In Gbaya, the notion of something that shines dazzingly is emphasized in the referenced verses with the ideophones zar-zar or bar-bar.
In Job 28:17, it refers to the glass, in Lamentations 4:1 it is used in a negated form (“grown dim”), and in Luke 23:11 it refers to “elegant robe” (which is translated as “bright clothing” [vêtement éclatant] in the FrenchTraduction œcuménique de la Bible).
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many Central African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
The Hebrew text of Lamentations 1-4 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)
While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. One such exception is the DanishBibelen på Hverdagsdansk (publ. 1985, rev. 2015 et al.).
Click or tap here for Lamentations 4 in Danish
1 Ak, Jerusalems guldklumper har mistet deres herlighed.
Hendes hellige øjestene ligger og vansmægter på hvert gadehjørne.
2 Byens befolkning var deres vægt værd i guld,
men nu ligger de som værdiløse lerkar, en pottemagers værk.
3 De vilde sjakaler giver deres unger die,
men mit folks mødre er følelseskolde som ørkenens strudse.
4 Ethvert spædbarn skriger af tørst med tungen klæbende til ganen.
Småbørn tigger om mad, men ingen har noget at give.
5 Folk, som var vant til festmiddage, er nu ved at forgå af sult.
De, som levede i luksus, roder nu efter føde i rendestenen.
6 Går det ikke mit folk værre end Sodomas indbyggere?
De døde dog på et øjeblik ved Herrens direkte indgreb.
7 Hendes fyrster havde hud som silke og struttede af sundhed,
deres ansigter var rødmossede og håret skinnede så smukt.
8 Ingen ville kunne genkende dem nu, hvis de mødte dem på gaden,
for de er det rene skind og ben med ansigter sorte som sod.
9 Ja, hellere dræbes af sværdet, end at dø langsomt af sult,
fordi madforsyninger ikke kan komme ind i byen.
10 Kan man forestille sig, hvad der sker med en kærlig mor,
som tvinges til at koge og spise sine børn for at overleve?
11 Landet er lamslået over Herrens forfærdelige vrede.
Jerusalem er ødelagt og brændt ned til grunden.
12 Man mente ikke, det kunne lade sig gøre at indtage Jerusalem.
Ingen af jordens konger troede, det var muligt.
13 Nedsablingen skete, fordi profeter og præster havde syndet.
De havde myrdet uskyldige folk midt i Herrens hellige by.
14 Overalt i byen raver folk rundt i blinde.
De kan ikke undgå at røre ved blod, og derfor er de urene.
15 „Pas på!” advarer folk hinanden, „der kommer en uren!”
Flygter de, siger de fremmede folkeslag: „Her kan I ikke bo!”
16 Respekt for præsterne og landets ledere hører fortiden til,
for Herren har slået hånden af dem og spredt dem for alle vinde.
17 Skildvagterne stod og spejdede efter hjælp, men forgæves.
Ingen af vores allierede havde magt til at redde os.
18 Tidspunktet nærmede sig, hvor alt var forbi.
Vi kunne ikke gå ud på gaden af frygt for at blive dræbt.
19U den at vise nåde kastede fjenderne sig over os som gribbe.
De forfulgte os i bjergene og lå på lur efter os i ørkenen.
20 Vores egen konge, Herrens udvalgte, gik lige i deres fælde,
han, som vi troede kunne beskytte os fra enhver fjende.
21 Østpå glæder I jer, Edoms folk, for denne gang var det ikke jer, der blev ramt.
Men en dag skal også I drikke Herrens vredes vin, så I mister besindelsen.
22 Åh, Jerusalem, din straf var hård, men en dag bliver du genoprettet.
Edoms folk, derimod, vil blive straffet, fordi de svigtede os.
The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew):
1 All dim, now, and discoloured, the gold that once shone so fair! Heaped up at every street-corner lie hallowed stones.
2 Bright they shone once in all their renown, the men of Sion, and now what are they? Little regarded as common earthenware, of the potter’s fashioning.
3 Cub of jackal is fed at its dam’s breast; and has my people grown unnatural towards its own children, like some ostrich in the desert?
4 Dry throat and parching tongue for babe at the breast; children asking for bread, and never a crust to share with them!
5 Ever they fared daintily, that now lie starved in the streets; ever went richly arrayed, and now their fingers clutch at the dung-hill.
6 Faithless Juda! Heavier punishment she must needs undergo than guilty Sodom, that perished all in a moment, and never a blow struck.
7 Gone, the fair bloom of princely cheeks, snowy-pure, cream-white, red as tinted ivory, and all sapphire-clear;
8 Here is no recognizing them, out in the streets, coal-black, skin clinging to bones, dry as wood!
9 It were better to have fallen at the sword’s point than yield thus to the stab of hunger, wasted away through famine.
10 Juda brought low, and mother-love forgotten; that women should eat their own children, cooked with their own hands!
11 Kindled at last is the Lord’s anger; rains down from heaven the storm of his vengeance, lighting a flame that burns Sion to the ground.
