sandal / shoe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” or “shoe” similar in English is translated in Noongar as djena-bwoka or “feet kangaroo skin” (source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020) and in Mairasi as “foot thing” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about sandals (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also cloth.

complete verse (Psalm 108:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 108:9:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Moab is my bathing plate
    I will throw my shoes on Edom;
    I will shout in victory over Philistia.’” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “Moab is my hand basin.
    To Edom I will throw my shoe.
    In this way I will show that [Edom] is mine.
    Having defeated the land of Philistia
    I will cry out with a loud scream.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “Moab (is) my servant,
    and Edom I own.
    I shout for victory against the Filistia.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “The land of Moab is my calabash for washing
    and I make the land of Edom work for me,
    and I shout in my victory over the people of Philistine.’” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Nchi ya Moabu ndio beseni langu la kunawia,
    kiatu changu naitupia nchi ya Edomu,
    Filisti nitampigia kelele za ushindi.’” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “the Moab region is like my washbasin;
    I throw my sandal in the Edom area to show that it belongs to me;
    I shout triumphantly because I have defeated the people of the Philistia area.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

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

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Psalm 108:7 - 108:9

Except for verse 9c, verses 7-9 are exactly the same as 60.6-8.

In verse 7a Revised Standard Version has has promised, whereas it translates the same Hebrew text in 60.6a as “has spoken.” The translation should be the same in both passages.

In verse 9c the Hebrew has “I will shout over Philistia”; in 60.8 the Hebrew text is “Philistia will shout over me.” (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not consider this difference between the two passages.) Good News Translation reflects the difference between the two passages, while Revised Standard Version has the same translation for the two.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .