intense colors

In Gbaya, the notion of intense colors is emphasized in the referenced verses with kerere, an ideophone that indicates an intense color — usually yellow or red.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

alarmed / shaken / panic / confounded / confused

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “alarmed,” “shaken,” “panicked,” “confounded,” “confused” or similar in English is translated in the Catholic Mandarin Chinese Sigao version with historical Chinese idioms: jīnghuāng shīcuò (驚慌失措 / 惊慌失措) and jīnghuáng shīcuò (驚惶失措 / 惊惶失措): “panicked and at a loss.” (Source: Toshikazu S. Foley in Hong Kong Journal of Catholic Studies, 2011, p. 45ff.)

complete verse (Isaiah 13:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 13:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “Anxiety shall grip people,
    (they) shall tremble and things shall cause (them) pain.
    People shall be distressed
    like a woman who is about to give birth.
    People who are afraid shall stare at one another,
    and look around in despair.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Like a woman in the pains of childbirth, they will have trouble and fear.
    Being afraid they will look at one another in amazement,
    and their faces will be red, as if they were on fire.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They will-shake with fear. They will-feel the severe pain like the laboring of a woman who is-about-to-give-birth. They will-look/gaze at one another, and their faces will-become-red in shame.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “All of you will be terrified.
    You will have severe pains
    like a woman has when she is giving birth to a baby.
    You will look at each other helplessly,
    and it will show on your faces that you feel horror.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 13:8

And they will be dismayed renders a Hebrew verb that can be translated “be terrified” (Good News Translation). New International Version says “Terror will seize them.” The subject here is the same as in the previous verse, though the Septuagint suggests it is “the old men.”

Pangs and agony will seize them: The Hebrew word for pangs is used in Dan 10.16 to describe the painful result of seeing a vision. Here it is linked with a word that is usually associated with the pain of childbirth. Both terms refer to sudden and sharp pain.

They will be in anguish like a woman in travail: This third mention of pain is compared explicitly with the pain of giving birth to a child. By means of this comparison, the prophet is depicting the extreme suffering that the day of Yahweh will bring.

They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame: Here the prophet describes the people turning to one another with looks of horror on their faces. For their faces will be aflame, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Their faces livid with fright,” and Revised English Bible has “… livid with fear.” The color of their faces is presumably red, though “white with fear” is more idiomatic in English. In a translation no color needs to be mentioned. New Jerusalem Bible suggests “feverish faces.” The point is that fear and panic is evident on the people’s faces, so translators can seek an appropriate idiom for expressing this idea. Bible en français courant has “Stupefied they turn to one another, their faces burning with emotion.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Helplessly they stare at one another, their faces glow.” Good News Translation speaks of “shame” here, but that does not fit the context, so we do not recommend its rendering of the last clause.

Translation suggestions for this verse are:

• And they will be terrified. Pain and agony will overcome them as they do a woman giving birth. They will look at one another in horror, their faces white with fear.

• They will be overcome with terrifying pain and agony, like a woman about to give birth. They will turn to one another with looks of horror, their fear clearly evident on their faces.

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 .