wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
  • Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
  • Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
  • Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and Andrea Bokros):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

Translation commentary on Sirach 22:6

Like music in mourning is a tale told at the wrong time: Compare Pro 25.20. Good News Translation interprets a tale to mean “Lecturing your children,” that is, talking to them about misbehavior. This can be “as out of place [at the wrong time] as singing to people in mourning” (Good News Translation). It is reasonable to take tale to mean talking to your children since the next line speaks of corporal punishment as a better option. However, Good News Translation may miss the point of the comparison in this line. A better rendering is “Lecturing [or, Talking to] your children sometimes does no more good than music [does] for people in mourning.” People who have lost a loved one will not be cheered up by music, and stubborn children are not going to be set straight by talking to them. The Greek simply says music; it does not specify singing or playing on an instrument.

But chastising and discipline are wisdom at all times: Chastising refers to physical punishment, “whipping” (Good News Translation), or “thrashing” (New Jerusalem Bible). Here, discipline or “correction” (New Jerusalem Bible) may well refer to the same thing. Good News Translation‘s restructuring of this line is effective: “but a whipping is a wise choice of discipline at any time.” However, another possible restructuring is “but if you whip your children, that is always the wise way to correct them.”

New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible Pléiade, and Luís Alonso Schökel add two verses after verse 6 in a footnote and number them as verses 7 and 8. These two additional verses are found in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation at the end of verse 8, and are numbered there as verses 9 and 10. These two verses should be included in a footnote at the end of verse 6 and numbered verses 7 and 8. We are violating our usual practice of following Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation
because these two verses clearly belong in this section and not in the next one.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Sirach. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.