anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

complete verse (Job 36:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 36:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “People who disobey God like to be angry
    but when they are punished (they) do not cry for help to be saved.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who do not honor God will be angry,
    [and] even though God punishes them they will not ask for help.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The ungodly-ones keep hatred/resentment in their heart, and even if God is-punishing them, they do not ask for help from him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘Godless/Wicked people continue being angry,
    and they do not cry out for help,
    even when God is punishing them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 36:13

The godless in heart cherish anger: godless translates a word used in 8.13, which refers to people who do not trust God, and so “those who do not trust God” or “people who do not believe in God.” Here in heart is added to make the expression more vivid. In some languages it is translated as “unbelievers in heart.” Dhorme thinks it means “hypocritical,” New Jerusalem Bible calls them “stubborn,” and Bible en français courant “people of bad faith,” that is, people who lack faith. Cherish anger is literally “put anger.” Dhorme makes a change to get “keep their anger,” and this seems to be followed by both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. The anger they have is their own, not God’s.

These people do not cry for help; that is, “they do not ask God to help them.” When he binds them describes the extent of the conditions God imposes on them, and still they do not ask for his help. Pope changes the Hebrew verb translated binds to get “chastises,” but the general sense of putting them in bonds is for punishment, and so Good News Translation “even when punished” is adequate without the need for any change. Verse 13 may be rendered, for example, “They are people who do not trust God and who stay angry. Even when God punishes them, they do not ask him to help them.”

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 .