The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the HausaCommon Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.
Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew text of Psalms 9/10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 uses acrostics, a literary form in which each verse is started with one of the successive 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. According to Brenda Boerger (in Open Theology 2016, p. 179ff. ) there are three different reasons for acrostics in the Hebrew text: “for ease of memorization,” the representation “of the full breadth and depth of a topic, all the way from aleph to taw (tav),” and the perception of “the acrostic form as aesthetically attractive.” (p. 191)
While most translations mention the existence of an acrostic in a note or a comment, few implement it in their translation. The Natügu translation is one such exception. Boerger (see above) cites a strong tradition in singing the psalms and the fact that Natügu, like Hebrew, also has 22 possible initial letters as motivating factors to maintain the acrostics in that language.
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in Natügu
1 Awi-zvzbo mz Yawe,
X tramawxu nzglqpx-krnge nide.
2 Bilvz-zvzx Yawe mz nabznge,
Murde nimu kx nzaetqbz drtqmu na-abrtzlvzamu da kcng tqaleleng.
3 Clve Yawe doa x da amrlx. Naglqlzku drtqde.
X napipx-lxblr-ngrgu nzetu-krde.
4 Da kcng tqmwxlrtix, arlapxpebz Yawe ninge mz da lcng amrlx.
Murde mzli kc tqkrka’-ngrbo bade, ayzlumle natqnge.
5 Elr! Na-abrtrpzmu drtwrmu mz Yawe, murde ma drtqmu tqmya,
X na-abrtzlvzamu nzokatr-krde nimu.
6 Gct, mzli kc nzmnc-krnge tqtrka-ngrde, arlapxq ninge,
Mz nzatutr-krm nzkrka’-krnge.
7 Ili! Enjrl ne Yawe arlapxle leplz mzli kc drtqdr tqetq-ngrde,
Murde aclvele krkcng tzmyatitrlr Yawe.
8 Jzsamu ena nzmrlzkr Yawe x na-abrtr-krbzmu drtwrmu bade.
Murde krkcng tqaclveleng nzabrtz-zvzng.
9 Kxnzvz-nqblqlr natq Yawe nzrngiscng da amrlx.
Delc nimu leplz nedeng na-amrlue-ngrnamu nide.
10 Laion kx nzxplrng nzkrlzlr nzbrtalengr,
Leplz kx nzvz-nqblqlr Yawe, trpnzngr da kx mrbrpxm badr.
11 Mrlxngeng x inyxngeng, lalztqmamu bange,
Murde na-alvztrpo bamu kxnamu nzamrluengr Yawe.
12?Nike suti drtwrm?
?Nzlungr kxmrlz kxboi?
13 Obq zpwx, x bzkq pokiaq.
Bzkq ycmne-atrkatiq leplz,
14 Prszpx nqmq kxtrka. X ale zvz da kxmrlz.
X nasuti drtwrm nzmnc-zpwx-krmu badr leplz mz nrwx.
15 Rlxtibz ncblo kxtubq mz Yawe nzokatr-krde nide.
X Yawe sa naxlrbzle nzkrka’-krde mz nzaclve-krde nide.
16 Sa napnanatile krkcng tzale-zvzng da kxtrka.
Trobqpwzu badr x mzli kc nabz-ngrdr, ani txpwz nzmrbrtrkr mz drtwr nidr. 1 Pita 3:10-12
17 Takitrde nzxlr-krbz Yawe natq leplz kxnztubqng mzli kc tzyrni-ngrbzlr bade,
Murde ngi nqmq krde nzokatr-krde leplz nedeng.
18 Vz zvz nzesolvzti-krde krkcng drtwrdr tqvz,
X nzamnc-lrpi-krde krkcng nabzdr tqyrnibu.
19 Wzpxtx zlwz nzkxpukr ncblo kxtubq.
A’ Yawe sa na-arlapxle nide mz da lcng amrlx.
20 X mz nzaclve-zpwx-krde nide,
Trpnzngr nrvr ngrdeng kx nztavxi. Jon 19:36
21 Yawe sa na-ayrplapxle kxdrka’-ngrng kcng tztrkalr-ngrdr kxnztubqng.
X nqmq krdr lc tqtrka sa nanibq-moule nidr.
22 Zvz Yawe nztu-krbzle mz nibr kxnzawz nedeng.
X trpnzngr nzayrplapx-krde krkcng tzabrtrpzlr drtwrdr bade.
There are two Dutch translations that maintain the acrostic: Naardense Bijbel (publ. 2004) and the Tot Lof van God by Frans Croese (publ. 2010).
