untranslatable verses

The Swedish Bibel 2000 declared the 69 Old Testament verses referenced herein as “untranslatable.” Typically, other Bible translations translate those verses and mention in footnotes that the translation is uncertain or give alternate readings. Christer Åsberg, the Translation Secretary with the Swedish Bible Society at that time, explains why the Swedish Bible Society decided to not translate these verses at all (in The Bible Translator 2007, p. 1ff. ):

“In the new Swedish translation (SB) of 2000, [some verses are] not translated at all; [they are] indicated with three hyphens inside square brackets [- - -] [with a] reference to the appendix, where in the article ‘Text’ one will find a paragraph with roughly the following content:

In some cases the text is unintelligible and the variant readings differing to such an extent, that it is quite impossible to attain a reasonable certainty of what is meant, although some isolated word may occur, whose meaning it is possible to understand.

“If Bible translators find the Hebrew text untranslatable, what kind of text is it that they have produced in the translation into their own language? When a footnote says ‘The Hebrew is not understandable,’ what then is the printed text a translation of? And if the translators prefer to do without footnotes, are they then really released from the responsibility of informing their readers that the text they read is just mere guesswork?

“To leave a blank space in a Bible text seems to be an offensive act for many. (. . . ) To admit that a piece of Holy Scripture makes no sense at all may have been unimaginable in times past. In our enlightened era, an overprotective concern for the readers’ trust in the word of God is apparently a decisive factor when a translator tries to translate against all odds. The verdict ‘untranslatable’ is much more frequent in scholarly commentaries on different Bible books written by and for experts than in the translations or footnotes of the same books designed for common readers.

“Another reason (. . .) is a professional, and very human, reluctance to admit a failure. Also, many Bible translators lack translational experience of other literary genres and other classical texts where this kind of capitulation is a part of the daily run of things. They may have an innate or subconscious feeling that the Bible has unique qualities not only as a religious document but also as a linguistic and literary artifact. Completeness is felt to be proof of perfection. Some translators, and not so few of their clients, are unfamiliar with a scholarly approach to philological and exegetical matters. In some cases their background have made them immune to a kind of interpretative approximation common in older translations, confessional commentaries, and sermons. Therefore, their tolerance towards lexical, grammatical, and syntactical anomalies tends to be comparatively great.

“It is very hard to discern and to define the boundary between something that is extremely difficult and something that is quite impossible. I am convinced that all Bible translators in their heart of hearts will admit that there actually are some definitely untranslatable passages in the Bible, but are there a dozen of them or a score? Are there fifty or a hundred? Not even a group of recognized experts would probably pick out the same ten most obvious cases. (. . .)

“Conclusions:

  1. There are untranslatable passages in the Bible.
  2. How many they are is impossible to say—except for the translation team that decides which passages are untranslatable.
  3. An untranslatable passage cannot and should therefore not be translated.
  4. The lacuna should be marked in a consistent way.
  5. The translating team should stipulate their criteria for untranslatability as early as possible.
  6. It is an ethical imperative that the readers be comprehensively informed.
  7. Untranslatability has been and can be displayed in many different ways.
  8. An explanatory note should not confuse linguistic untranslatability with other kinds of textual or translational difficulties.
  9. The information given should make it clear that the translators’ recognition of untranslatability is a token of respect for the Bible, not a proof of depreciation.
  10. You shall not fear the void, but the fear of the void.”

With thanks to Mikael Winninge, Director of Translation, Swedish Bible Society

gentiles / nations

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).

Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).

In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also nations.

complete verse (Hosea 8:10)

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

  • Kupsabiny: “And again because they have sold themselves to other communities
    I shall gather them and punish them.
    Then they shall feel the heaviness
    which that fierce king shall load on you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Although they have sold themselves to nations,
    now I will gather them in one place.
    Because a king who has great power gives them suffering and pain,
    their strength is vanishing.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But even-though she had-caused- herself -to-be-subject to these nations, I now will-gather her people and punish-(them). And their suffering will- now -start by oppressing them by one king and his officers.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But although they have agreed to pay money each year to the leaders of those countries,
    I will soon gather them together to punish them.
    The great King of Assyria will cause them to suffer greatly.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

Click here to view graphically

Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

(Click or tap here to see details)

  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 Hosea 8:10

In Hebrew this verse starts with an unusual combination of a particle (gam) and a conjunction (ki), which can be translated literally “Also for.” The conjunction ki is discussed in 8.6-7, 9. This combination only occurs eight times in the Old Testament, with two references in Hosea (also 9.16). Here, as in many other references (Psa 23.4; Isa 1.15; Lam 3.8), it is best translated Though, “Even though” ( NET Bible), or “Although” (New International Version).

