falling snow

In Gbaya, the notion of the falling snow in Sirach 43:13 is emphasized with mbul-mbul, an ideophone that refers to something that falls very finely. Note that the Gbaya translators interpreted along the lines of the French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible which has “causes snow to fall” (il précipite la neige).

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

Translation commentary on Sirach 43:13

By his command he sends the driving snow: Driving snow (heavy snow falling with wind behind it) is somewhat implied by the verb here; sends could be rendered “sends speedily.” For this line New English Bible is good with “His command speeds the snow-storm.” The idea of snowstorm is lost in Good News Translation, but it is not essential. Good News Translation expresses clearly the main idea: when God commands, the forces of nature obey. Good News Translation has “He commands, and snow begins to fall.” We may also say “When the Lord commands [or, gives the command], the snow begins to fall.”

And speeds the lightnings of his judgment: As in the previous line, Good News Translation shifts the focus so that God is not the subject. Here “lightning” is the subject, almost personified, as carrying out God’s judgment. The Greek word for judgment, however, can be understood as “command,” parallel to the first line. It is used this way in 43.10. New Jerusalem Bible takes it this way by rendering the line as “he speeds the lightning by his command.”

This verse could be translated:

• He commands, and snow begins to fall;
he gives the word, and lightning strikes.

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.