Click or tap here for the complete psalm in the Dutch translations
Naardense Bijbel:
1
(v. David,
toen hij zijn verstand verdraaide
voor het aanschijn van Avimelech,- ✡
die hem wegjoeg,
zodat hij kon gáán.)
2
Altijd zal ik zegenen de Ene, ✡
steeds
ligt zijn lof mij voor in de mond.
3
Bij de Ene prijst mijn ziel zich gelukkig,- ✡
mogen gebukten het horen
en zich verheugen!
4
Geeft met mij grootheid aan de Ene, ✡
laat ons zijn naam eenparig roemen!
5
De Ene zocht ik
en hij heeft mij geantwoord, ✡
aan al wat ik duchtte
heeft hij mij ontrukt!
6
En wie opkeken naar hem, zij straalden, ✡
geen schaamrood kleurde
hun wangen.
7
Fluisterend kon deze gebogene nog roepen
en de Ene hoorde, ✡
uit al wat hem benauwde
heeft hij hem gered.
8
Gelegerd is de engel van de Ene
rondom wie hem vrezen, ✡
en hij redt ze uit.
9
Hoe goed de Ene is: proeft het en ziet! ✡
Zalig de kerel
die toevlucht zoekt bij hem!
10
Ja gij, zijn heiligen, vreest de Ene!- ✡
want er zal geen gebrek zijn
voor wie hem vrezen.
11
Kommer en honger leden
welpen van leeuwen, ✡
maar de zoekers van de Ene:
niets van alle goed zal hun ontbreken.
12
Laat u leiden door mij, zonen, en hoort; ✡
de vreze voor de Ene
zal ik u leren!
13
Mannen met behagen in leven, wie niet?- ✡
die lengte van dagen minnen,
het goede willen zien:
14
niet nalaten je tong te hoeden voor kwaad, ✡
je lippen
voor het spreken van bedrog!
15
O wijk voor het kwade, doe het goede, ✡
zoek naar vrede, jaag die na!
16
Rechtvaardigen:
de Ene houdt zijn ogen op hen, ✡
zijn oren
richten zich op hun geroep.
17
Pijnlijk is het aanschijn van de Ene
voor daders van kwaad, ✡
hij snijdt hun gedachtenis van de aarde af.
18
Schreeuwden zij: de Ene hoorde, ✡
aan al hun benauwingen
heeft hij hen ontrukt.
19
Terzijde staat de Ene
gebrokenen van hart, ✡
hij redt verbrijzelden van geest.
20
Vele zijn de rampen
voor een rechtvaardige, ✡
aan die alle
ontrukt hem de Ene,
21
wakend over elk van zijn botten, ✡
daarvan zal niet een
worden gebroken.
22
Zelf echter zal het kwaad
de booswicht doden ✡
en zullen haters van een rechtvaardige
hun schuld boeten.
23
Maar de Ene koopt
de ziel van zijn dienaren los,- ✡
geen schuld voor
al wie toevlucht zoeken bij hem!
Tot Lof van God translation:
Op naam van David, toen bjj zich aan Abimelech als verward bad voorgedaan, waarop die bent wegjoeg en bij heenging.
2
Altijd, alom, allerwegen, zo wil ik Hem zegenen, Jehovah!
Aanhoudend is Zijn lofzang in mijn mond.
3
Beroemen wil mijn ziel zich op Hem, op Jehovah,
zachtaardigen luisteren verheugd.
4
Daarom, verheerlijkt Jehovah met mij,
laat ons gezamenlijk Zijn naam hogelijk prijzen.
5
Ernstig zocht ik Jehovah en Hij antwoordde mij,
uit al mijn verschrikkingen bevrijdde Hij mij.
6
Fantastisch! Ze keken naar Hem uit en straalden;
rood, maar beslist niet van schaamte, was hun gelaat!
7
Hij, Jehovah, Hij luistert waar de ellendige Hem aanroept;
uit al zijn noden zal Hij hem redden.
8
Inderdaad, het is Jehovah’s engel die zich legert
rondom hen die Hem vrezen; Hij is het die hen verlost.
9
Ja, proeft en ervaart dat Jehovah goed is;
hoe gelukkig, de man die toevlucht zoekt bij Hem!
10
Koestert daarom vrees voor Jehovah, al Zijn heiligen,
voor hen die Hem vrezen is er geen enkel gebrek.
11
Liepen jonge leeuwen uitgehongerd rond,
wie Jehovah zochten, ontbrak het aan niets van al het goede.
