enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

Translation commentary on Baruch 4:26

My tender sons: In this verse the discourse suddenly shifts from second person references to the exiles into third person. Most readers will find Good News Translation less jarring with its change of the verse into the second person. My … sons becomes the direct address, “My children.” Tender is better translated “pampered,” as in New Revised Standard Version and other versions. There is a danger, however, that this could present an image of a soft, weak laziness. Good News Translation avoids this by establishing that the pampering was because of the mother’s love, not because of any weakness in the children’s character: “I spoiled you with love.” “Spoiled” is of course an English expression meaning “pampered,” and is not to be taken in the sense of “turned you bad [or, rotten].”

Traveled rough roads means that the people suffered a hard fate, experienced great difficulty. Good News Translation accepts the figure as understandable and says “you have had to follow rugged paths.” Good News Translation “you have had to follow…” is made necessary by its clause “I spoiled you with love.” To follow that with “but you followed rugged paths” would sound like the children were ungrateful and rebellious. But “you have had to follow…” also helps make clear the meaning of the figure of speech. The “rugged paths” were not paths they chose to travel. Contemporary English Version makes it clear that the rough roads refers to suffering in foreign countries: “you are suffering now in a foreign nation.” This also is possible.

They were taken away like a flock carried off by the enemy: The Greek word rendered flock does not necessarily refer to sheep only, but it probably does here (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The picture in this line is that of an invading army stealing local livestock for their own use. “Enemy raid” (Good News Translation) helps fill in that picture. Contemporary English Version is more dramatic with “like sheep that have been dragged off by an enemy.” We may also express it in the active voice: “like sheep that enemies have dragged away.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.