creeping things / reptiles

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated in English as “reptiles” or “creeping things” or similar is translated as “those which crawl along upon their stomach” in San Mateo del Mar Huave, “those that crawl the way they travel” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, and “animals that crawl on the ground” in Lalana Chinantec. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Nyamwezi it is translated as as vitundwa vya ku’yu’mba or “creatures that move.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature and four-footed creatures and reptiles.

 

The Hebrew words zachal and remes literally mean “creeping [things]” or “crawling [things]”, which is the Hebrew way of referring to small unclean creatures, reptiles in particular. The Greek word herpeton is also a general word for reptile; it includes snakes and lizards. All of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin words usually exclude fish.

The Hebrew words carry the connotation of uncleanness.

In languages which have a word meaning “reptile”, this will fit most contexts. In languages which do not, phrases such as “snakes and lizards”, “wriggling things”, and so forth could be used.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

idol / idols

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “idol(s)” in English is translated in Central Subanen as ledawan or “images.” (Source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )

In German, typically the term Götze is used. Originally this was used as a term of endearment for Gott (“God” — see here ), later for “icon” and “image, likeness.” Luther started to use it in the 16th century in the meaning of “false god, idol.”

Other terms that are used in German include Götzenbild(er) (“image[s] of idols”) or Bildnis (“image” — Protestant) / Kultbild (“cultish image” — Catholic) (used for instance in Exodus 20:4 and Deuteronomy 5:8). The latest revision of the Catholic Einheitsübersetzung (publ. 2016) also uses the neologism Nichtse (“nothings”) in 1 Chron. 16:26 and Psalm 96:5. (Source: Zetzsche)

See also worthless idols.

complete verse (Ezekiel 8:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 8:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, I entered inside. And when I looked around, I saw images that had been scratched into the wall. They were of animals that crawl on the ground, all terrifying animals and all the idols that the house of Israel were worshipping.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore I went-in and I saw that the stone-wall around was full of different pictures of animals that crawl and of other animals that are considered dirty. I also saw there all the little-gods/false-gods of the people of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So I went in through the doorway and looked, and I saw, all over the wallsof a big room, drawings of all kinds of creatures that scurry across the ground and other detestable animals, and drawings of all the idols that the people of Israelwere worshiping.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 8:10

So I went in and saw: Ezekiel entered the room and looked around.

And there, portrayed upon the wall round about …: And there is literally “and behold” (see Ezek 8.4). Ezekiel saw another surprising thing. All the disgusting things that God had already mentioned were portrayed upon the wall round about, that is, they were carved on all the walls of the room. The Hebrew word for portrayed is literally “carved” (New Jerusalem Bible), but it may also be rendered “drawn” or “painted” in this context. There were drawings of all kinds of creeping things. The Hebrew word for creeping things covers snakes and other reptiles, small animals, and crawling insects—in fact, almost any creature whose body moves close to the ground. According to Lev 11.44 and 46, they were considered ritually unclean. If there is no easy general term for creeping things, translators may say “animals and insects that crawl on the ground.” In addition, there were pictures of loathsome beasts, that is, four-footed animals that were ritually unclean which the Jews were not allowed to eat (see Lev 11). Translators may say “ritually unclean animals” or “animals the Jews could not eat.” These animals and reptiles were probably part of some Babylonian or Egyptian religion that some people in Jerusalem were following at that time. As well as these pictures of animals and reptiles, there were pictures of all the idols of the house of Israel, which indicates the people were worshiping false gods. For idols, see 6.4; for the house of Israel, see Ezek 8.6. Portrayed upon the wall round about is a passive construction; it doesn’t say who did the carvings or drawings. Some languages express it more naturally with a subject by rendering this whole sentence as “People had drawn pictures [or, made carvings] on the walls of all kinds of creeping things and other unclean animals, and of all the idols the people of Israel were worshiping.”

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 .