desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Cherokee: inage or “far away downstream” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Adioukrou: loj or “savannah” — “land that is not village, nor forest, nor field (source: Hill 2006)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

world (Chinese)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “world” in English is translated in Mandarin Chinese with shìjiè (世界). While shìjiè is now the commonly used term for “world” in Chinese, it was popularized as such by Chinese Bible translations. (Source: Mak 2017, p. 241ff.)

See also world.

complete verse (Isaiah 14:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 14:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Is this the person who destroyed cities,
    and made the land to become a desert?
    Yes, is this man really
    the one who refused to release prisoners to go home?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “This is the one who made the world a wilderness,
    and the one who destroyed the cities that were there, is it?
    What! This isn’t the one who would not let people who had been captured go home, is it?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “And it is not so that he was- the -one-who-destroyed the cities and made the earth/world seems-like a desert, and did- not -set-free his captives?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Is this the man who tried to cause the world to become a desert,
    who conquered its cities and did not allow the people whom he captured to return to their homes?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 14:17

The people in Sheol continue their description of what the king of Babylonia was like when he ruled.

Who made the world like a desert: Not only did he cause turmoil for people, but he also devastated the land. For world see the comments on 13.11. Turning the land into a desert is a figurative expression for complete devastation, though it could also describe a real situation since invading armies usually destroyed crops and cut down trees. This is the first time the Hebrew word for desert occurs in Isaiah. Although its use here is largely figurative, translators will need to find a term that describes a vast area without much water, with some grass, shrubs and trees. It mostly refers to an uninhabited place, a place where people would normally not be able to live. It does not refer to Sahara-type landscapes of endless sand dunes. Desert is often parallel to another Hebrew word rendered “wilderness”; see, for example, 21.1; 35.1.

And overthrew its cities: The Hebrew verb here suggests pulling down city walls and buildings. It may be rendered “demolished,” “razed,” or “destroyed.”

Who did not let his prisoners go home?: This final clause of the rhetorical question that describes the Babylonian king is very revealing. When Cyrus captured Babylon, he released from exile the Israelites who wished to return to Jerusalem. They were free to return home. The Babylonian king never did this. This is a further sign of his heartlessness.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Is this the man who turned the world into a desert and razed its cities, who refused to release captives?’

• This is the man who turned the land into desert, overthrowing its cities and not letting captives return home!’

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 .