complete verse (Isaiah 31:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 31:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Assyria shall be destroyed through spears,
    and it is not the spears of people.
    A spear that a man did not create
    shall finish those people.
    The people of Assyria shall flee from the spear,
    and their young men shall become slaves.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The Assyrians are about to be felled by a sword,
    which is not the sword from a man.
    With a sword like that they are about to be destroyed,
    [a sword] which does not belong to [lit.: is not of] the men who will have to die.
    They will escape from before that sword.
    And as for their young people, they will be work as slaves. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Those of/from-Asiria will-die, but not by-means of the sword of a man. They will-flee from war, and their young-men will-become slaves.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Many of the Assyrian soldiers will be killed,
    but not by swords that men use.
    They will be destroyed by the sword of God;
    and those who are not killed will panic/be very afraid and flee.
    And some of them will be captured and forced to become slaves.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 31:8

Here Yahweh assures the people of Judah that he will destroy Assyria if they depend on him. The word sword is the keyword in this verse. It is used three times as a metaphor for the violent power that Yahweh will use to destroy Assyria. Good News Translation avoids the word sword altogether, but it loses much of the poetry.

Since the speaker changes from the prophet to Yahweh in this verse, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch indicates this by adding “says the LORD,” near the beginning. It also places quote marks around his speech in verses 8-9b. Other languages may find this helpful.

And the Assyrian shall fall by a sword, not of man: Assyria will be destroyed, but not by humans. Translators may omit the connector And, especially if they add a quote frame to indicate the LORD is speaking here. The verb fall was used in verse 3 for the destruction of those helped by Egypt. For fall by a sword, compare 13.15. This line may be rendered “The Assyrians will die by a sword not wielded/used by a human being.”

And a sword, not of man, shall devour him: This line is parallel to the previous one, emphasizing the destruction of Assyria. For the Hebrew idiom a sword … shall devour him, see the comments on 1.20. The Hebrew word for man (same one as in verse 3) differs from the one used in the previous line. No significant change in meaning is intended, but translators may reflect the variation by using slightly different renderings. This is what New Jerusalem Bible has done by using “man” and “human being.” New International Version says “man” and “mortals” (similarly Revised English Bible).

And he shall flee from the sword means the Assyrian army will try to escape destruction by the LORD’s agent.

And his young men shall be put to forced labor: This line clearly indicates that they will fail in their attempt to escape. They will be captured and made slaves. The Hebrew word for young men (literally “chosen ones”) is a technical term for young men of military age (see the comments on 9.16). In this context it may be rendered “soldiers” or “warriors.” Forced labor refers to slavery in this context. Good News Translation renders put to forced labor as “will be made slaves” (similarly Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible).

Some translation examples for this verse are:

• The LORD says,
“Assyria will fall by a sword not held by a human being,
a sword not held by a man will destroy him;
it will try to escape from this sword,
but its warriors will be captured as slaves.

• “The Assyrians will die by a sword not wielded by a human,
a sword not held by a man will kill them;
they will seek to avoid this sword,
but their soldiers will be captured and enslaved.

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 .