not resistant / falling into destruction

In Gbaya, the notion of something not being resistant or falling into destruction in the referenced verses is emphasized with mbulɛɛ, an ideophone used to designate something that is not resistant, that is falling into ruin, or someone who lives in poverty.

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

See also complete verse (Wisdom 1:11).

God's anger, wrath of God

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)

Translations in other languages:

  • Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also anger and the coming wrath.

anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

complete verse (Nahum 1:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nahum 1:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “Who can persevere when God is angry? And who is able to endure his wrath? His anger pours out/up like fire and he makes rocks shatter in pieces.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Who will be able to stand before his wrath?
    Who will be able to endure his fierce anger?
    His burning anger will be poured out like fire,
    and the rocks will break in pieces before him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Who can-withstand/bear his fierce anger? When he gets-angry it-is-as-if he pours-out fire, and the stones shatter before him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

before / in the sight of / presence of (God) (Japanese honorifics)

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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 (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-mae (御前) or “before (God)” in the referenced verses. In some cases in can also be used in reference to being before a king, such as in 1 Samuel 16:16.

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

See also presence (Japanese honorifics) and before you / to you.

Translation commentary on Nahum 1:6

This verse shows some of the implications of the LORD’s greatness and power. In Who can stand before his indignation? the literal stand means “stand firm” (so New American Bible; compare Psa 24.3; Amos 7.2, 5; Mal 3.2). Good News Translation expresses this as “who can survive?” Good News Translation thus keeps the form of a question but turns the noun phrase his indignation into a clause and says “When he is angry.”

The implied answer to the two questions is that nobody can survive, and in languages which do not use questions in this way, the meaning can be expressed as a statement: “When he is angry no one can survive.” Endure (Good News Translation “survive”) can also be rendered as “stay alive” or “keep on living.”

The second line says practically the same thing again in different words: Who can endure the heat of his anger? The comparison of anger with heat is a figure of speech which is used in many languages, and often translators will be able to keep it here. Good News Translation, however, expresses the meaning in nonfigurative language with “Who can survive his terrible fury?” In some languages it may be necessary to change the structure of this sentence and say “When his anger is very hot, no one will be able to live.” In some languages the idea of anger (Good News Translation “fury”) can be expressed idiomatically; for example, “his burning heart.” One can then say “When his heart burns fiercely, who will be able to live?” Note that where Revised Standard Version has used two different English words, stand and endure, Good News Translation has used the same term “survive” both times. Translators should use one word or two according to the vocabulary and style of their language.

The second half of the verse is in the form of statements again and picks up the theme of verse 5. The third line continues the picture of anger as being like heat and says His wrath is poured out like fire. This is a common figure of speech (compare Jer 7.20; 42.18; 44.6) and is perhaps based on the idea of molten lava pouring down the side of a mountain during a volcanic eruption. In languages where it may sound strange to talk about “pouring anger,” it may be possible to use some other figurative expression and say “his fierce anger bursts forth” or “his fierce anger erupts.” In some languages it will be helpful to say “His anger, like a flaming fire, bursts forth (or, erupts).”

The fourth line probably expresses the result of the third one: because of the heat of the LORD’s anger, the rocks are broken asunder by him. Many translators will wish to avoid the passive and can follow Good News Translation‘s rendering or say “and makes (or, causes) the rocks (to) break into pieces” or “… (to) split apart.” Alternative translation models for the final part of this verse are: “because he is very angry he makes the rocks break into pieces” or “because his heart is very hot he causes the rocks to break into pieces.” The breaking of the rocks is a natural result of the LORD’s power. Translators should avoid suggesting that the LORD goes around smashing rocks in a display of bad temper.

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 .