The Greek, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated as “fox” in English is translated in Mam as “weasel.” Ron Ross explains: “Foxes is often a difficult concept to express in this part of the world. The Mayas don’t seem to know them. In the Mam project we finally put ‘weasel’ rather than ‘coyote,’ which were basically our choices.”
In Toraja-Sa’dan it is translated as sindallung or “civet cat.” H. van der Veen (in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 21 ff. ) explains: “This animal is a real chicken thief, and is a type of cat with a head resembling that of a fox.”
In Noongar, it is translated as mokiny or “dingo” (in Luke 9:58) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in Newari as “small jackal” (source: Newari Back Translation).
The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Samson” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “headband” referring to his long hair and likely use of a headband. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 15:4:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Samson took three hundred foxes/mongooses and tied the tails together to go in two’s. Then he put torches between the tails of the animals where they were tied together.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “So Samson went out and caught 300 young foxes. He tied their tails [together] two by two. Then he put torches between their tails.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then Samson walked-away and caught 300 foxes. He connected their tails two-by-two and put-on (them) a torch.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then he went out into the fields and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together, two-by-two. He fastened torches to each pair of tails.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
In biblical times and even today there are three species of fox found in Israel and one type of jackal. An additional type of fox was found in Egypt. In the Bible the Hebrew word shu‘al and its Greek equivalent alōpēx refer to any of these animals. These are members of the same animal family which includes the wolf and the dog. The word “jackal” was borrowed from the Arabic jakal which is from the same Semitic root as the Hebrew word shu‘al. In the days of the King James Version the word “jackal” had not yet been introduced into the English language and so in that version “fox” is used throughout for shu‘al.
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Modern scholars are almost unanimous in agreeing that the word ’iyim (plural of ’iy) is derived from a root meaning “to howl” and that it refers to howling jackals in particular. The word usually occurs in conjunction with the word tsiyim (“hyenas”) which is derived from a root meaning “to wail”. The pair together could justifiably be interpreted as “wild animals wailing and howling.” This is usually taken to refer to hyenas and jackals.
The context will usually indicate which animal is being referred to in a particular passage. It is possible that the fox was known as the small shu‘al and the jackal as the large one.
In early Hebrew the plural form tanin from tan meant a type of snake. This usage is found in Exodus 7:9 et al. The same word was the name of a mythical monster or sea serpent. This usage occurs in Genesis 1:21 et al. However, it is well accepted now that, in later Hebrew, tan is a poetic name for the jackal. It derives from a stem meaning to recite, or lament. In the passages where snakes or the monster tanin is referred to the context usually indicates that it cannot refer to jackals.
Fox: All foxes look like small, long-haired dogs with pointed noses. The Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (also Vulpes flavescens) is now very common all over Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, China, Japan, North America, and Australasia, having been introduced into the latter two continents to be hunted on horseback with packs of dogs. The red fox is a smallish animal, about 1 meter (3 feet) from nose to tip of the tail. It is usually reddish with white underparts and a bushy tail. Red foxes feed mainly on mice and rats but also eat chickens, game birds, and fallen fruit. They may occasionally eat carrion (dead animals), but are not scavengers in the usual sense of the word.
The Desert Fox Vulpes ruppelli and the Egyptian Fox Vulpes nilotica are slightly smaller and yellowish brown, but they are otherwise very similar to the red fox. The Fennec Vulpes zerda is a very small fox with large ears. It is now found in the Middle East and Egypt and was probably found in Israel also in earlier times. It feeds on insects and mice.
Foxes live in pairs, singly or in small family groups when they have young. During the day they live in holes in the ground usually dug by some other animal and come out at night to feed. When chased by dogs they are very clever at escaping, often doubling back on their tracks and then jumping sideways and heading in a new direction, thus confusing the scent trail. They also run up streams and thus avoid laying a scent trail altogether.
Jackal: The jackal found in Israel is the Golden or Oriental Jackal Canis aureus. It is also sometimes referred to as the Indian jackal. This animal is larger than the fox. It is yellowish brown with black tips to the long fur on its back.
Jackals eat almost anything and are great opportunists moving very fast with clever tactics when they have to. They have been known to steal bread from people’s houses and baby animals even from dangerous wild pigs. They are scavengers, eating household rubbish as well as carrion, especially the remains of carcasses killed by lions, but they also eat beetles and birds’ eggs and kill small mammals game birds and domestic chickens and ducks.
In some of the literature there is reference to the fact that jackals live in packs. This is not strictly correct. They live in pairs or small family groups but they may associate temporarily in larger groups when many pairs are attracted to the same burrows, carrion, refuse dumps, or potential prey. In these larger temporary groups they may cooperate and act together like a pack.
Jackals live in burrows made by other animals or in abandoned human houses or shelters and emerge to feed at night. They yap, howl, and wail at great length at the entrance to their burrow, especially on moonlit nights, with one pair triggering a response from neighboring pairs.
Both foxes and jackals are extremely intelligent animals, and their quick-witted, crafty opportunism is legendary in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The fables of Aesop, a North African philosopher and storyteller, which feature the crafty fox, date from about the time of Daniel. The fox also figures in Greek and Roman fables. Similar fables about opportunistic jackals have been widespread in Africa and the Middle East for centuries.
In ancient Arabic literature and in the Talmud and Midrash the word “lion” stands for a truly great and powerful person. In contrast “jackal” is used to designate an insignificant but self-important person. Since this figurative usage of “lion” (or “lioness”) is also common in the Bible there is a strong probability that the term “jackal” or “fox” used as a metaphor in the Bible for a person carries the connotation of self-important insignificance.
