birds of the air

The Greek and Hebrew phrases that are often translated as “birds of the air” in English “refer to the undomesticated song birds or wild birds, to be distinguished in a number of languages from domesticated fowl. In Tzeltal these former are ‘field birds’.” (source: Bratcher / Nida)

Q’anjob’al also uses an established term for non-domesticated birds. Newberry and Kittie Cox (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. ) explain: “Qʼanjobʼal has two distinct terms, one to identify domesticated birds and the other non-domesticated birds. The additional descriptive phrase ‘of the air’ seemed entirely misleading, for Qʼanjobʼal speakers had never heard of such creatures. Actually, of course, all that was necessary was the term for non-domesticated birds, for that is precisely the meaning of the Biblical expression.”

In Elhomwe they are just translated as “birds” or “birds of the bush” (i.e., wild birds) to “not give the impression that these are special type of birds.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also birds of the air / fish of the sea and birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

complete verse (Jeremiah 7:33)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 7:33:

  • Kupsabiny: “Birds and animals shall eat the corpses of those people and there is not even one person who shall chase the animals away.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The corpses of this people will-be-eaten by birds and wild animals, and no one will-drive- them -away.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The corpses of my people that are not buried and are left on the ground will be eaten by vultures and wild animals,
    and there will be no one to shoo/chase them away.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 7:33

This verse is paralleled (with the exception of the last clause) in 16.4; 19.7. But see also 34.20 and Deut 28.26. Death without burial was considered a gruesome fate (see Isa 18.6). For birds of the air, see 4.25. Beasts of the earth is simply a Hebrew way of saying “wild animals.”

Frighten … away translates a verb that more literally means “startle” or “cause to tremble”; it is used again in 30.10; 46.27, where Revised Standard Version renders “make … afraid.”

The entire verse may be rendered in one of the following ways:

• Birds and wild animals will gorge themselves on the corpses, and there will be no one to scare them off.

• Their bodies will be food for the birds and wild animals; no one will be left to frighten them away.

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 .