12 Little dreamed they, king and common folk the world over, that any assault of the foe should storm Jerusalem gates;
13 Malice and lawlessness it was of priest and prophet, whereby innocent men came to their deaths, that brought such punishment.
14 Now, as they walk blindly through the streets, they are defiled with blood; no help for it, gather their skirts about them as they may;
15 Out of my way! cries one to another; Back, pollution, do not touch me! The very Gentiles protest in alarm, Here is no place for them!
16 Protection the Lord gives them no longer, they are dispersed under his frown; the priesthood no honour claims, old age no pity.
17 Quenched is the hope our eyes strained for, while hope was left us; looking for help so eagerly to a nation that had none to give!
18 Refuge for us in the treacherous highways is none; we are near the end; all is over, this is the end;
19 Swifter than flight of eagles the pursuit; even on the mountains they give chase, even in the desert take us by surprise.
20 Through our fault he who is breath of life to us, our anointed king, is led away captive; under his shadow we hoped our race should thrive.
21 Until thy turn comes, shout on, Edom, triumph on, land of Hus; the same cup thou too shalt drink, and be drunken, and stripped bare.
22 Vengeful audit-day! Sion’s account closed, recovered her fortunes; Edom called to account, discovered her guilt! (Source )
Spanish has a different tradition of acrostics. It uses non-alphabetic acrostics where the first letters of each line (or verse) together form a word or phrase. In the Traducción en lenguaje actual (publ. 2002, 2004), the translators used the first letters of this chapter of Lamentation to spell out “POBRECITA DE TI, JERUSALEN” (“Poor you, little Jerusalem”) which also is the first line of the first and second chapters of Lamentations (for more on the translation process of this, see Alfredo Tepox in The Bible Translator 2004, p. 233ff. ).
Click or tap here for Lamentations 4 in the Traducción en lenguaje actual
1 ¡Perdió el oro su brillo!
¡Quedó totalmente empañado!
¡Por las esquinas de las calles
quedaron regadas las joyas del templo!
2 ¡Oro puro! Así se valoraba
a los habitantes de Jerusalén,
¡pero ahora no valen más
que simples ollas de barro!
3 Bondadosas se muestran las lobas
cuando alimentan a sus cachorros,
pero las crueles madres israelitas
abandonan a sus hijos.
4 Reclaman pan nuestros niños,
pero nadie les da nada.
La lengua se les pega al paladar,
y casi se mueren de sed.
5 En las calles se mueren de hambre
los que antes comían manjares;
entre la basura se revuelcan
los que antes vestían con elegancia.
6 Cayó Jerusalén, pues ha pecado
más de lo que pecó Sodoma.
¡De pronto se vino abajo
y nadie pudo ayudarla!
7 Increíblemente hermosos
eran los líderes de Jerusalén;
estaban fuertes y sanos,
estaban llenos de vida.
8 Tan feos y enfermos se ven ahora
que nadie los reconoce.
Tienen la piel reseca como leña,
¡hasta se les ven los huesos!
9 A falta de alimentos,
todos mueren poco a poco.
¡Más vale morir en la guerra
que morirse de hambre!
10 ¡Destruida ha quedado Jerusalén!
¡Hasta las madres más cariñosas
cocinan a sus propios hijos
para alimentarse con ellos!
11 El enojo de Dios fue tan grande
que ya no pudo contenerse;
le prendió fuego a Jerusalén
y la destruyó por completo.
12 ¡Terminaron entrando a la ciudad
los enemigos de Jerusalén!
¡Nadie en el mundo se imaginaba
que esto pudiera ocurrir!
13 Injustamente ha muerto gente
a manos de profetas y sacerdotes.
Dios castigó a Jerusalén
por este grave pecado.
14 Juntos andan esos asesinos
como ciegos por las calles.
Tienen las manos llenas de sangre;
¡nadie se atreve a tocarlos!
15 En todas partes les gritan:
«¡Fuera de aquí, vagabundos!
¡No se atrevan a tocarnos!
¡No pueden quedarse a vivir aquí!»
16 Rechazados por Dios,
los líderes y sacerdotes
vagan por el mundo.
¡Dios se olvidó de ellos!
17 Una falsa esperanza tenemos:
que un pueblo venga a salvarnos;
pero nuestros ojos están cansados.
¡Nadie vendrá en nuestra ayuda!
18 Se acerca nuestro fin.
No podemos andar libremente,
pues por todas partes nos vigilan;
¡nuestros días están contados!
19 Aun más veloces que las águilas
son nuestros enemigos.
Por las montañas y por el desierto
nos persiguen sin descanso.
20 La sombra que nos protegía
era nuestro rey;
Dios mismo nos lo había dado.
¡Pero hasta él cayó prisionero!
