anger

Click here to view graphically

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 36:8 - 36:9

Good News Translation has reordered the material in verses 7-9, so it combines them. We do not recommend this.

Rouse thy anger and pour out thy wrath: These two clauses do not mean exactly the same thing. Rouse thy anger means “become angry,” and pour out thy wrath means “express anger.” It would be good to preserve the distinction if possible. Good News Translation combines them because the first clause is very difficult to express in natural English. Compare Psa 79.6, where Good News Translation translates “Pour out thy anger on” as “Turn your anger on.” Another possibility is “Get really angry” (Contemporary English Version).

Destroy the adversary and wipe out the enemy: These two clauses mean the same thing and can be combined easily. There is something to be said for not doing so, however. Verses 6-8 are a series of imperatives, sometimes two to a line. This creates an effect of feverish intensity, which some translators may wish to convey. Perhaps this can be done by condensing the feeling in the four imperatives of this verse into two as follows:

• Turn your anger on our enemies and destroy every one of them.

But if “Turn your anger on” will be a difficult expression, translators may say:

• Get really angry with our enemies and destroy every one of them.

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.