anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

Translation commentary on Judith 2:7

Tell them to prepare earth and water: Good News Translation builds into the text necessary information that earth and water are signs of surrender: “they must prepare their offerings of earth and water to show that they have surrendered unconditionally.” This in fact seems to have been a Persian custom; there is no known record of it in Babylonia or Assyria.

I am coming against them in my anger: Moore comments that this clause is a forceful threat. Good News Translation begins this strong threat with “I will make them feel the full force of my anger.” It adds “and completely destroy them,” but this may weaken the threat by too much plain speaking; it does not appear in the Greek. “They will find out just how angry I am” is a possible alternative.

Cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my armies: The language here recalls the imagery of the plagues on Egypt in Exo 8.6 and 10.15. The plagues narrative is another biblical story where the God of Israel combats an earthly would-be god, the king of Egypt. Good News Translation has “My armies will march over every foot of their land,” and Contemporary English Version has “I will command my troops to invade every inch of their land.” These express well the meaning of the phrase the whole face of the earth.

Hand them over to be plundered by my troops: Plundered will need to be in the active voice in a number of languages; for example, “and will let my soldiers take all their possessions.” The Revised Standard Version footnote on my troops simply advises the reader that the Greek text literally has “them”; the translators have rightly supplied my troops for clarity.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.