21 Esto mismo lo sufrirás tú,
que te crees la reina del desierto.
Puedes reírte ahora, ciudad de Edom,
¡pero un día te quedarás desnuda!
22 No volverá Dios a castigarte,
bella ciudad de Jerusalén,
pues ya se ha cumplido tu castigo.
Pero a ti, ciudad de Edom,
Dios te castigará por tus pecados.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Lamentations 4:1:
Kupsabiny: “How the men of Jerusalem have become grey/pale like gold that has become brown/dirty! The young men have been scattered like how the stones of the House of God were scattered.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Gold no longer shines. Even the finest gold has become dull. The precious stones from the sanctuary lie scattered at the chowks [public places].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The residents of Zion are as-if like pure gold that had-faded or expensive stones that scattered in the streets. They were like precious gold before, but now they are-considered as-if-like pots that were just made by the potters.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Previously our people were like pure gold, but now they are worthless. Like the sacred stones in the temple have been scattered, our young men have been scattered.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The first word of this chapter, as in chapters 1 and 2, is the Hebrew exclamatory word meaning “How…!” It introduces a contrast between the past and the present. The contrast is between the dullness of the gold in the present (after the fall of the city) and the way the gold appeared before. Gold, as verse 2 shows, is a poetic image standing for the people of Jerusalem.
The gold has grown dim is a problematic statement, if taken literally. Gold does not tarnish or darken, and is normally used in the Old Testament as a picture of the value of something. Therefore some scholars alter the word translated has grown dim to get “is despised.” In the second line of Revised Standard Version the word translated is changed is modified by changing one letter to get “is hated.” However, poetry is not always guided by concern for factual statements, and nothing much is gained by changing the text to get a statement that may be more factual. The poet is using gold as a comparison to the very great worth of the young men of Jerusalem, as will become evident in verse 2. Bible en français courant attempts to avoid the statement that gold tarnishes, by shifting to a question: “How can gold that is so brilliant, the metal that is so lovely, become tarnished?” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible is similar. The Hebrew syntax does not support a question in verse 1, and so it is best to follow Revised Standard Version. The first two half-lines are very closely parallel in meaning.
There are two Hebrew words translated gold. The second is a literary form meaning the same as the first, and is often translated “pure or fine gold.” In Hebrew the adjective translated pure is “good.” See also Job 31.24. The use of pure gold in the second half-line raises the poetic impact through the use of a literary-level word. Rather than mentioning two qualities of gold, Good News Translation has “our glittering gold,” which is an attempt to relate the image gold to “Zion’s young men” in verse 2.
For translation gold is so widely known that translators have little trouble with the word. However, in some areas a borrowed word must be used. Grown dim may be translated “lost its brightness” or “is no longer bright to look at.” In some cases one verb will be sufficient. If, however, the translator keeps the two parallel structures, we may say, for example, “dulled” in the first half-line and “tarnished” or “darkened” in the second. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “Oh, how the gold has become dark, and the pure gold has lost its glitter.”
These translations, however, do not make it clear that the poet is using gold as a reference to the value or worth of the people of Jerusalem, and the comparison may be lost unless some adaptation is made. One way to do this is to use a simile and say, for example, “Our young men are now as gold that has little value, as pure gold that has become worthless.”
Holy stones is a literal translation, but it does not indicate what the poet has in mind. Good News Translation “stones of the Temple” presumably means the stones from which the Temple was built; but if this is the meaning, we would expect to find a definite article before the Hebrew word for holy, making it refer to the Temple. New English Bible‘s translation agrees with that of Good News Translation, but an alternative is offered in the footnote, “Bright gems.” The verb which Good News Translation translates “lie scattered” is more suited to the second of these meanings, or to the translation of this unit in New Jerusalem Bible, “The sacred gems are spilled at every street corner.” The poet may be thinking of the jewels forming part of the priestly garments, such as are listed in Exodus 28.17-20. On the other hand, the translation in the footnote of New English Bible is based on the view that the Hebrew expression used here is a general term for jewelry, unconnected with the Temple. This would continue the thought of the first unit, which speaks of gold but does not connect it with the Temple.
Holy stones, if rendered literally, will have little meaning in many languages, and so some adjustment is required. If the translator follows Good News Translation, “stones of the Temple” could imply that these are merely stones associated with the Temple, but not necessarily the stones with which it was built. In order to make it clear that these are the stones from the destroyed Temple, it may be necessary to say, for example, “the stones remaining after the Temple was torn down” or “the stones from the walls of the Temple.”
The holy stones, like gold in the first half of this verse, reinforce the comparison of the worth and even the sacredness of the people they represent poetically. Just as the stones of the Temple have been scattered, so have the young men of Jerusalem. In translation we may make this clear by translating the second half of the verse, for example, “They (the young men in the simile in the first half) are like the sacred stones of the Temple that now lie scattered in the streets.”
For a discussion of at the head of every street, see 2.19.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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