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 51:35:
Kupsabiny: “The people of Zion are saying, ‘Nebuchadnezzar smashed us completely! This man-eating monster devoured us and he took all our wealth plundering us completely to leave as with nothing. Then he chased us away. Babylon ought to meet with punishment for what (it) has done to us!’ Jerusalem is saying, ‘May those people of Babylon carry charcoals on the head (bear the consequences) for the blood of my people.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Those from-Jerusalem said, ‘Nebuchadnezzar king of Babilonia seems-like dragon who devoured us (incl.). He filled his belly with our wealth. He left our city leaving nothing just-like an empty jar. He drove- us -away and we did not know what we will/would-do. May be done also to Babilonia what they have-done to us and to our children. May the people of Babilonia be-(forced)-to-pay-back for their killing.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So the people of Jerusalem say to Yahweh, ‘Cause the people of Babylon to suffer like they caused us to suffer! Cause the people of Babylonia to be punished for killing our people!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This verse contains the prayer of the people of Jerusalem for the LORD to take revenge against Babylonia for what was done to their holy city. In the two verses that follow we have the LORD’s response to the prayer.
It is more natural in many languages to move let the inhabitant of Zion say to the beginning of the verse, as in Good News Translation. Note that the singular inhabitant stands for all the people there. Zion is here used in parallel with Jerusalem. They refer to the same place. See verse 10 and 3.14.
The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon is literally “my violence and my flesh be upon Babylon.” The form of the Hebrew, which connects “violence” and “flesh” by the conjunction “and,” is misleading for English readers. The meaning of the construction is rather “violence done to my flesh be upon Babylon.” Revised Standard Version is probably correct in understanding “flesh” to have the meaning of my kinsmen, that is “my people.” This is the basis for Good News Translation “… for the violence done to us.”
The expression be upon Babylon … be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea means “May Babylonia and the Babylonian people be held responsible for,” as in Good News Translation. Thus the first and third lines can be expressed as “May the people of Babylonia be held responsible for the violent acts committed against my relatives [or, my people], and for our blood which they shed.”
My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea: Blood is used in the sense of “suffering” or “death.” Good News Translation has “May Babylonia be held responsible for what we have suffered,” while Bible en français courant has “May the Babylonians pay for the crime of shedding my blood.”
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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