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

Ephraim

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Ephraim” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

For Deborah, see here.

More information about Ephraim and the Tribe of Ephraim .

complete verse (Hosea 9:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 9:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “I was seeing Ephraim being in a beautiful place like Tyre,
    but he is bringing his children to be killed.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I have seen Ephraim
    like Tyre, planted in a beautiful place.
    but Ephraim will have to bring out
    his children to be slaughtered."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘The way I looked-at you (plur.) before as-if like palm trees which are-planted in good ground. But now you (plur.) should bring your (plur.) children in war so that they will-die.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “I have seen Israel become beautiful and prosperous like Tyre city was before it was destroyed,
    but now the people of Israel will be forced to take their children to be slaughtered by their enemies.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 9:13

This verse has several problems for interpreters and translators. The original text probably had some wordplays or other poetic devices that were not understood, or were wrongly understood, by later copyists. For example, in the first line of the Hebrew, the first word of the second half-line resembles the name of the city Tyre, or an Arabic word for a young palm tree, or a rock. The Hebrew of the first line seems to say “Ephraim, as I see, (goes) to Tyre, planted in the pasture” (Wolff). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh follows this understanding of the Hebrew text: “It shall go with Ephraim as I have seen it go with Tyre, which was planted in a meadow” (similarly New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). But there is no known reason for a reference to the city of Tyre. Furthermore, Tyre was not in a meadow but on a rocky island off the coast of Phoenicia, now Lebanon. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project decides to retain the Hebrew (a {B} decision), but it reads the noun for “Tyre” as “a palm tree.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project suggests the following translation: “(Ephraim), when I saw it (that is, the land and the people of Ephraim), [it seemed to be destined] to [be] a grove of palm trees, planted in a pasture.” New Revised Standard Version follows this reading, rendering the whole verse as “Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a lovely meadow, but now Ephraim must lead out his children for slaughter.” English Standard Version is similar: “Ephraim, as I have seen, was like a young palm planted in a meadow; but Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Like a young palm, planted in fruitful soil, so once was Ephraim to me, and this Ephraim now must lead his sons out to the slaughterer!” This reading of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is attractive since it remains fairly close to the Hebrew text and fits the context well. In 9.10 is a similar contrast: the LORD found delight in Ephraim, but saw it soon engaged in shameful idolatrous relations.

Many versions simply abandon the Hebrew of the first line, which they question, and follow the Septuagint. For example, Revised Standard Version has Ephraim’s sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey, and Good News Translation says “LORD, I can see their children being hunted down.” Wolff also prefers the Septuagint because he considers it the oldest phase in the history of this text. He suggests the following translation of the verse:

Ephraim, as I see,
(has exposed his sons to the hunt).
Now Ephraim must lead
his sons to the butcher.

Another emendation of the first line is followed by New English Bible: “As lion-cubs emerge only to be hunted,” but this is not so well supported by the Septuagint. NET Bible has a somewhat similar reading, but it turns the cubs into hunters: “Just as lion cubs are born predators.”

Although many scholars believe the Hebrew of the first line is unreliable, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch demonstrate that a clear translation can result from following the Hebrew text, and this fact removes an important reason for suspecting the Hebrew. So we recommend their reading of the Hebrew text. The following comments on this line are based on New Revised Standard Version‘s translation.

“Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a lovely meadow”: Ephraim is compared to a palm tree planted in fertile soil. The “palm” tree probably refers to the date palm.

The pronoun “I” most likely refers to the LORD. Good News Translation believes this pronoun refers to the prophet Hosea, so it moves “LORD” from the next verse to the beginning of this one, to show that the prophet is addressing the LORD in verses 13-14. However, in view of the wider context it is more likely that the LORD is still speaking in this verse to the people of Israel. Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, and Bijbel in Gewone Taal explicitly take this verse as the final lines in the speech of the LORD which began in verse 10. A similar understanding can be drawn from New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and English Standard Version.

“Saw” renders a Hebrew verb that relates to the earliest traditions of Israel’s prophets, that of “seeing” a vision. However, not all interpreters understand the verb to refer to prophetic experience here, since God is speaking.

Instead of “Ephraim,” Good News Translation has the pronoun “their,” which refers to the people of Israel, as do the third person pronouns in the preceding verses. Again, it is suggested to be consistent with the use of pronouns in preceding verses.

