complete verse (Psalm 140:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 140:10:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “Let charcoals of fire fall on them;
    let them be thrown on fire,
    in the holes of mud, let them not come out.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “May fire and brimstone fall on their bodies.
    May they fall into the pit.
    And may they never be able to come out.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “May-it-be that the burning coals will-fall-upon them and they will-be-thrown into holes/pits, so-that/[linker] they can- no-longer -get-up.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “You let burning charcoal to fall on them,
    would you let them to fall in the fire,
    in a hole which is muddy, not to stand up again forever.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Makaa wa moto yawangukie,
    watupwe katika mashimo, wasiinuke tena.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Cause burning coals to fall on their heads!
    Cause them to be thrown into deep pits, from which they cannot climb out!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Japanese benefactives (yō ni shite)

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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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Translation commentary on Psalm 140:10 - 140:11

In verse 10 two more figures are used to represent the psalmist’s prayer for the destruction of his enemies: burning coals (see this same language in 11.6) and pits; the latter translates a word found nowhere else in the Old Testament and whose meaning is debated. It is quite probable that pits here is a reference to Sheol, the world of the dead. It is suggested that burning coals derives from the punishment that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19), while pits recalls the fate of Korah and his followers (see Num 16.32-33). In any case, the psalmist is praying for the complete destruction of his enemies. At the end of verse 10 no more to rise means never again to regain their power, or else not rise to life.

Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Bible de Jérusalem, New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translate verse 10 as two lines, two requests: (1) red-hot coals fall upon them, and (2) they be thrown into pits. This involves reading “coals of fire” or “burning coals” as one phrase. But King James Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch take the Hebrew phrase to consist of two separate semantic elements: “coals” (which goes with the preceding verb “fall upon”) and “in fire” (which goes with the following verb “be thrown”). This results in three lines, three requests: (1) coals fall upon them; (2) they be thrown into the fire; (3) (and be thrown) into pits. This is possible, and the translator should feel free to follow it. Bible en français courant translates “May burning coals fall upon them; may God make them tumble into the fire, into a pit from which they will not climb out!”

In verse 11 the slanderer translates “a man of tongue,” a phrase found nowhere else in the Old Testament. The Hebrew “become firm in the land” (see Revised Standard Version) means to “succeed,” prosper, thrive, flourish. And in verse 11b Revised Standard Version speedily translates the plural of a word found only here in the Old Testament, literally “blow upon blow.” Revised Standard Version speedily and New American Bible “abruptly” are not too probable a rendering of the Hebrew; the idea is not so much speed as intensity, the violence of the action. Bible en français courant translates “may evil relentlessly pursue the man who uses violence.” For translation suggestions concerning the use of curses, see 137.5-6.

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 .