enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

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.