soldier

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “soldier” in English didn’t have a direct equivalent in Enlhet so it was translated with “those that bind us” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ) and in Noongar it is mammarapa-bakadjiny or “men of fighting” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Jeremiah 51:32)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 51:32:

  • Kupsabiny: “Enemies have taken over where one crosses the river. (They) have set on fire where reeds grew and terror has hit the soldiers of Babylon.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The something-to-cross-over of the River have-been-captured. The strongholds have-been-burned, and the soldiers have-been-terrified.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The places at which people can cross the river to escape from the city will be blocked.
    The dry reeds in the marshes/swamps will be set on fire,
    and the soldiers of Babylon will be terrified.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 51:32

The fords are the places where people are able to cross rivers (Good News Translation “the river crossing”).

The bulwarks: Either the same word or a different one of the same spelling means “reed pool” in all of its other occurrences in the Old Testament (Exo 7.19 [Revised Standard Version “ponds”]; 8.1; Psa 107.35; 114.8; Isa 14.23; 35.7; 41.16; 42.15.) The question is whether this is the same word or a word that means “fortress” (an Arabic word of similar spelling has this meaning). The meaning “swamp grass” or “reeds” is possible, since it would have been logical to set the grass on fire to cut off escape and to burn out persons hiding there. However, most versions prefer the meaning “fortresses.”

Good News Translation transforms the passive verbs have been seized and are burned into active forms: “The enemy have captured … and have set … on fire.”

The soldiers who are panicking are obviously “The Babylonian soldiers” (Good News Translation).

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 .