12
Maar nu dit, mijn kinderen, komt luisteren naar mij,
laat mij jullie Ieren omtrent de vrees voor Jehovah.
13
Natuurlijk, wie wil er niet, waar men het leven liefheeft,
die dagen genieten om inderdaad het goede te zien, allicht.
14
O, hoedt uw tong voor slechtheid,
uw lippen voor bedrieglijke spraak.
15
Pas op, mijd het slechte, beoefen het goede veeleer,
zoek de vrede, jaag die vooral na.
16
Richten Jehovah’s ogen zich op wie rechtvaardig zijn,
Zijn oren zijn op hun noodkreet gericht.
17
Slaat Jehovah’s aangezicht gade wie het kwade bedrijven,
dan toch veeleer om hun gedachtenis op aarde af te snijden.
18
Toen zij echter [de rechtvaardigen dus] schreeuwden,
toen heeft Jehovah geluisterd, uit al hun noden bevrijdde Hij hen.
19
Uit al hun noden! Jehovah is nabij degenen wier hart gebroken is;
redding bewerkt Hij voor degenen wier geest verbrijzeld is.
20
Voor de rechtvaardige zijn er heel wat rampspoeden,
maar van dat alles zal Jehovah hem stellig bevrijden.
21
Werkelijk, al diens beenderen zal Hij beschermen,
niet één ervan zal worden gebroken.
22
Zo zal rampspoed degenen doden die doortrapt gewetenloos zijn,
zij die de rechtvaardige haten, zullen daar ook voor boeten.
23
Stellig, Jehovah zal de ziel loskopen van hen die Hem dienen; niets te boeten valt er daarom voor hen, voor allen die toevlucht zoeken bij Hem!
With thanks to Thamara van Eijzeren
The English Bible translation by Ronald Knox (publ. 1950) maintains most Hebrew acrostics (even though Knox’s translation itself is based on the Latin text of the Vulgate rather than the Hebrew). Due to the higher number of letters in the English alphabet, it skips the letter V, X, Y, and Z.
2 At all times I will bless the Lord; his praise shall be on my lips continually.
3 Be all my boasting in the Lord; listen to me, humble souls, and rejoice.
4 Come, sing the Lord’s praise with me, let us extol his name together.
5 Did I not look to the Lord, and find a hearing; did he not deliver me from all my terrors?
6 Ever look to him, and in him find happiness; here is no room for downcast looks.
7 Friendless folk may still call upon the Lord and gain his ear, and be rescued from all their afflictions.
8 Guardian of those who fear the Lord, his angel encamps at their side, and brings deliverance.
9 How gracious the Lord is! Taste and prove it; blessed is the man that learns to trust in him.
10 It is for you, his chosen servants, to fear the Lord; those who fear him never go wanting.
11 Justly do the proud fall into hunger and want;✻ blessing they lack not that look to him.
12 Know, then, my children, what the fear of the Lord is; come and listen to my teaching.
13 Long life, and prosperous days, who would have these for the asking?
14 My counsel is, keep thy tongue clear of harm, and thy lips free from every treacherous word.
15 Naught of evil cherish thou, but rather do good; let peace be all thy quest and aim.
16 On the upright the Lord’s eye ever looks favourably; his ears are open to their pleading.
17 Perilous is his frown for the wrong-doers; he will soon make their name vanish from the earth.
18 Roused by the cry of the innocent, the Lord sets them free from all their afflictions.
19 So near is he to patient hearts, so ready to defend the humbled spirit.
20 Though a hundred trials beset the innocent, the Lord will bring him safely through them all.
21 Under the Lord’s keeping, every bone of his is safe; not one of them shall suffer harm.
22 Villainy hastes to its own undoing; the enemies of innocence will bear their punishment.
23 The Lord will claim his servant as his own; they go unreproved that put their trust in him. (Source )
(Note that in the Hebrew version, 34:1-22 is lettered 34:2-23, which is followed by Knox)
Another English translation that maintains the acrostic is by Gordon Jackson (The Lincoln Psalter, 1997):
All my days I will bless the Lord;
always my lips shall speak good of his kindness.
Being his, I will glory in him;
let the humble hear and join in praise with me.
Come, all who are minded to honour his name
and let us share together our hallelujahs.
Duly I prayed to him when I was in need;
duly he answered and set my mind at rest.
Each one who seeks him eventually will find him;
he will light up their faces with sudden joy;
For the poor in spirit have a Father in heaven,
and all his wealth is at their command.
Guardian angels are night and day on hand
to preserve God-fearing souls in hardship.
He is the man of supreme taste among men
who has for himself tasted the goodness of God.
