While the Greek word strouthion is certainly the name for the sparrow, the Hebrew tsippor is actually an inclusive word that refers to sparrow-sized birds in general. These small birds, especially sparrows, were caught in nets and traps and were an important part of the diet of poor people.
There are three types of sparrow that are common in Israel, the House Sparrow Passer domesticus, the Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis, and the Dead Sea Sparrow Passer moabiticus. All three are small speckled brown birds. Additional small birds that abound around towns and settlements are members of the bunting, finch, and tit families. Sparrows in particular are usually found in fairly large numbers roosting and nesting together. All are seed eaters and live mainly on grass seeds and grain.
Sparrows were considered clean birds and were associated with the poor.
Sparrows or sparrow-like small birds are found all over the world. Finding a local word is not usually difficult. The reference to “a lonely bird on the housetop” in Psalms 102:7 takes on additional meaning if the sparrow was intended, since it is a bird that is seldom seen alone. It would then indicate the psalmist’s sense of loneliness at being separated from those with whom he belongs.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 17:23:
Kupsabiny: “I shall plant it there on that tall mountain of Israel. It shall produce branches and pour out seeds to become an amazing cedar. Different birds shall build their houses/nests there and rejoice in its shadow.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The Lord GOD still said, ‘I will-take a new-growth of the topmost branch of cedar and I will-plant it on the tip/top of the high mountain of Israel. It will-[produce-] branches and will-bear-fruits, and will-become a beautiful cedar. In this tree will-nest every kind of bird, and they will-take-shade in its branches.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “It will be as though I will plant it on a mountain in Israel, and it will grow and become a beautiful cedar tree. Many kinds of birds will make their nests in the tree, and they will have shade in its branches.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Description Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it: This line is parallel to the last line of verse 22, but it reverses the order of mountain and plant. The very high mountain in verse 22 is now identified as the mountain height of Israel, which refers to Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was situated. This phrase may be rendered “the highest mountain in Israel” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible; similarly Good News Translation). Translators who try to retain the original order of this line may say “On Israel’s highest mountain, that is where I will plant it.” If they are not able to do this, they can possibly use another structure that is common for poetry in their language. However, many translators will not be able to reflect this at all.
That it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar: God will plant the cedar shoot on Mount Zion so that it can become a large cedar tree bearing fruit. It will grow strongly and well, so that it produces both branches and fruit. In fact, it will grow so well that it will become a noble cedar, that is, “a magnificent cedar” (Good News Translation). New King James Version and New American Bible say “a majestic cedar,” and New International Version has “a splendid cedar.” God’s purpose in planting the cedar shoot on Mount Zion is very similar to the purpose of the eagle when it planted the vine in well-watered, fertile soil (see Ezek 17.8).
And under it will dwell all kinds of beasts; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest: Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint for its reading here. Instead of all kinds of beasts, the Hebrew has “all the birds.” There is no valid reason to change the Hebrew here since it is clear and no Hebrew manuscripts have the Septuagint reading. These two lines are parallel and very emphatic in Hebrew, which is literally “and will nest/live under it all the birds, every winged creature in the shade of its branches will nest/live.” The cedar tree will grow so large that all kinds of birds will build their nests in the shade of its branches. Although the Hebrew text repeats the same verb in these lines, many translations use different verbs because it sounds better (for example, Good News Translation with “live” and “find shelter,” and New Century Version with “build nests” and “live”). Translators need to follow the discourse requirements of their own languages in making their choices. As in the poetic parallelism of the previous verse, the second line here adds to the first one. In the first line birds of every kind will live or make nests under it [the tree]; the second line further specifies that it is in the shade of its branches where the birds will make nests. Furthermore, as in the previous parallel lines, the order of subject and verb is reversed in Hebrew (see the literal rendering above). Translators may not be able to retain these features of Hebrew poetry and may have to use features from their language. However, one model for these two lines is:
• Under that tree all kinds of birds will be living;
yes, in the shade of its branches the birds will make their nests.
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.