However the main symbolism associated with the jackal in the Bible is related to its habit of living among ruins and feeding on carcasses. To say that a certain place would become the dwelling place of jackals meant that the place would become deserted and lie in ruins, as the result of war. The jackal was thus a symbol of death and desolation as well as insignificance and opportunistic craftiness.
In areas where jackals are known, but not foxes, the word for jackal can be used for both. Similarly, if foxes are known but not jackals, the one word will suffice. In areas where neither foxes nor jackals are found, there may be related animals such as the Coyote Canis latrans or various types of wild dog or small wolf. In those few areas where even these are not found, one may use an expression such as “wild dog” or a transliteration.
Isaiah 13:21f.: In this verse there are four words for howling wild animals that inhabit deserted buildings: tsiyim, ’ochim, ’iyim, tanim . All except tsiyim probably mean “jackal”; however, to maintain the parallelism of the Hebrew poem, it is better to translate both tsiyim and ’iyim as “hyenas”. These verses will then be translated as:
Wailing hyenas will settle there,
Howling jackals will fill their houses.
Hyenas will wail in their fortresses,
And jackals howl in their luxurious palaces.
The word ’ochim occurs only here in the Bible. It is derived from a Hebrew word meaning “to howl”. “Owls” is a possibility, but “jackals” fits the context better, as it then preserves the parallelism of “jackals” and “hyenas”.
Judges 15:4: Since jackals are easier to trap because they are more easily attracted to baits of meat, most modern translations interpret shu‘al as jackal in this passage.
Nehemiah 4:3: Since the fox is smaller and lighter than the jackal, fox is the preferred interpretation here. The meaning is thus something like “Even if a little fox were to climb on these walls they would collapse.” Where foxes or jackals are not known, an expression for a small dog could be used in this context.
Psalms 63:10: Since the reference is to the enemy soldiers dying in battle and becoming carrion (that is, lying unburied), the interpretation of shu‘al should be “jackals”.
Song of Songs 2:15: This verse is very difficult to interpret. While foxes may occasionally eat fallen grapes, or grapes low down on a vine, they cannot accurately be described as “ruiners of vineyards”. It seems more likely that what is in focus is the fact that for Israelites jackals symbolize ruin.
Jeremiah 51:34 : Although many English versions translate tan in this verse as “dragon” or “serpent”, it seems likely that “jackal” is better; jackals often swallow their food in a great hurry without chewing properly, and then vomit it later when they are under cover and eat it a second time more slowly.
Samson’s revenge was carefully planned, as this detailed description demonstrates. Some versions start a new paragraph here (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Contemporary English Version even begins a new section, entitled “Samson Takes Revenge.”
So Samson went and caught three hundred foxes: So is a good rendering of the Hebrew waw conjunction here. In Hebrew this clause is filled with the sh sound, which is prominent in the words for Samson, three and foxes. Samson went may mean he moved to another place or moved around in order to catch the foxes. New Jerusalem Bible says “Samson went off,” and Contemporary English Version has “Samson went out.” We may also say “Samson left [or, went away].” The use of the verb went may also express some of his determination.
The text gives no clue concerning how Samson actually caught three hundred foxes. The Hebrew verb for caught (laqad) often refers to the capture of humans beings in war (see verse 7.25, where it is rendered “took”), and in this context to the capture of animals. The number three hundred occurs frequently in the Gideon story (see, for example, verse 7.6) and in verse 11.26. This number is a multiple of “thirty,” a number that has played a very significant role in this story (see verse 14.11-13, 19). The Hebrew word for foxes refers to a small animal that hunts at night. It looks like a dog. Several commentators believe, however, that the Hebrew word here refers rather to a “jackal” (Revised English Bible), an animal larger than a fox, which roams in groups during the day. Possibly these animals would be easier to catch than foxes. However, catching 300 of any species is out of the ordinary. Whether they were foxes or jackals, Samson’s act was no small feat. In many places “jackals” are better known than foxes, so this word can be used here.
And took torches means Samson “got some torches” (Revised English Bible). Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version leave the verb took implied. For torches see verse 7.16. This word is another link back to the Gideon story. In many cultures around the world, torches are well known and still used. Contemporary English Version says “oil-soaked rags,” which seems too specific.
And he turned them tail to tail: Samson turns the animals back to back. The pronoun them does not occur in Hebrew, but there is a clear reference here to the foxes or jackals. The Hebrew text implies that Samson ties their tails together, which many versions make explicit. Good News Translation, for example, says “Two at a time, he tied their tails together.” We may also say “He grabbed the tails of each pair of foxes and tied them together” or “He took each pair of jackals and tied their tails together.”
And put a torch between each pair of tails is literally “and he put one torch between two of the tails, in the middle.” Put renders a key Hebrew verb (sim) in this book (see, for example, verse 1.28; verse 6.19; verse 16.3). Another feature of this clause is the detail and specific reference to “one” and “two,” giving a folktale-like flavor to the narrative. In English “between two” is better rendered between each pair, but translators should use the most natural expression in their language. It is a little hard to imagine how Samson did this. Good News Translation says he “put torches in the knots,” which may have been what happened. New Living Translation‘s “he fastened a torch to each pair of tails” is confusing and should not be followed as a model.
Translation models for this verse are:
• So Samson went out and caught 300 jackals. He tied each pair [of animals] together at their tails, and then attached a torch in between them.
• So Samson went off and caught 300 foxes. He placed the foxes tail to tail and tied a torch between each pair.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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