The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 33:10:
Kupsabiny: “But God is looking for a way to persecute me taking me as if I am his enemy.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Yet, God has found fault with me. He considers me his enemy.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “But God is-looking for a reason that he let- me -suffer. He considers me as his enemy.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “‘So, you men who claim that you understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong !” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, minas-are-ru (見なされる) or “consider/perceive” is used.
Behold, he finds occasions against me continues what Elihu considers a quotation from Job. This line reflects the kind of complaint Job makes against God in 10.13-17, but there is no passage which it closely resembles. Behold is used now by Elihu even when quoting Job. It may serve the purpose here of connecting verse 10 to verse 9 with an element of surprise, which in English, if it is translated at all, can be “Look here” or “Listen to this.” He should often be rendered “God,” since God has not been mentioned since verse 9. The word translated occasions is found elsewhere only in Numbers 14.34, where Revised Standard Version translates “displeasure.” Dhorme, Habel, and Pope propose a change to get “pretext.” However, both ideas may be contained within the meaning range of the Hebrew word, and so that change is unnecessary. Finds occasions against me is incomplete and needs an explicit purpose; for example, as Good News Translation says, “God finds excuses for attacking me” or “God looks for opportunities to make me suffer.”
He counts me as his enemy nearly repeats 19.11, “and counts me as his adversary.” Counts means “considers, regards, looks upon.” Good News Translation has “treats me like an enemy?”
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 .
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