calamity for many / destructive fire

In Gbaya, the notion of a calamity affecting a large groups of people at the same time and/or a destructive fire is emphasized in the referenced verses with the ideophone gbɔyɛɛ.

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 (Ezekiel 30:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 30:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “I shall set fire to Egypt and finish the city of Sin completely. A storm shall make the wall of Memphis crumble, a spring will burst open and anxiety will be great in Memphis” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I will-burn Egipto! Pelusium will-groan in pain. Tebes will-be-destroyed, and Memfis will- always -be-afraid.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I will burn Egypt by fires;
    the people in Pelusium will suffer severe pain.
    Enemies will conquer Thebes,
    and the people in Memphis will constantly be terrified.” (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 30:16

And I will set fire to Egypt: See the comments on Ezek 30.8, but here the tense of the verb is future, not past.

Pelusium shall be in great agony: For Pelusium see the previous verse. Some versions follow the Septuagint by saying “Syene” (Revised English Bible, New American Bible; see 29.10) instead of Pelusium (“Sin” in Hebrew). However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends that translators follow the Hebrew text here. Shall be in great agony renders a very strong Hebrew verb that refers to the pain of a woman giving birth. God says the people of Pelusium will suffer like a woman in childbirth. If the picture of a city suffering the same sort of pain as a woman in childbirth is not natural in some languages, translators may say “The people of Pelusium will suffer greatly.” Contemporary English Version has “The city of Pelusium will be in anguish” (similarly New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), New Century Version translates “Pelusium will be in great pain” (similarly King James Version / New King James Version), and New International Reader’s Version says “Pelusium will groan with terrible pain.”

Thebes shall be breached means “The walls of Thebes will be broken down” (Good News Translation; similarly New Century Version). For Thebes (“No” in Hebrew), see verse 14. For the Hebrew verb rendered breached, see the comments on 26.10. New Living Translation translates this clause as “Thebes will torn apart” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and New International Reader’s Version has “Thebes will be ripped apart.” In languages that require an agent, translators may say “The enemy will break down the walls of Thebes.”

The meaning of the final line of this verse in Hebrew is uncertain. And its walls broken down (similarly New American Bible) reflects a significant change to the Hebrew text and should not be followed (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project). Good News Translation says “and the city will be flooded” (similarly Revised English Bible, Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible), which follows the Septuagint and also reflects changes to the Hebrew; it should also not be followed (so Hebrew Old Testament Text Project). The best rendering of this line in Hebrew is “and Memphis shall face enemies by day” (English Standard Version; similarly New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The sense is that enemies will attack Memphis (“Noph” in Hebrew; see verse 13) “in broad daylight” instead of at night, that is, openly and boldly (Greenberg). Translators may render this line as “and enemies will attack Memphis boldly during the day.”

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 .