chariot

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:

  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “cart pulled by horses” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Mairasi: “going-thing [vehicle]” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

It is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also cart.

complete verse (Isaiah 2:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 2:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Silver and gold has filled their land.
    Their land has enormous wealth.
    Horses have filled their land
    and they have very many chariots.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Their land is full of gold and silver,
    and there is no lack of wealth [or] property there.
    Their land is just full of horses
    and it is impossible to count their chariots.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Their land of silver and gold is very many/plenty, and there is no end of their wealth. They have so many horses, and there is no end to their chariots.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 2:7

This verse speaks about material items, so the previous verse may be referring to trading agreements. The problem for interpreters is that there is no obvious connection between the wealth mentioned here, and the religious evils mentioned in the previous verse and the following ones. Some have assumed that because of the alliances with foreigners, Israel became involved in corrupt religious practices, and so this present verse also reflects something wrong. Translators should render it in a way that retains the ambiguity of the Hebrew text without necessarily giving it a negative tone.

The rhetorical pattern of this verse is clear. The first and third lines begin with Their land is filled with, while the second and fourth lines begin with and there is no end to. Instead of Their, the Hebrew text is literally “its” each time this pronoun occurs. It refers back to the “house of Jacob” in verse 6. The singular pronoun is a figure of speech for the collective people of Israel, so the English translations generally prefer to render it as a plural. New Jerusalem Bible uses “The country” and “its.”

Their land is filled with silver and gold: This line is an exaggeration describing the abundance of wealth in the country. The land is not literally full of precious metals, the way a cup is full of water, but it has as much money and wealth as people can imagine. Since “fill” is a key verb in verses 6-8, translators should keep it if possible. However, if there is a danger in the receptor language that is filled with might be understood literally, this line may be rendered “There is plenty of silver and gold in their land.” Some languages may also have an appropriate ideophone to add here. Silver and gold were the two most valuable metals and stand for wealth in general. It is parallel to treasures in the next line. In most languages a literal translation of silver and gold will probably be understood correctly. If not, other possibilities are “precious metals” and “wealth.”

And there is no end to their treasures is also an exaggeration to make the point that the country is extremely wealthy. We may say “they have endless/countless treasures.” However, translators should be consistent in how they render there is no end to in order to highlight the pattern of repetition present in the Hebrew text. If treasures presents a problem, “valuable things” and “riches” are other possibilities. The word “money” is less appropriate.

Their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots: These two lines repeat the pattern in the first two lines (see the comments there). It is possible to interpret the horses and chariots as luxury items for the rich, upper classes. This would continue the idea of wealth. However, in the same way that silver, gold, and treasures summarize wealth, horses and chariots summarize military strength. One of the imports mentioned in connection with Solomon’s trading activity was horses (1 Kgs 10.28; see also Deut 17.16). He purchased them mainly from Egypt. Horses were used primarily for pulling chariots either in war or for domestic purposes. According to 1 Kgs 10.29, chariots also came from Egypt. What can translators do in areas where there are no horses and chariots? They may have completely different expressions for military power, but these expressions may violate the cultural settings of the Bible. Since both of these items occur very frequently in the Bible, translators will need words or expressions to refer to them. Horses should be distinguished from “donkeys” in the Bible. In some languages the only solution is a loan word (duly explained in the glossary). A possible rendering for chariots is “carts used for warfare.” In the glossary there can be an explanation of their significance as a sign of military power.

Some translation examples of this verse are:

• The country is full of wealth,
there is countless treasure;
the country is full of horses,
there are countless chariots.

• Their land is full of silver and gold,
the amount of treasure is endless;
their land is full of horses,
the number of chariots is endless.

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 .