The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Cherokee it is translated as “going around feeling badly” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16).
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 66:10:
Kupsabiny: “Rejoice you (plur.) on account of Jerusalem and all you who love her/it should be happy. Rejoice with her today all you who cry over her/it.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “O [you] who love Jerusalem, all of you, rejoice with it, and rejoice with it! O those who mourn for it, now be happy, rejoice! ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) all who love Jerusalem and mourn because of her, you (plur.) be-glad and rejoice with her,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Verses 7-9 promised a speedy and happy birth of the new nation of Judah. Now the promises will soon be fulfilled and the prophet calls on the people to rejoice and to celebrate the return of Jerusalem to her former glory. In Hebrew plural imperative verbs are central to this verse.
Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her: Rejoice and be glad are synonymous verbs (compare 65.18-19). The prophet calls on the people to Rejoice with Jerusalem as though the city itself is able to celebrate the blessings it can expect in future. Be glad for her means “be happy because of Jerusalem.”
All you who love her identifies those who are addressed. Feeling love for the city is a new idea here, describing the people’s attachment to their home. Good News Translation says “this city” instead of repeating the pronoun her.
Rejoice with her in joy is parallel and synonymous with the first line. Once again the prophet calls on the people to celebrate joyously what will happen to Jerusalem in the future. The Hebrew verb for rejoice and the noun for joy come from the same root as the verb rendered Rejoice at the beginning of the verse. It is repeated for emphasis.
You who mourn over her: The people mourn because of Jerusalem’s current state. It had been destroyed by the Babylonian invaders and had not been rebuilt yet. However, all that is about to change, so they are to rejoice. For this line and the previous one Bible en français courant translates “All of you who have been in mourning because of its misfortune, share with her now an overflowing joy.”
Translation examples for this verse are:
• Rejoice with the city of Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her.
Rejoice greatly,
all you who are in mourning for her.
• All you who love Jerusalem,
celebrate with the city and be glad for her.
All you who mourn her,
rejoice with her and be glad.
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 .
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