They hire allies among the nations is literally “they hire [themselves] among the nations.” Davies explains that this expression may refer to the Israelites hiring themselves out as mercenaries to foreign nations. This line is similar to the last line of the 8.9, so it probably refers to Israel’s payments as it seeks alliances with other nations, especially Assyria. Since it repeats much of the previous line, Good News Translation does not translate it but transfers the reference to the nations to the previous line. However, repetition may be a common, and from a stylistic point of view, even a commendable feature in the receptor language.

I will soon gather them up: Some scholars think that this line refers to God bringing the Israelites back from exile. But the context of judgment here makes this meaning unlikely. In fact, this expression may be one of irony, or sarcasm, as the prophet uses an expression normally introducing something good but changing it into a gathering for punishment. Most agree with the interpretation of Good News Translation: “now I am going to gather them together and punish them.” The Hebrew verb for gather is also used for the gathering of the nations for judgment in Joel 3.2 and Zeph 3.8.

There are two basic readings for the last two lines of this verse, one following the Hebrew and the other following the Septuagint. One literal translation of the Hebrew is “And they will begin [or, suffer pain] under the weight of [or, from an anointed one,] a king of princes.” Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint: And they shall cease for a little while from anointing king and princes. Revised English Bible is similar with “Soon they will have to abandon the setting up of kings and rulers.”

Good News Translation‘s “Soon they will writhe in pain when the emperor of Assyria oppresses them” follows the Hebrew with one exception. “Writhe in pain” (like a child-bearing woman) follows a slight emendation of the Hebrew vowels and makes good sense, especially in the context of comparing Israel with a prostitute.

The Hebrew text has the verb “begin,” but this does not make clear sense, although one can understand the verb to mean “begin fear.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests “begin” with the implicit meaning “begin to diminish in numbers,” but admits that the evidence for it is not strong (a {C} decision). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh agrees with Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, saying “And they shall begin to diminish in number from the burden of king [and] officers.” New International Version is similar with “They will begin to waste away under the oppression of the mighty king.” The Hebrew text has the title “king of princes,” and Good News Translation is probably right in interpreting it as “emperor of Assyria,” although Assyria is not mentioned. Compare Ezek 26.7, where the emperor of Babylonia is called “king of kings.” According to Mays, the Assyrian title, “king of princes,” was likewise applied to their emperor. This interpretation fits with the reference to Assyria in 8.9. “When … oppresses them” (Good News Translation) is literally “under the weight of,” which is Hebrew Old Testament Text Project‘s preferred reading (a {B} decision).

As stated above, the other main reading follows the Septuagint. One problem with this reading is that it was not customary in Israel to anoint princes in addition to kings. If footnotes are used, this reading can be mentioned there. If the translation is based on the Septuagint, this reading should be followed.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Even though they have sold themselves to the nations,
I will gather them together to punish them.
They are already shrinking
under the pressure of the great king.

• Although they have seduced the nations with their gifts,
I will round them up to be punished.
They will soon cease
anointing kings and princes.

Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hosea 8:10

8:10a–c

Verse 10a describes Israel’s attempts to get help from foreign nations. Verse 10b says that God will respond by gathering them to be punished. Verse 10c describes what that punishment will be like.

10a Though they hire allies among the nations,

10b I will now round them up,

10c and they will begin to diminish under the oppression of the king of princes.

