2When the house of David heard that Aram had allied itself with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 7:2:
Kupsabiny: “When the king of Judah came to know that the soldiers of Syria had joined forces with those of Israel, he became much afraid. His people were also trembling very much.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then, king Ahaz of the dynasty of David had heard the report that "Aram has made an alliance with Israel." So the king of Judah and all his people became very afraid. They trembled, shaking like trees shaken by the wind.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When the king of Juda heard-the-news that Aram and Israel had-joined-together/(lit. became-one), he and his men were-shaken (because) of fear. They were-shaken like trees being-shaken by the wind.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “But before they attacked, everyone in the palace heard a report that the armies of Syria and Israel were now allies/joined to attack Jerusalem. So Ahaz and the people over whom he ruled were extremely afraid; they were shaking from fear like trees shake in a windstorm.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Verse 2 refers to a time before the kings of Syria and Israel attacked Jerusalem. Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch indicate this by beginning a new paragraph here.
When the house of David was told: The house of David refers to Ahaz, the descendant of David, who had become Judah’s king. This is the first of three times the phrase appears in Isaiah (also verse 13 and 22.22). Here we may say “[King] Ahaz of the house of David,” “Ahaz who was of David’s family,” or “Ahaz, a descendant of David.” Good News Translation is rather direct with “the king of Judah.” Both Contemporary English Version and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch say “the royal palace,” which is an idiom that refers to the king and his advisers, but this phrase may be misunderstood in many languages if followed literally.
Syria is in league with Ephraim summarizes the news that the two kings and their armies had joined forces. In light of verse 1, this brief statement means that the combined force was a threat to Judah. This direct quotation may be expressed indirectly, as Good News Translation has done. Ephraim is another name for the northern kingdom of Israel. It is given this name because the tribe of Ephraim was the largest or most important tribe within the ten tribes forming the northern kingdom. If translators believe that Ephraim will not be correctly understood, they may follow Good News Translation with “Israel,” as in verse 1. There is an alternative translation for the Hebrew verb rendered is in league with. This verb usually refers to temporary residence in some place. If it has this sense here, it gives the impression that Syria was occupying a portion of Israelite territory (so Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). For the first half of this verse Bible en français courant has “Ahaz, the descendant of David, and his court were informed that the Syrians had established their camp on the territory of Ephraim.” Translators who follow the Revised Standard Version (also Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible) rendering of this verb have the advantage of providing a clear link with verse 1.
His heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind describes the panic of the people of Judah after they heard the news of the coming attack. The idiom of the heart shaking is a description of fear. Translators may have other idioms to convey fear, such as “the heart melting” or “the knees being weak.” However, the text then compares this shaking to the way trees shake when blown by a strong wind. Translators will need to consider this comparison before they change the figure of the heart shaking. In English, people (not hearts) are shaken by bad news, so the figure of shaking trees can still be used naturally. It may be possible to keep the figure of the heart shaking by adding “in fear” to clarify it. Otherwise translators may simply replace the whole idiom, comparing the reaction of the people to some other frightening event. They may say “he and the people were very afraid [or, terrified],” to which they may add an appropriate ideophone or simile.
Possible translation models for this verse are:
• When Ahaz, a descendant of David, heard that Syria and Ephraim had joined forces, he and his people were terrified. They shook like trees shake in the wind.
• Ahaz of the family of David was terrified when he heard that Syria and Ephraim had combined their armies. His people were afraid also. Their hearts shook like [forest] trees shake in the wind.
• When Ahaz, the king of Judah, was told, “The armies of Syria and Israel have combined together,” he and the people of Judah were shaken. They were like forest trees blown by the wind.
• When the king of Judah heard the news, “Syria’s army has camped on the land of Israel,” his heart and the hearts of his people melted in fear.
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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