desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Cherokee: inage or “far away downstream” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Adioukrou: loj or “savannah” — “land that is not village, nor forest, nor field (source: Hill 2006)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place,” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

complete verse (Judges 20:47)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 20:47:

  • Kupsabiny: “And/But those who were able to escape were six hundred who fled to the wilderness and went to the flat rock of Rimmon where they stayed for four months.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Six hundred men, however, went back and escaped to the rock of Rimmon, which is in the desert. And they stayed there for four months.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “But there (were) 600 Benjaminhon who were-able-to-flee towards the Rock of Rimon, and they stayed there within/[lit. inside] a period of four months.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But 600 men of the tribe of Benjamin ran to Rimmon Rock in the desert. They stayed there for four months.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 20:47

But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon: This clause seems to be a repetition of what is reported in verse 20.45, but in reality it tells the audience that 600 Benjaminite soldiers were able to escape. But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction here, since it introduces the contrast between the Benjaminites who were killed and those who managed to escape. We might say “However, 600 men were able to escape to Rimmon Rock in the desert.”

And abode at the rock of Rimmon four months: These 600 men were able to hide in the rocky area at Rimmon and avoid death, as is clear from verse 21.13. Abode renders a Hebrew word (yashab) that simply means “live,” “inhabit,” or “stay” in a location (see verse 1.9, where it is translated “dwelt”). However, in this context it might be rendered “hid.” The rock of Rimmon is repeated here, but in many languages it will be better to say simply “there” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew word for month refers to the new moon. In many languages there is a similar connection (see verse 19.2). We might say “and they stayed there for four moons.”

A translation model for this verse is:

• But 600 men escaped and ran to Rimmon Rock in the desert, where they hid out for four months.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 20:47

20:47a But 600 men turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon,

But six hundred of them ran into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon
-or-
But six hundred (600) Benjamin soldiers escaped to the wild area near Rimmon/Pomegranate Rock.

20:47b where they stayed four months.

and lived there for four months.
-or-
They stayed there for four (4) months.

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