anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

Translation commentary on Sirach 27:30

Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them: Other nouns used for anger and wrath are “hot temper” (Good News Translation), “Resentment” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “Rage” (Revised English Bible). Abominations are “loathsome, foul, terrible [disgusting] things” (see the comments on 1.25). Will possess them is a weak translation, as is Good News Translation‘s rendering “have both.” The idea is not just that sinners have things, but that they hold to them. Better renderings of the second line of this verse are New Jerusalem Bible “and a sinner is a master at them both,” New American Bible “yet the sinner hugs them tight,” and New English Bible “but a sinner has them ready at hand.” Alternative models for the whole verse are:

• Anger and a hot temper are disgusting, but sinners will not let them go.

• … but sinners will not give them up [or, just keep on getting angry].

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.