cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” Manya uses a similar nomenclature for the cardinal directions. (Source: Don Slager)

Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post ).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

In Matumbi cardinal directions are defined as in relation to another place. “East” for instance typically is “toward the beach” since the coast is in the eastern direction in Matumbi-speaking areas. “North” and “south” can be defined as above or below another place. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right and people of the East.

complete verse (Job 27:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 27:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “A storm from the East sweeps (him) away and (he) is lost
    (it) chases (him) from his home.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The east wind will blow him away and not even His name will remain.
    The wind will blow him far away from his house.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A wind from the east will-blow him, and he will-vanish from his place-of-dwelling.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It is as though the wind from the east picks them up and carries them away from their homes,
    and they disappear.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 27:21 - 21:23

These three verses will be handled together, since each describes the effect of the wind.

The east wind lifts him up and he is gone: The east wind blows from the desert towards the Mediterranean Sea, bringing scorching heat. Here it is violent, like a tornado or whirlwind, in that it picks the man up and carries him away. In 15.2 Eliphaz asked if a wise man should fill himself with the east wind, using the same Hebrew term. See there for comments. Lifts him up implies for the purpose of taking him away, and so “picks him up and carries him off.” Good News Translation reduces the two lines to one.

It sweeps him out of his place: sweeps describes the action of the violent wind and is used in Psalm 58.9b. Out of his place is best taken here as meaning “out of his house” or “out of the place where he lives.” Sweeps may require adjusting in some languages to a nonfigure like “It blows him out of his house,” or to a different figure.

It hurls at him without pity: It refers to the east wind. Revised Standard Version notes that the Hebrew has “he,” which Revised Standard Version thinks refers to God, although God has not been mentioned since verse 13. Good News Translation also makes the east wind the subject. Hurls translates a verb meaning “to throw at.” There is no direct object expressed in this line nor in Numbers 35.20, where the same verb is used, but according to Dhorme, no object is required. Accordingly Bible en français courant, which makes God the subject, translates “Without having pity on them, God uses them as targets.” New Jerusalem Bible says “Piteously he is turned into a target.” If the east wind is the subject, then the verb “blows” is more appropriate than hurls: “It will blow down on them” (Good News Translation, which keeps the plural for the wicked). Without pity is literally “not sparing,” that is, “without holding anything back.” This line may be expressed “This wind blows at them with full force” or “… with all its might.”

He flees from its power in headlong flight: here the wicked man flees from what is literally “his (or, its) hand,” which Revised Standard Version translates its power, meaning “the force of the wind.” In headlong flight is used translationally by Revised Standard Version to bring out the force of the Hebrew construction, which serves to intensify the main verb. In a similar way Good News Translation “they try their best to escape” emphasizes the urgency of the wicked person’s flight. This line may also be rendered, for example, “he does all he can to run from its power” or “he tries hard to run away from this powerful wind.”

It claps its hands at him: Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation continue with “the wind” as the implied subject. The Hebrew has only the third person singular pronoun prefixed to the singular verb claps. An Revised Standard Version note indicates “he (that is God).” Moffatt understands it in this sense and translates “God openly derides him.” Bible de Jérusalem and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translate with an impersonal subject, as does Bible en français courant: “One applauds on seeing them in this state.” New Jerusalem Bible has “His downfall is greeted with applause.” It seems most consistent with the context to keep “the wind” as the subject, even though the noun is not present in the Hebrew. Claps translates what is literally “beats his palms.” In Numbers 24.10 this gesture symbolizes anger: “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together….” In Lamentations 2.15 it is used to show “scorn, ridicule, derision.” The sense of scorn is to be taken here as it parallels the similar use of hisses in the next line. Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation gives the meaning of these two gestures. Good News Translation transposes the two lines, but “howls at them” is not made clear, and “frightening them” does not suggest scorn or ridicule. New International Version is to be preferred here, with “It claps its hands in derision.” In English “The wind howls scornfully at them” would be better. If the image of the wind clapping its hands in ridicule is not clear, it may be necessary to shift to a simile; for example, “The wind howls at them (him), like a person scorning them” or “The wind is like a person shouting ridicule at him.”

And hisses at him from its place: hisses is used in Jeremiah 49.17 and Zephaniah 2.15 to express ridicule, and so is parallel with claps in the previous line. In Lamentations 2.15 the people who pass by “clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem.” From its place is understood variously by different interpreters. It may mean the place from which the wind hisses, as Revised Standard Version, or the place wherever the wicked person may be, so New English Bible “wherever he may be.” Good News Translation “as they run” seems to follow somewhat the second interpretation. In English verse 23 may be rendered “The wind howls scornfully at them, and laughs at them wherever they go.” In some languages it will be possible to make a parallel line in verse 23b by saying “and whistles at him wherever he goes” or “and whistles at him to scorn him wherever he may be.” In some languages to whistle at a person has a connotation which may be undesirable in this context. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates verse 23 as “The wind pursues him with loud noises and whistles.” Translators may be able to adapt from this model.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .