to catch the attention of the women before expressing God’s judgment. On the other hand, lack of knowledge makes it impossible to be sure just how faithful any translation is to the original emotional force.

Weak and poor. See 2.6 and 2.7.

Who say to their husbands (Hebrew: lords), “Bring, that we may drink!”/and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor! Whether the women should be quoted directly (as in Hebrew, Revised Standard Version) or not (as in Good News Translation) will depend on the requirements of the language. In either case there may be adaptations needed in the pronouns (see also Moffatt, New English Bible, New American Bible, The Translator’s Old Testament).

Say to/demand. “Saying” in Hebrew means an order here, and so some languages may want to translate it as such.

Husbands. Hebrew “lords” clearly refers to husbands (Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, The Translator’s Old Testament, Good News Translation), but uses a rare word which brings out that these husbands who obeyed the women’s commands were supposed to be “masters” but really acted like servants!

Of course, “your lords” (New English Bible, New American Bible) makes little sense or even gives the wrong meaning in modern English. However, in many languages there are different words for husband, one of which may indicate a “master” relationship. So a term like “master of the compound” may be currently used. If there is one, such a term should be used in translation here.

Bring is addressed to one person in Hebrew, as each woman addresses her own husband. In other languages it will be necessary for the command to be addressed to several people because there is more than one husband. In that case the pronoun will probably have to be changed: “bring (plural) us wine to drink” or “bring us wine that we may drink.” The “us” should not include the husbands if the language has that distinction in pronouns.

That we may drink/keep you supplied with liquor. If what was drunk should be stated, use “wine” if possible (so Moffatt, The Translator’s Old Testament). If there is no term for wine, then a general term for “fermented fruit juice” or even a cultural equivalent can be used in this context.

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .