earring

The Hebrew that is translated as “earring” in English is translated in Newari as the traditional Nepalese “marwari earring ” (source: Newari Back Translation).

happiness / joy

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.

Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions, rejoiced greatly / celebrated, the Mossi translation of “righteous”, and joy.

complete verse (Judges 8:25)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 8:25:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people answered Gideon, ‘We have accepted.’ Those people spread out a cloth and each person threw there one ear ring of gold from those they had taken.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Certainly, we will give you those Marwari earrings. than they spread a cloth all man threw a gold marwari earrings from his plunder.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The people replied, ‘Yes, we (excl.) will-give (them) to you (sing.).’ They spread-out a cloth, and each one put an earring there which they have-taken from the Midianhon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They replied, ‘We will be glad to give earrings to you!’ So they spread a cloth on the ground, and each man threw on it one gold earring that he had taken from a man he had killed in the battle.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Judges 8:25

And they answered is literally “And they said,” but the Revised Standard Version rendering is more natural in English and perhaps in other languages as well.

We will willingly give them is literally “Giving we will give.” In Hebrew the verb for “give” is repeated to underline how willing the Israelites are to give their golden spoil. Revised Standard Version adds the adverb willingly to express this emphasis. New International Version says “We’ll be glad to give them,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has simply “Certainly!” The people seem to know Gideon is planning to make an idol. This incident has a strong link back to the time when Aaron asked the people to donate their gold earrings to make the golden calf (Exo 32.1-4).

And they spread a garment: The pronoun they could refer specifically to the Israelite warriors, or it may be an impersonal “they,” in which case a passive expression would be possible, for example, “Then a garment was spread out.” The Septuagint has a singular verb here, so New Jerusalem Bible sees Gideon as the main actor: “So he [Gideon] spread out his cloak.” In some languages the verb spread may require a locative phrase, such as “on the ground” (Contemporary English Version). A garment (literally “the garment”) renders a Hebrew noun that probably refers to a wide piece of material that served as an outer garment or robe.

And every man cast in it the earrings of his spoil is literally “and they threw there [each] man an earring of his spoil.” The pronoun “they” refers to the soldiers who had been to war with Gideon. Cast may be rendered “threw” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or “tossed” (Contemporary English Version). In it (literally “there”) may be translated “on it [the garment].” For the earrings of his spoil, see verse 8.24.

Translation models for this verse are:

• They said, “We will gladly give them to you.” Then they took a cloth and spread it on the ground, and each man threw down there the earrings he had gathered as spoil.

• The men replied, “Of course!” And spreading a cloth on the ground, they tossed the earrings they had taken from their enemies down on it.

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 .

respectful form of "give" (sashiageru)

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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 to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, sashiageru (差し上げる), a respectful form of ageru (あげる) or “give” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also respectful form of “give” (kudasaru) and give (Japanese honorifics).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Judges 8:25

8:25a “We will give them gladly,” they replied.

They replied, “We (excl.) are happy to give you (sing.) earrings.”
-or-
They responded, “We will happily give them to you.”

8:25b So they spread out a garment,

They spread a cloak on the ground,
-or-
So they spread out a cloth on the ground.

8:25c and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.

and each person threw onto it a ring from what he had taken.
-or-
Each man put on the cloth a ring from the things he had captured.

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