happiness / joy

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.

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 / Seat of Emotions, rejoiced greatly / celebrated, the Mossi translation of “righteous”, and joy.

complete verse (Habakkuk 1:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Habakkuk 1:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Babylon catches people with hooks and pull (them) along in their nets. Those people rejoice when (they) do like that.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The wicked enemies catch
    them all with hooks and gather them,
    they are caught in their nets, being gathered in their great net.
    So they greatly rejoice.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The ones from-Babylon are-rejoicing and making-merry in their capturing their enemies just like fishes that were-caught by- means-of a hook or net.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Terrible things will happen to you people of Babylonia
    who cause people who live in nearby countries to become drunk.
    You force them to drink a lot of wine from wineskins
    until they are drunk and then they walk around naked,
    in order that you can see that.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Habakkuk 1:15

He refers of course to “The Babylonians,” as Good News Translation makes explicit, changing the singular pronoun to a plural noun. Many translators will wish to do the same, or they may prefer to keep the noun singular, “the Babylonian.” Here the Babylonians are pictured as treating other people as if they were merely fish. The comparison between people and fish was stated in the previous verse, but Good News Translation repeats it with “as though they were fish.” Similar thoughts can be found in Jeremiah 16.16; Ezekiel 12.13; 17.20; 29.4; 32.3; Amos 4.2.

The second and third lines in Revised Standard Version make the same statement twice but using different words: he drags them out with his net, he gathers them in his seine. A seine is a large dragnet which requires several people to pull it in a semicircle through the water. The word translated net probably refers to a smaller net that was cast by one person. Because seine is a rare word in English and will be unfamiliar to many people, Good News Translation has run these two clauses into one and uses only the general word for a net: “They drag them off in nets.” If different kinds of fishing nets are familiar in any particular culture, translators will have no difficulty in speaking about them. If they are not, then it will probably be best to do as Good News Translation has done and make just one statement using a generic term for net. The comparison of the Babylonians with fishermen illustrates the ease with which they capture their prisoners.

As fishermen are happy when they catch plenty of fish, so the Babylonian rejoices and exults. Good News Translation expresses this more naturally as “shout for joy” and makes it explicit that the “joy” is “over their catch.” “Their catch” may also be rendered “what they have caught.”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Habakkuk. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Habakkuk 1:15

1:15a The foe pulls all of them up with a hook;

The wicked enemies catch them all with hooks ⌊like fish⌋ .
-or-

⌊So the Chaldeans/Babylonians⌋ catch all of them ⌊like a fisherman catches fish⌋ with fishing hooks.
-or-

⌊So when⌋ the enemies come, they catch people ⌊like fishermen catch the fish⌋ with hooks.

1:15b he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net;

They drag them with their nets and pull them out with their fishnets.
-or-
They gather and drag them out with their various nets.
-or-

⌊These enemies⌋ gather ⌊captives, like fishermen gather fish⌋ in their nets.

1:15c so he rejoices gladly.

So ⌊the enemies⌋ celebrate, and ⌊it makes them⌋ very happy.
-or-
That is why they shout for joy.
-or-
Then they celebrate ⌊what they captured, like fishermen celebrate their catch⌋ .

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