8:10a–b

There are two main ways to interpret the relationship between 8:10a and 8:10b:

(1) Verse 8:10a describes an existing situation that leads to the unexpected result in 8:10b. Israel paid other nations to protect them and expected to receive their help. They thought that they would be safe. In spite of what Israel expected, God will still gather them to be punished. For example:

10a Though they hire allies among the nations, 10b I will soon gather them up. (English Standard Version)

(2) Verse 8:10a describes a reason for the expected result in 8:10b. Because of the fact that Israel paid other nations to protect them, the expected result is that God will gather them to be punished. For example:

10a because they have so bargained among the nations, 10b I will now round them up. (Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

Here are some other ways to translate the relationship between these two lines:

Even though…I will gather them (God’s Word)
-or-
They have hired…but I will gather them anyway

8:10a

they hire allies among the nations: This statement refers back to 8:9b. See the note there. In 8:9b, “lovers” is part of a metaphor that refers to the nations. Here the word nations is used literally.

Here are some ways to translate this clause:

they hire allies among the nations (English Standard Version)
-or-
they have hired other countries ⌊to protect them ⌋

In some languages, it may not be natural to repeat the same idea from 8:9b. If that is true in your language, you may leave parts of this statement implied. For example:

they did this

8:10b

I will now round them up: In the OT, the LORD sometimes rounds the people up to do something positive. Here he rounds them up for the purpose of judgment. Some versions make the purpose of rounding up explicit. For example:

I will soon gather them together for judgment. (NET Bible)

now: This word probably indicates here that the LORD will gather the people soon, as in the previous NET Bible quote.

General Comment on 8:9b–10b

If you translated 8:9b similar to the Good News Translation, it may be more natural to combine that verse part with 8:10a–b. For example:

…paid other nations to protect them (8:9b). But now I am going to gather them together and punish them. (Good News Translation)

8:10c

they will begin to diminish: There are textual and interpretation issues in this part of the clause. The notes will first discuss the referent of they. Other issues will be discussed separately.

they: There are two ways to interpret the referent of this pronoun:

(1) It refers to the people of Israel in general. It includes the common people as well as the king and princes. For example:

they (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
you (Contemporary English Version)

(2) It refers only to the king and princes of Israel. For example:

the king and princes (English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

will begin to diminish: The issues in this part of the clause involve textual differences between the Hebrew (MT) and Greek (LXX) texts. They also involve textual and interpretation differences in the words used in the MT. Here is a summary of the main issues:

(1) One combination of words in the MT means “will begin ” + “to diminish ” or “to be few.” It refers to a future decrease in numbers or strength. For example:

and they will begin to diminish (Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible)
-or-
They will become weaker and weaker (New Century Version)

(2) Another combination of words in the MT means “will writhe/suffer ” + “soon ” or “a short while.” It refers to future pain and suffering. For example:

They shall soon writhe (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
They will suffer for a while (God’s Word)

(3) The LXX has “they will cease ” + “a little ” + “from anointing.” It refers to a future period of time when the people will no longer appoint their leaders. For example:

And they shall cease for a little while from anointing (Revised Standard Version)

The Display will follow textual/interpretation option (1) along with many versions and commentaries. This option requires no change in the vowels or consonants of the MT. It also allows for the normal meaning of the second word (“few”).

However, you may also follow option (2). This option is supported by a majority of versions and commentaries. Whichever option you choose, it is suggested that you put the other option in a footnote.

under the oppression of the king of princes: In Hebrew, the phrase under the oppression is literally “from the burden.” Here the word “burden” refers figuratively to various kinds of suffering and hardship that the people will experience in Assyria.

of the king of princes: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “king princes.” (For the word princes, see the note on 8:4b.) There are three main ways to interpret this phrase:

(1) It means “king of princes.” This expression indicates the greatest king. For example:

the great king (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means “kings and princes.” For example:

kings and rulers (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Revised Standard Version)

(3) It means “king and princes.” For example:

king ⌊and ⌋ officers (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(New American Bible, Revised Edition, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a majority of versions and commentaries. This interpretation best fits the historical context in which the people of Israel were deported to Assyria.

Some versions make explicit that this phrase refers to the king of Assyria. For example:

the great king of Assyria (New Century Version)
-or-
the emperor of Assyria (Good News Translation)

In many languages, it will be helpful to make this information explicit.

© 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.