Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

complete verse (Ezekiel 23:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 23:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “The older one was called Oholah and the younger one Oholibah. (Oholah was/is Samaria and Oholibah was/is Jerusalem.) I married them both and they bore to me sons and daughters.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The name of the older was Ohola, and the younger was Oholibah. I married them two and we had children. Oholoah was Samaria, and Oholibah was Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The older sister was Oholah, and her younger sister was Oholibah. It was as though they became my wives. Later they gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah represents Samaria, and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 23:4

Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister …: God gives the two women nicknames. Oholah is the name of Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. She is called the elder sister, but the Hebrew term for elder may mean “greater” or “bigger” (see the comments on 16.46). Oholibah is the name of Jerusalem, the capital city of the southern kingdom of Judah. So the parable of the two sisters is about the two parts of the nation of Israel.

They became mine means they became God’s wives. Similar to chapter 16 (and Jer 3 and Hos 1–3), this parable describes God as the husband of the nation of Israel. The text implies that both women (that is, both kingdoms) were married to God at the same time. Surprising as this may be, translators need to be careful not to imply that God married them one after the other. Contemporary English Version and New Century Version render this clause as “They became my wives,” and Good News Translation has “I married both of them.”

And they bore sons and daughters refers to the citizens of each kingdom. Translators may say “and they gave birth to sons and daughters,” or simply “and they bore me children” (Good News Translation).

As for their names introduces what their names represent, specifically that Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. Good News Translation makes it clear that God is presenting a word picture here by saying “Oholah … represents Samaria” and “Oholibah … represents Jerusalem.” This is a helpful model. As the Good News Translation footnotes show, the Hebrew name Oholah means “her sanctuary,” and Oholibah means “my sanctuary is in her.” Since the significance of these nicknames is disputed, it is best not to focus on them; translators may put the meaning of the names in footnotes if they wish.

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 .