In fear of the Lord there is prosperity;
having God, what more can you have?
Just men find in him whatever they need,
but the others are never satisfied.
Knowledge is good, and the first thing you should know
is your place, with God above you.
Life and all of its blessings you can have
if you set store by a few well-tested maxims:
Mind your tongue, so it doesn’t lead you astray,
so it never licks the allurement of a lie;
Never do what you think wrong; always do what you should;
let peace be precious to you, and help others to it;
Open are the eyes of the Lord to the needs of the honest,
and open his ears to their prayers;
Pronounced on the workers of wrong is the sentence of God,
even before they do it their doom is determined;
Ready to help the just, though, before they ask;
he is impatient to hear their prayers, and help them;
So keenly he shares the tears of the broken-hearted,
so keen to lift the spirits of the downcast;
Through all the troubles that fall to a good man’s lot
the Lord sustains him and turns them into blessings;
Unbroken his bones and his spirit,
however much tested and tried;
Vainly the wicked assault him,
they hate him and kill him in vain;
Yes, the Lord will set free the souls of those who love him,
and acquit the failings of any who trust in him.
Another published English translation with acrostics is The Psalms Chronologically Arranged by the “Four Friends” (C.T. Arnold, A.W. Potts, F.E. Kitchener, S. Philpotts) of 1870.
Another 19th century translation with maintained acrostics is the German1883 commentary and translation by Franz Delitzsch . Unlike the other translations, he translates the acrostics of this and the other acrostic psalms by following an approximation of the German sound of the 22 letters (alef/א = a; bet/ב = b; gimel/ג = g; dalet/ד = d; he/ה = h; vav/ו = u; zayin/ז = s; chet/ח = h; tet/ט = t; yod/י = i or j; kaf/כ = k; lamed/ל = l; mem/מ = m; nun/נ = n; samech/ס = s; ayin/ע = e; pe/פ = f; tsadi/צ = z; qof/ק = k; resh/ר = r; shin/ש = sch; tav/ת = t).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 34:5:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
“Those who look to Him, their faces shine;
their faces are not covered with shame.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Newari:
“Any who look toward Him, their faces will be bright with joy,
And they will never need to bend down in shame.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Those (who) trust in him rejoice,
and they will- never -be-put-to-shame.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“Those who are one heart with him, surely they have hearts that are continually glad, and they are no longer ashamed.” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“People rejoice who search for him for help,
their faces are not covered with shame.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Mumtazame BWANA ili muwe na furaha,
hamtaaibika hata mara moja.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Those who trust that he will help them will be joyful;
they will never be disappointed/he will always do for them the things that he promises.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”
In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
On the basis of his own experience, the psalmist proceeds to proclaim how Yahweh cares for and protects those who trust in him, call to him for help, honor him.
I sought in verse 4a is used with the meaning to go to (the LORD) in prayer and worship (see comments on “seek” in 9.10). Answered means that Yahweh, in response to the psalmist’s prayer, did what the psalmist asked him to do.
All my fears in verse 4b are not internal feelings of dread and insecurity, but external terrors which threaten (see “terror” in 31.13). The verb translated delivered is the one used in 7.1b. In some languages it is not possible to be “he freed me from all my fears.” However, it is often more natural to say “he freed me from those who caused me to fear.”
In verse 5 “The oppressed” is supplied by Good News Translation as being implicit in the text. Good News Translation also translates the perfect tense of the verbs in the Masoretic text as present tense: “look … and are glad” (also New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Dahood). Some change the vowels in the Hebrew text to make the verbs imperative: Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible.
The English expression Look to is somewhat idiomatic and must be distinguished from “look at.” Look to means to place oneself in dependence upon someone, and may be translated in some languages in terms of “trusting.” For example, this may be said idiomatically, “They place their hearts on him and are glad” or “Their livers rest with him and they are cool.”
The Hebrew “are radiant” (see Revised Standard Version) expresses gladness, joy; and in verse 5b the verb “be ashamed” (synonymous with the verb used in 6.10) means be disappointed, be disillusioned; see New English Bible “hang your heads in shame”; New American Bible “your faces may not blush with shame.” The Revised Standard Version footnote in verse 5b indicates that your faces follows the ancient versions; the Masoretic text has “their faces.” This departure from the Masoretic text is caused in part by the fact that Revised Standard Version translates the verbs in line a as imperatives, not indicatives. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers to maintain the Masoretic text (“C” decision).
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 .
The following is a presentation by the Psalms: Layer by Layer project, run by Scriptura . The first is an overview and the second an introduction into the poetry of Psalm 34.
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