Ephraim must lead forth his sons to slaughter: This line may refer to battles with Assyrian invaders, in which many Israelite soldiers perished. Sons may be rendered “children” (New Revised Standard Version) in this context. For this line Good News Translation says simply “and killed.” Good News Translation drastically reduces it, omitting the agent. A better model is “They must send out their sons to be killed in battle.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• Ephraim, once I saw you as a palm tree planted in fertile soil,
but now you must lead your children out for slaughter.

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 9:13

9:13

Notice the contrast between the parallel parts in bold print:

13a I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow.

13b But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter.

There is a strong contrast between Ephraim’s desirable situation in the past and what will happen to their people in the future.

9:13a

I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow: There is a textual issue here:

(1) The Masoretic Text has “Ephraim just as I have seen Tyre [is] planted in pastureland.” For example:

Ephraim, as I have seen, is planted in a pleasant meadow like Tyre! (New American Standard Bible)

(2) The LXX has “Ephraim, as I saw, presented their children for prey.” For example:

Ephraim’s sons, as I have seen, are destined for a prey (Revised Standard Version)

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

As in 9:10, the LORD uses terms from agriculture to describe Israel’s good situation in its early days. The phrase planted in a meadow suggests fertility and growth. This description contrasts with what Ephraim will become later, a nation whose children will be killed.

I have seen: This phrase is similar to the phrase “I saw your fathers” in 9:10.

Here is another way to translate it:

I have watched (New Living Translation (2004))

Ephraim, like Tyre, planted in a meadow: This verse part is a simile. The meaning of the simile is affected by the meaning of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Tyre. There are two main interpretations:

(1) The Hebrew word means the city of Tyre. The simile compares Ephraim to the prosperous Phoenician city of Tyre, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. For example:

I have seen Israel, like Tyre, given a pleasant place. (New Century Version)

(2) The Hebrew word means “palm tree.” The simile compares Ephraim to a palm tree. For example:

Once I saw Ephraim as a young palm planted in a lovely meadow. (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This Hebrew word does not mean “palm tree” anywhere else in the Old Testament.

Ephraim: In this verse, as elsewhere in Hosea, the name Ephraim refers to the nation of Israel. Some versions make Israel explicit here. For example:

If have seen Israel, like Tyre, given a pleasant place. (New Century Version)

planted in a meadow: This phrase is literally “planted in pastureland.” The word for “pastureland” describes a green meadow that has plenty of water. It is an ideal place for plants to grow. Here the phrase is used figuratively. It is a metaphor that compares the people of Tyre and Israel to a crop or a garden that is planted in good pastureland. The land provided the people who lived there with opportunities to grow strong and prosperous.

9:13b

But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter: In Hebrew, this verse part is more literally “and Ephraim to bring out to ⌊one who ⌋ kills his sons/children.”

This clause indicates that the children of the people of Israel will be murdered. There are various opinions as to the historical event(s) to which this clause refers. It could refer specifically to the time when the Assyrian army will attack Israel and kill children or it could refer to others who will kill them. If possible, translate this statement in a general way that does not indicate who will kill the children.

But: This statement describes a horrible situation that contrasts strongly with the good situation described in 9:13a. Many English versions introduce the contrast with a word such as But. Indicate this contrast in a natural way in your language.

will bring out: In Hebrew, the form of this verb may indicate that the people were forced to bring their children somewhere to be killed. Some versions indicate this explicitly. For example:

must lead out (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
must bring out (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

Other versions indicate that the people will bring out their children to be killed. They do not indicate that they are forced to do so. For example:

will bring out (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
will soon bring out (New Century Version)

You may translate either way.

The Hebrew word for “children” here is masculine plural. This form can refer either to male children or to children in general, including male and female children. In this context of judgment on the entire nation, the word probably refers to all children. Most versions have “children” here.

for slaughter: The form of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for slaughter can be translated in several acceptable ways:

• Translate with a verb that means “to be killed.” For example:

But the people of Ephraim will bring out their children to be killed (God’s Word)
-or-
But now Israel will bring out her children to be slaughtered. (New Living Translation (1996))

• Translate with a noun that means “one who kills.” For example:

so Ephraim will present his children to the slaughterer (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer (King James Version)

• Translate with a noun that means “the act of killing.” For example:

But now Israel will bring out her children for slaughter. (New Living Translation (2004))

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