body of water dried up

In Gbaya, the notion of a body of water has completely dried up is emphasized with ta̧i̧-ta̧i̧, an ideophone that refers to the fact that a body of water is completely dry.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

withered

In Gbaya, the notion of something that is withered (bloom, leaves) is emphasized in the referenced verses with lɛsuu, an ideophone that designates a thing that has withered.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

complete verse (Nahum 1:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nahum 1:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “He rebukes the ocean to dry up, and he makes all rivers dry up. He makes the hills of Bashan and Carmel wither and makes the flowers of Lebanon fall.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He rebukes the sea and dries it up.
    He causes all the rivers to dry up.
    The lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade,
    and the green forests of Lebanon wither.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “At his command the seas and the rivers become-dry, the plants wither in Bashan, at Mount Carmel, and at Lebanon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("dry up")

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, karas-are-ru (涸らされる) or “dry up” is used.

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

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Malagasy culture, the sea is perceived as sacred because it was a path taken by the ancestors. That is why the Malagasy word for the “sea” is ranomasina, which literally means “the sacred water.” The word masina actually has two different meanings: “salted” and “sacred/holy.” Salt is used for the conservation of some foods, such as meat or fish, that are to be set aside for later use. In this sense, the Malagasy phrase for “Holy Spirit” has the literal meaning of “Salted Spirit.” (Source: Brigitte Rabarijaona in The Bible Translator 2022, p. 103ff.)

Translation commentary on Nahum 1:4

The description continues by emphasizing the terrifying and destructive effects of the LORD’s presence, especially upon the waters and the vegetation that they support.

The first line, He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, is probably an allusion to the time when the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea (Exo 14; compare Psa 106.9). Rebukes (Good News Translation “commands”) has the sense of “giving an order to” rather than “scolding.” Some translators may wish to render this sentence as “He commands the sea to dry up, and it does so.” In a similar manner the second line, he dries up all the rivers, alludes to the crossing of the River Jordan at the entrance to the promised land (Josh 3.16-17; 4.23). However, these two miraculous events, which were of special importance in the history of the LORD’s people, are here taken as standing for the LORD’s complete power over the whole of nature. So translators should not use language which indicates a particular sea or river.

The second half of the verse deals with the results of the drying up of water supplies: even the most fertile parts of the land will suffer drought and lose their vegetation. Bashan was a well-watered area to the east of the Jordan and was famous for its flocks of sheep and herds of cattle (Amos 4.1; Micah 7.14). If it were to wither, there would be no grass left for the animals to eat, and so they would die. In many languages a country or territory cannot be referred to as “withering”; rather it is the fields or grass that “wither.” In such a case translators will do well to translate in a similar way to Good News Translation, which makes explicit the fact that Bashan has rich “fields,” in order to help readers who do not know the area. In some languages it will be necessary to indicate that these are fields with abundant grass, rather than plowed fields where crops are grown.

Carmel is the highest point along the Mediterranean coast of Palestine, near the modern town of Haifa. Good News Translation makes it explicit that Carmel is a “Mount” to help readers who are not familiar with the name. The name Carmel means “orchard,” and the slopes of the mountain, especially on the southern side, were famous for their fertility. If even Carmel dries up, then the rest of the land will be in a desperate condition. Some translators may wish to say “The trees on Mount Carmel die” (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The bloom of Lebanon fades: bloom here refers to “flowers,” as Good News Translation makes clear. Lebanon refers not to the whole of the modern country of Lebanon, but to the mountain range which runs north and south, more or less parallel to the coast. This range is much higher than Mount Carmel and is often snow-covered (the name Lebanon means “white”). As the snows melted, the slopes of the mountains received plenty of water and so had plentiful vegetation. When the prophet speaks of the LORD causing the well-watered Lebanon range to suffer from a drought, he is emphasizing the great power of the LORD.

Taken together, the three places, Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon, represent the most fertile parts of the land, as in Isaiah 33.9; 35.2. In some translations it may help to make this explicit and say “Even the most fertile parts of the land dry up, the fields of grass in Bashan, the orchards of Mount Carmel, and the flowers on the Lebanon mountains.” These three places are shown on the map entitled “Division of Canaan” in the American edition of Good News Translation, and on the map entitled “Divided Israelite Kingdoms” in the British edition.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A . A Handbook on the Book of Nahum. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .