complete verse (Isaiah 28:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 28:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “The bed shall become short
    so that a person cannot sleep it it.
    The blanket shall become small
    so that a person cannot cover himself with it.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The cot will be [too] short for you to lie down on,
    and the blanket will also be too narrow.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For you (plur.) are like a man whose something-he-lays-on is too short and his blanket is too narrow.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You have heard people say, ‘Your bed is very short, you will not be able to sleep in it;
    your blankets are very narrow; they will not cover you!’
    That means for you that your agreement with Egypt is not going to save you.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 28:20

The Hebrew particle ki rendered For is an emphatic marker here, so it may be translated “Indeed” or “Truly.” It may also be omitted (so Good News Translation).

The bed is too short to stretch oneself on it, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it: This is clearly a proverb quoted by the prophet. Good News Translation makes this clear by beginning with “You will be like the person in the proverb, who….” Revised English Bible introduces the verse with “As the saying goes:…” (similarly Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The saying speaks of something that is uncomfortable—a bed that is too short for a person to stretch out on, and a blanket that is too small to provide warmth. The prophet cites this saying to support his warning that Egypt, despite its promises, will not prove reliable as an ally. Translators should indicate in some way that the prophet is quoting a proverb here.

There are some special rhetorical features in the Hebrew of this saying. Each word has either the s or ts sound. There is also a wordplay on the root letters for covering (nsk) and wrap (kns). The word translated bed is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Some translation examples for this verse are:

• You know the saying,
“The bed is so short you can’t lie down,
the blanket so narrow it won’t cover you.”

• We have a saying, “If the bed is too short, you can’t stretch out on it;
if the blanket is too narrow, you can’t wrap it around yourself.”*

* The alliance with Egypt will prove as unsatisfactory to Judah as a short bed or a small blanket is to a person who wants to sleep.

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 .