joy

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The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
  • Hausa Common Language Bible: farin ciki or “white stomach.” Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

complete verse (Ezra 3:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezra 3:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “There was no one able to know whether the noice/shouting was from happiness or crying, because the people shouted until it was heard from far.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “No one could distinguish between the sounds of joyful shouting and the sounds of weeping because the voices of the people were so loud and they could be heard from a great distance.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The shouting of joy and the shouting of cries could- not -be-distinguished because the noise of the people was so great, and this could-be-heard far-away.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The shouting and the crying was very loud; even people far away could hear it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezra 3:13

So that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping: Good News Translation translates this into natural English by saying, “No one could distinguish…,” that is, no one among the people who heard the sound of “the joyful shouts and the crying” could differentiate between the sound of the shout of joy and the sound of weeping. From a distance the sounds from the weeping and the shouting could not be distinguished but blended together and became one loud noise. The connector so that in Revised Standard Version connects this verse with the previous one to indicate the result of the two sounds being made at the same time.

The people shouted with a great shout: Here a Hebrew participle from the verb “to make a loud noise” is followed by the noun phrase “great shout” (compare verse 11). Traduction œcuménique de la Bible in its French expression says “the people were uttering great ovations.” In brief, they made a very loud noise with their voices!

The sound was heard afar: The idiom “it could be heard for miles” may seem to be inappropriate for that time and culture in which miles were not a measurement of distance. It would be preferable to say something like “the sound could be heard over a long distance” or perhaps “… over many stones’ throw.”

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ezra 3:13

3:13a The people could not distinguish the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping,

People could not tell the difference between those who were happy and those who were sad
-or-
So no one who was listening could understand whether the people were rejoicing or crying.

3:13b because the people were making so much noise.

because the sound/noise was so great.
-or-
This was because the people were shouting so loudly.

3:13c And the sound was heard from afar.

The noise they made could be heard over a long distance.
-or-
⌊In fact,⌋ it was so loud that people could hear the noise from very far away.

3:13a–c (reordered)

The sound of their voices was so loud that it could be heard from far away, and no one could tell who were glad and who were weeping.
-or-
The cries of joyful shouting and mourning mixed together as one. They were so loud that people could not hear the difference, and the cries/sound could be heard from far away.

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