threshing floor

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “threshing floor” in English is translated in Kim with twal or “termite mound” which are used to build threshing floors. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also thresh.

blown by the wind

In Gbaya, the notion of chaff or other items being blown by the wind is emphasized with the ideophone pumyulu.

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

complete verse (Daniel 2:35)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 2:35:

  • Kupsabiny: “It immediately crushed that iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold. These things became like the husks that are being winnowed in the dry season. Then a powerful wind blew it away. But that stone which was smashing that thing became a big mountain and enveloped/covered the whole world.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold suddenly all became powder, and was blown away by the wind like after Wheat harvest husks from a threshing floor, leaving nothing behind. The rock that fell on the statue, however, became a great mountain and covered the whole earth.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Immediately the whole statue of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold broke-into-pieces. And it became like chaff on the place-of-threshing being-blown-away by the wind in different-directions/[lit. where-where]. But the rock that smashed the feet of the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the rest of the statue collapsed into a big heap of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. The pieces of the statue were as small as bits of chaff on the ground where it is threshed, and the wind blew away all the tiny pieces. There was nothing left. But the rock that smashed the statue became a large mountain that covered the whole earth.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 2:35

Here the order of the materials of which the statue was made is modified. It is, in fact, the reverse of what is given in verses 32 and 33, so that the reader now has the impression of looking from bottom to top rather than from top to bottom. Perhaps this is to give a picture of the statue crumbling from the point where it was first struck, “its feet.”

All together: literally “as one.” Some versions translate “all at once” (New American Bible) in the sense of “at the same time” (New International Version). Most have just “all.”

Like the chaff of the summer threshing floors: this image presents numerous difficulties to the translator. In the areas of the world where the seasons of the year do not correspond to those of temperate climates, summer may have to be translated something like “after the harvest.” Or in some cases it may even have to be left out. The threshing floor is the place where people fan the grain in order to get rid of the waste materials that cannot be eaten. The word translated chaff is used figuratively and emphasizes the fineness of the pieces into which the statue was broken. In some cases it may be necessary to do away with this figure altogether and say something like “were crushed into a very fine powder.”

Not a trace of them could be found: the passive here can be adjusted to say “so that no one could find a trace of them” or “until no trace of them remained.” Possibly the Good News Translation model will be helpful in some languages: “leaving not a trace.”

But: the Aramaic has only the common conjunction that may be translated “and” or “but.” In this context it is probably better to retain But, since there seems to be an indication that what follows is unexpected.

Became: New Jerusalem Bible provides a better model for some languages, with “grew into…” (as in New English Bible/Revised English Bible).

Filled the whole earth: the use of the verb “fill” is perhaps not the most precise in this context, since it may give the idea of filling a container. Some other models are “covered the whole earth” (Good News Translation) or “occupying the whole world.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .