they have turned and fled together

In Gbaya, the notion of fleeing together in Jeremiah 46:21 is emphasized with soŋkpooŋ, an ideophone that expresses the fact of leaving together never to return (the “no return” is meant hyperbolically in this case).

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

complete verse (Jeremiah 46:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 46:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “And soldiers who were bought to come to aid,
    they are like fat calves.
    They will also turn around and all run
    unable to stand strong in this heavy fighting
    because the time when they will be destroyed has come
    and that is the time for them to be punished.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Even his paid soldiers will-back-off and will-flee. They (are) like the fattened calves to be slaughtered. This will-happen for (it is) now time that those from-Egipto will-be-punished and will-be-destroyed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The mercenaries/soldiers from other countries who have been hired will become like fat calves;
    but they also will turn around and run away;
    they will not stand there and fight,
    because it will be a day when there will be a great disaster in Egypt,
    a day when their people will be greatly punished.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 46:21

Her hired soldiers in her midst is somewhat redundant. It would be sufficient to say “her hired soldiers” (Good News Translation). The reference is to the soldiers mentioned in verse 9.

Fatted calves; that is, calves kept in a stall and fattened to supply meat on special occasions. Good News Translation sees here the sense of helplessness: “helpless as calves.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders “have become fat as calves,” and Bible en français courant is similar to this with “have been well taken care of.” This interpretation also makes sense in the context: “Even the hired soldiers who have been so well taken care of, the way people fatten up their calves, have all turned and fled.”

They have turned and fled … they did not stand: Good News Translation has restructured this to follow the order in which the actions happened, rendering “They did not stand and fight; all of them turned and ran.”

The day of their calamity is the same as the time of their punishment, and so it is possible to combine the two expressions: “when the LORD settles accounts and brings destruction on them.” Note that the one who brings the calamity and punishment is the LORD: “For the day has come when the LORD will bring disaster and punishment to them.”

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 .