sackcloth

The Hebrew or Greek which are translated into English as “sackcloth” are rendered into Chamula Tzotzil as “sad-heart clothes.” (Source: Robert Bascom)

Pohnpeian and Chuukese translate it as “clothing-of sadness,” Eastern Highland Otomi uses “clothing that hurts,” Central Mazahua “that which is scratchy,” Tae’ and Zarma “rags” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), and Tangale as “torn clothes that show contrition on the body” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

“In Turkana, a woman removes her normal everyday skin clothes and ornaments and wears rather poor skins during the time of mourning. The whole custom is known as ngiboro. It is very difficult to translate putting on sackcloth because even material like sacking is unfamiliar. The Haya, on the other hand, have a mourning cloth made out of the bark of a tree; and the use of this cloth is similar to the Jewish use of sackcloth. It was found that in both the Turkana and Ruhaya common language translations, their traditional mourning ceremonies were used.” (Source: Rachel Konyoro in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 221ff. )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing what a sackcloth looked like in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also mourning clothes and you have loosed my sackcloth.

opobalsamum (balsam; balm)

The Hebrew word bosem, which is often rendered “balm” (derived from “balsam”), can refer to any type of aromatic healing substance, but it also designates the product of a particular tree, the balsam or opobalsamum Commiphora gileadensis. Arabs call it balasam or balasham. In the Talmud it is called afarsimon. Excavations near En Gedi have uncovered an ancient processing plant for balsam oil.

The opobalsamum tree likes a desert or semi-desert climate. It grows to 2‑3 meters (7‑10 feet) tall and has small, wrinkled, three-part leaves, white flowers, and pea-sized red berries that have a fragrant yellow seed inside. The bark of younger branches is gray, turning brown with age. The resin appears by itself in green droplets from the stems and branches, but collectors also make cuts in the branches to speed the process. The droplets turn from green to brown, clump together, and fall to the ground, where they are collected.

In Bible times, balsam oil was used in holy anointing oil, as medicine, and as an ingredient of perfume.

A generic word or phrase for sweet-smelling substances is appropriate to render bosem, although where a specific name for the balsam tree is available, as in southwestern Arabia and Somalia, this could also be used. At least one hundred species of the genus Commiphora are spread throughout dry areas of the world. Translators in some areas will know the plants; others may know only the dried resin of Commiphora sold in spice markets.

Balsam tree, Photo by Nigel Hepper

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 3:24

The women of Jerusalem remain in view here implicitly. This verse continues the theme of removing good things from them. However, the focus here is not just on the removal of these things, but also on the opposite things that replace them. Their good things are replaced by things that are offensive and humiliating. Their fortunes are reversed, which is one of the themes of the book so far. The five occurrences of the preposition instead of highlights this reversal. Some translations keep this repetition, but others introduce variation; for example Bible en français courant has “The smell of rottenness will replace the perfumes, and a simple rope will take the place of a belt. Instead of beautiful hairstyles, there will be a shaven head; instead of fine clothes, there will be mourning clothes around the waist. Yes, to replace beauty, there will be humiliation.” Each translator will need to judge which kind of structure provides the best rhythm, so that it has the right impact on the reader.

Instead of perfume there will be rottenness: What smells good and is expensive will be replaced by something with an offensive odor. The Hebrew word for perfume is translated “spices” in Ezek 27.22. The word refers to a fragrant smell and not just to the substance that gives the smell. In the same way rottenness refers the smell of something decayed. It does not matter whether translators express the smells here or the objects that cause them, but they should choose words that fit the context well. New Century Version has “Instead of wearing sweet-smelling perfume, they will stink.”

Instead of a girdle, a rope: The Hebrew word rendered girdle refers to an apron or belt worn as an item of clothing around the waist. It is worn for decorative or practical purposes. In its place there will be a rope, which suggests the kind of rope tied around the waist of people who are taken captive. Archeological pictures show captives tied together with ropes around their waists. For translation the word “rope” should be used even if its full significance may not be understood. Its possible meaning should not be made explicit, but translators have the option of including an explanatory footnote.

Instead of well-set hair, baldness: Here there is a contrast between someone with lots of hair, carefully groomed, and a person with a lack of hair. For well-set hair, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh suggests “a diadem of beaten-work,” but the Hebrew expression here refers more likely to braids or to some other careful styling of the hair in order to beautify it. In many languages there will be a word for “plaiting.” The Hebrew word rendered baldness may mean the women will become bald or they will have shaved heads. The latter meaning is more likely here. It was shameful if your hair was cut off deliberately (see the comments on verses 16-17).

Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth: Here there is a contrast between an expensive, festive robe and sackcloth. Sackcloth was a very coarse cloth worn to show sorrow when someone died (Gen 37.34) or to show penitence (1 Kgs 21.27). It was both cheap and uncomfortable to wear. It was also associated with shame and humiliation (Ezek 7.18). Harper’s Bible Dictionary defines it as “a dark-colored material of goat or camel hair used for making grain bags and garments.” Translators should choose the name of a cheap and rough cloth to render sackcloth. However, they may also need to qualify it to express it fully, for example, “rough cloth[ing] of mourning/repentance/distress.” A girding of sackcloth means the sackcloth was wound around the body. If possible, the word for girding should differ from the one used for girdle.

Instead of beauty, shame: This line is incomplete in the Hebrew text. It reads only “for instead of beauty.” What replaces “beauty” is not mentioned, so scholars consult the Septuagint and one of the Isaiah scrolls from Qumran to complete what is missing. The word “shame” is found in these other manuscripts, and translations generally adopt that text. However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project argues for the Hebrew text by understanding the word for “for” in a different way. This word normally means “for/because” or “indeed,” but here it could mean “branding,” which is the scar formed from burning a mark on an animal’s skin. In this context the “branding” has in view captives of war who are treated like animals. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project renders this line “a branding instead of beauty.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh accepts this reading by saying “A burn instead of beauty,” but it adds the following footnote: “The complete Isaiah scroll from Qumran … reads ‘For shame will take the place of beauty.’” New Jerusalem Bible also follows Masoretic Text with “brand marks” (similarly New International Version, Revised English Bible). Both readings are valid, but a footnote may be helpful to give the alternative.

The Hebrew word translated beauty is different from the one that Revised Standard Version renders “finery” in verse 18, but using it helps to group verses 18-24 together around the same subject matter. So translators may use the same word in both places.

A translation example for this verse is:

• Instead of smelling of sweet perfume,
they will stink.
Instead of wearing a [leather] belt,
they will wear a [simple] rope around their waist.
Instead of nicely arranged hair,
they will go completely bald [or, their hair will be shaven off].
Instead of beautiful garments,
they will be dressed in rags.
Instead of feeling beautiful,
they will feel nothing but shame!

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 .