complete verse (Isaiah 26:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 26:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “That city is being trampled on.
    People who were oppressed shall trample on (it)
    and people who have nothing.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who lived under [oppression] [it] will now walk, being above [it],
    and the feet of those who fell into trouble and suffering will trample [it].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “This was-trampled-down by the persecuted poor-ones.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When that happens, poor and oppressed people will trample on the ruins.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 26:6

This verse gives the result of Yahweh’s actions in the previous verse. It concludes the song of the people of Judah.

The foot tramples it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy: The first line refers to the action of trampling while the last two parallel lines identify those who do it. The poor and the needy within the community have presumably been oppressed by the proud leaders of the city. Now the situation is reversed: the poor trample on what is left of the city. This is probably a figurative description of their release from oppression and a return to justice. Foot, feet, and steps are figures of speech that use a part to refer to the whole (called synecdoche). The poor do the trampling, not just their feet. In languages where these images will not be understood correctly, Good News Translation provides an alternative model. Some languages may prefer to begin with those who do the trampling, as in Good News Translation (see also the first example below).

Translation examples for this verse are:

• The feet of the poor, the tread of the weak, trample it underfoot.

• Their feet trample all over it, the feet of the poor, the footsteps of the weak.

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 .