enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

complete verse (Isaiah 9:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 9:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “So, God will make enemies come to (them),
    and incite other people to attack those people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “But the LORD has made Rezin’s enemies against them, strong against them,
    and [he] will incite their enemies.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore the LORD will-have- those who-came-from-Assyria, the enemies of King Rezin -attack them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 9:11

So …: The prophet now tells how Yahweh will act in response to the arrogant claim of the people. Revised Standard Version makes it clear that this is a response by beginning with the connector So (also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant), which may also be rendered “Hence” or “Because of this.” New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begin with the connector “But” to indicate a contrast. The Hebrew only has the usual narrative connector (literally “And”), which may be why Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and Revised English Bible do not use an explicit connector here. This gives the impression that a new event is taking place, unconnected to the preceding events. This is not recommended. Translators should also not add Good News Translation‘s paragraph break here.

Whether translators use or do not use a connector to begin this verse will influence their choice of tense when rendering the verbs raises and stirs. Rather than describe and analyze the different versions on this point, we encourage translators to reread verses 8-12, and decide on the correct tense for the sequence of events here (see the introductory comments on these verses [9.8-12]). New Revised Standard Version has chosen the past tense, which we prefer.

The LORD raises adversaries against them: This is a general statement about Yahweh sending enemies against Israel. The Hebrew verb translated raises is not common. It usually has a positive sense, but not here.

There is a slight textual problem with the word adversaries in the Hebrew text, which is literally “enemies of Rezin” (for “Rezin,” the Syrian king, see 7.1). This is the reading that Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends, because there is no textual evidence available for any other reading. Bible en français courant (1997) adopts it by rendering this clause as “against Israel, the Lord has given advantage to the enemies of Rezin,” and explaining in a footnote that “the enemies of Rezin” refers to the Assyrians. New Jerusalem Bible has “against them, Yahweh has raised their foe Razon,” explaining in a footnote that “the foes of Razon” in Hebrew makes no sense. The reading adversaries (Good News Translation “enemies”) is an attempt to make sense of the difficult Hebrew text. Maybe a very early copyist made a marginal note identifying Rezin on the basis of the next verse, and this note found its way into the Hebrew text as we have it now. We suggest following New Revised Standard Version, which reads “the LORD raised adversaries against them.” As in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, it also adds a footnote to indicate that the Hebrew text has “the adversaries of Rezin.”

And stirs up their enemies is parallel to the previous clause. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version combine the two clauses into one, so the parallelism is lost. The Hebrew word rendered stirs up means “incites” in this context.

The scene painted here fits well with what we know about the second half of the eighth century B.C. when Syria and other nearby nations planned on expansion and fomented plots against Assyrian domination; such plans inevitably involved Israel.

For this verse New Revised Standard Version provides a good model: “So the LORD raised adversaries against them, and stirred up their enemies.” Another possibility is:

• So Yahweh has sent adversaries against them, and stirred up their enemies [or, roused their enemies against them].

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 .