God's anger, wrath of God

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)

Translations in other languages:

  • Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also anger and the coming wrath.

complete verse (Isaiah 10:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 10:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “God said,
    ‘It is bad for
    Assyria who is whipping (people)
    that land which hold my whip,
    when I am angry.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The LORD said, "Alas to Assyria, which is the stick of my anger in [my] hand,
    the rod [lit.: walking stick] of my wrath” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The LORD said, ‘Woe to the ones from-Assyria. They (are) the (ones) I will-use as a whipping-rod to punish those I hate.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 Isaiah 10:5

This verse begins with the same Hebrew particle that opened verse 1. Revised Standard Version rendered it “Woe to” in verse 1, but here it uses the interjection Ah, as it did in 1.4, 24. In 10.1 it was a warning cry while here it carries more the sense of dissatisfaction. Several versions distinguish the way they translate this Hebrew particle in verses 1 and 5 (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), but others use the same form, which is their usual form for beginning a Woe Oracle (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant). It may be better in the present context not to use the “Woe to” structure used elsewhere. It is a challenge to render its sense here, but translators should use a form that expresses anguish. For English one possibility is to repeat the addressee, saying “Assyria! Oh Assyria!” (similarly Good News Translation). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begins with “The LORD says: ‘Now Assyria will have to deal with me!’” The speaker is Yahweh, as Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Contemporary English Version make plain. He speaks through his prophet.

Assyria, the rod of my anger, the staff of my fury!: Assyria in 7.18 was described as a “bee,” and the verses following described its advance. Here it is described by the two terms rod and staff. Both were made of wood and they had multiple functions. They were used for protection, as well as for attack, as symbols of authority, as well as for measuring distance. Here they are linked to God’s act of judgment, so they imply a war club and a stick with which to beat another person. It may be necessary for translators to hint at this sense if necessary since some readers might think of them as a means of protection (as in Psa 23). Good News Translation is quite clear with one expression covering both terms: “a club to punish.” However, Good News Translation‘s rendering of this verse is rather long and wordy. It is quite different from the short and powerful Hebrew forms, so it loses much of the force of the original text.

The rod of my anger speaks figuratively of a wooden club used to express divine anger. The word anger links this verse directly back to the previous verse, which spoke of Yahweh’s anger continuing. Here the Assyrians are to act as Yahweh’s “club” for beating the Israelites. Bible en français courant simply says “the instrument of my anger.”

The staff of my fury is parallel to the previous phrase. The Septuagint has “[my] anger is in their hands.” The Hebrew text is literally “a staff it is in their hand my fury” (see the RSV footnote). Revised Standard Version omits some of the Hebrew words in order to form a neat, parallel phrase. Others choose to stay closer to the Hebrew by mentioning “hand”; for example, New International Version says “in whose hand is the club of my wrath.” New Jerusalem Bible suggests “the club in their hands is my fury.” Bible en français courant conveys the idea of “hand” in a different way: “She is the one who holds the bludgeon by which I show my furor.”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Assyria! Oh, Assyria, the club I will use in my anger;
the stick I wield in my fury!

• Oh Assyria, the club of my anger,
the stick of my wrath!

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .