cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” Manya uses a similar nomenclature for the cardinal directions. (Source: Don Slager)

Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right and people of the East.

complete verse (Isaiah 41:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 41:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “There is a person in the East whom I have incited to come.
    I am driving that person
    for that person to come to start a war
    from the side of North.
    He shall trample on kings like when
    one steps on the mud of pots.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I have chosen someone from the north and he will come.
    Having come from east, he will call on my name.
    Like mud is trampled to soften it and like a potter tramples the clay,
    he will trample rulers. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I chose to rule a man from the north. He takes-refuge in me; and now he is-coming from the east. He will destroy the ones who-rule like the treading of a potter of mud which he will-make into a clay-pot.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Isaiah 41:25

I stirred up one from the north: The person God caused to be victorious here is clearly the same one as in verse 2. He was Cyrus, the Persian emperor. Translators should render stirred up in the same way in both verses to highlight the connection between them. However, in verse 2 God brought him “from the east,” but here it is from the north. Persia, the homeland of Cyrus, was east of Babylonia, but he attacked Babylonia from the north since he captured that area first.

And he has come: As a result of God’s action, Cyrus’ advance against Babylonia and other nations is already under way.

From the rising of the sun: This literal rendering is an obvious reference to the east, mentioned in verse 2. It is a poetic expression that translators should keep if possible. If not, they may say simply “from the east.” In Revised Standard Version this phrase is independent, but it is better to link it with he has come. A model for the first part of the verse that does this is “I stirred up someone from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun.” Good News Translation changes the order of from the north and from the rising of the sun to avoid a conflict with verse 2 by saying “I have chosen a man who lives in the east; I will bring him to attack from the north.” However, this rendering departs a little too far from the original text. A better model is “I brought a person to attack from the north; he has come from the east.”

And he shall call on my name: There is a textual problem here, which is evident when comparing the various versions. There are four possible readings:

(1) Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh follow Masoretic Text. These versions imply that Cyrus is or will be a worshiper of Yahweh. Their reading is supported by the Vulgate and the Syriac.
(2) New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible follow Dead Sea Scrolls, which reads “and he [Cyrus] will be called by his name.” This means God’s call of Cyrus is a personal one.
(3) Revised English Bible emends Masoretic Text to read “I called … him in my name,” which means God called Cyrus in his authority. This may be the reading that Good News Translation follows with “I have chosen a man.”
(4) Still others emend Masoretic Text to read “and he is called by my name,” which means God gave Cyrus a special name. This implies a close relationship between Yahweh and Cyrus.

We encourage translators to follow Masoretic Text here, as in Revised Standard Version. This is also the recommendation of Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and de~Waard. Revised Standard Version uses future tense here and in the next line, but many versions have present tense (so New International Version, Nouvelle Bible Segond). The Hebrew text allows for either tense, but we prefer present tense.

He shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay: These two lines use two similes to describe Cyrus’ aggressive military advance. He shall trample on rulers means he will conquer other kings (see the comments on Isa 41.2). Revised Standard Version has changed the Hebrew text to read trample instead of “come.” There is no textual evidence to support this change, but most commentators agree that it makes good sense in the context with mortar as an object and treads as a parallel verb. Rulers translates a Hebrew term borrowed from Akkadian; it refers to regional rulers. In many languages “kings” will be a suitable option.

The first simile, as on mortar, compares Cyrus’ advance to the way a mason treads on mortar. Mortar is the material used for holding stones or bricks together in a building. Nowadays cement is used, but in ancient times other materials, including mud (so Good News Translation), were used. In 10.6 the Hebrew word translated mortar is rendered “mire” in a another context of “treading down.” When a mason prepared mortar, he added water to the materials used, and trod on them until they were will mixed. In the same way Cyrus trod on other rulers, meaning he defeated them.

The second simile, as the potter treads clay, is nearly identical in form and meaning to the first one. It compares the advance of Cyrus to a potter treading clay. A potter tramples with his feet a mixture of clay and a small amount of water, until the mixture is soft enough for him to work with it. This imagery also suggests Cyrus’ complete victory over other rulers. For potter see the comments on 29.16.

In cultures where treading mortar for building and clay for pots is unknown, translators may use alternative imagery; for example, the last two lines of this verse may be rendered “he will wipe out rulers completely” or “he will thrash rulers entirely.” A possible nonfigurative model is “he will defeat rulers thoroughly.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• “I raised up someone from the north,
he has come from the rising of the sun;
he calls upon my name.
He treads down rulers as someone [or, a mason] treads mortar,
and as a potter treads clay.

• “I have stirred up a person from the north,
from the east he has come;
he worships me.
He tramples down kings as someone treads mortar,
and as a potter treads clay.

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 .