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 Jeremiah 15:5:
Kupsabiny: “Who will show you mercy, oh people of Jerusalem? Who will mourn you? Who will stop and say, how are you?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘You (plur.) people of Jerusalem, who will-pity you (plur.)? Who will-mourn for you (plur.)? And who will-ask about your (plur.) situation/welfare?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “You people of Jerusalem, no one will feel sorry for you. No one will weep/cry for you. No one will ask how you are/if you are well.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.
In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
As previously indicated, verses 5-9 contain the LORD’s lament over the fate of his people. It is not until verse 6 of the Hebrew text that the LORD is identified as the speaker, but Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch shift this information to verse 5, where it is more natural for readers of English and German.
Have pity on: See the comment at 13.14.
Jerusalem here is equivalent to “people of Jerusalem” (Good News Translation).
Bemoan is first used in 4.1, where Revised Standard Version translates “waver.” Certainly in this context the meaning is “grieve” (Good News Translation) or “mourn” (New International Version), although “offer condolences” is also possible.
Turn aside suggests to turn off the path, with the sense of pausing on a journey. Good News Translation brings out this idea with “stop long enough to ask.”
Welfare is the same noun rendered “well” in the construction “It shall be well with you” in 4.10. In this verse “well-being” is possible, or simply “how you are.”
All three questions here are rhetorical; that is, they are not looking for answers, but are making a statement. They assume the answer is “No one!” In many languages it is better to say something like “No one will have pity on you, Jerusalem. No one will grieve for you. There is no one who will stop to ask how you are.” Of course, if rhetorical questions are commonly used in laments, translators should retain them. And if a language uses other special words or expressions for laments, translators may find these helpful too.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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