Chaldean

The name that is transliterated as “Chaldean” in English means “astrologer,” “wanderers.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with the sign that combines “Mesopotamia” (see here) and “spreading out,” since the Chaldeans originated in southern Mesopotamia and spread out from there. (Source: Missão Kophós )


“Chaldean” in Libras (source )

More information about Chaldea .

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

complete verse (Jeremiah 51:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 51:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people will be beaten severely
    and they will lie dead on the road in their cities.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Their wounded corpse will-lie-down-in-full-view in the streets.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Their soldiers will fall dead in Babylonia;
    they will die after being wounded in the streets.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 51:4

They shall fall down slain: They refers back to “young men” and “host” in verse 3. The phrase fall down slain means “be killed.” The text has them killed and then wounded, so Good News Translation restructures to say “They will be wounded and die in the streets of their cities.”

Chaldeans; that is, Babylonians (see verse 1 and 21.4). They will probably not need to be mentioned by name here in light of verses 1-2. However, this will depend upon the discourse structure of the language and how verses 1-2 are rendered. Good News Translation, which places all of verses 1-9 in a single paragraph, uses only a pronoun. However, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begins a new paragraph with verse 4 and renders “Then Babylon will be saturated with the dead, the wounded will lie on all of their streets.” Bible en français courant places verses 3-5 together and translates verse 4 as “The wounded will lie all over the land of Babylon, the victims of battle will be scattered all over the streets.”

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 .