cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” Manya uses a similar nomenclature for the cardinal directions. (Source: Don Slager)

Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right and people of the East.

complete verse (Ezekiel 32:30)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 32:30:

  • Kupsabiny: “In that place are also the leaders of North and the people of Sidon. They frightened people with their power but have now gone to the world of the dead being shamed together with those who were killed in battle. They were buried with those who do not have the true religion while being shamed together with those who went to the world of the dead.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘There also are all the officials of the places in the north and the ones-from-Sidon. Because when they were still alive they caused- also the people -to-be-afraid of them. They were also powerful before, but now they were-put-to-shame and laying-down-in-full-view in the place of the dead-ones with the ones who did not believe in God who died in battle.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “All the rulers of countries north of Israel, including people from Sidon, will be there. Because of their power, they caused people to be terrified, but they will lie there. They were godless, and they will lie there along with others who were killed by their enemies’ swords. They, along with everyone else who descends into that deep pit, will be disgraced.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 32:30

The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians: The princes of the north and the Sidonians are the final groups on the list of great nations who went to the underworld before Egypt. The princes of the north probably refers to the leaders of the Phoenician city-states to the north of Israel. Translators may say “the leaders of the countries in the north.” All the Sidonians probably refers to all the kings of the Phoenician city of Sidon (Greenberg). For this city see the introductory comments on 28.20-24. All the Phoenician city-states were traditional enemies of the Israelites.

Who have gone down in shame with the slain: See verse 24. This clause may be rendered “They have been disgraced since they are among those who died in war.”

For all the terror which they caused by their might: They went down to the underworld to be punished because they had used their great power to terrify others. Contemporary English Version says “Their powerful armies once terrified enemies,” and New International Reader’s Version has “While they were alive, they used their power to spread terror.”

They lie uncircumcised: See verse 21.

With those who are slain by the sword: See verse 20.

And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit: See verse 24.

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 .