shiny

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 French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible).

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

flickering / glittering

In Gbaya, the notion of glittering or flickering light is emphasized in the referenced verses with lai-lai, an ideophone that expresses the flickering of a light.

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 3:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Nahum 3:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those who come/ride on horses with aroused anger are inciting one another and their swords and spears are flashing! Many people will be killed so that corpses will be heaped everywhere, until one cannot walk anywhere. People will be tripping over those corpses.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Attacking cavalry,
    flashing swords,
    shining spears,
    heap of casualties,
    uncountable corpses,
    people stumble over death bodies.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They will-see the charging of the horse-riders, the flashing swords and spears, and the great numbers of dead-bodies which are piled-up. Even the soldiers are- stumbling over the dead-bodies.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Look at their flashing swords and glittering spears
    as the horsemen race forward!
    Many people of Nineveh will be killed;
    there will be piles of corpses,
    with the result that people will stumble over them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Nahum 3:3

The graphic picture of the final attack on Nineveh continues. Horsemen charging: the term translated charging here may be understood as “rearing” (New English Bible). In that case the description is of the horses rather than the riders, and it speaks of them raising themselves up on their hind legs. However, if this is understood as a charging action, another possible rendering is: “Horsemen urge their horses forward” or “Horsemen urge their horses to race forward to fight.” In other languages one must be even more explicit and say “The soldiers riding horses urge their horses….”

Flashing sword and glittering spear: these words speak of the reflection of the sun on the metal weapons of the attackers (compare 2.3-4).

Hosts of slain, heaps of corpses: the attackers kill so many of the people of Nineveh that the bodies lie in heaps. Assyrian inscriptions record that this is exactly how the Assyrians had treated peoples whom they had conquered, so the prophet is here speaking of a just punishment upon them. Good News Translation reduces these two phrases to one clause, “corpses are piled high.” Some translations will need to say: “dead bodies lie in huge mounds” or “the dead bodies are piled up in high mounds.”

Dead bodies without end: these words emphasize the greatness of the slaughter. They are largely parallel in meaning with the previous words, and some translators may prefer to give all the information in a single clause. They can say something like “Dead bodies too many to count are piled high,” or “countless dead bodies are piled high,” or “dead bodies without number are piled high.”

They stumble over the bodies: there are so many dead people lying around that the attacking soldiers can hardly step over them, and so they stumble. They (Revised Standard Version) or “men” (Good News Translation) may need to be rendered “the enemy soldiers.”

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 .