Hades / Sheol

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez and Greek that is often translated in English as “Hades” or “Sheol” is translated in the German Luther Bible 2017 (and pre-1912) as Totenreich or “realm (or: kingdom) of the dead” in these verses. (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

In Chuj it is translated as “among the dead,” in San Mateo Del Mar Huave as “the place where are the dead,” and in Coatlán Mixe as “the grave.” (Source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sheol .

remember

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “remember” in English is translated in Mairasi as “it is (or: place it) in your liver’s crack” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Noongar as barrang-dwangka, literally “ear-hold” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018), and in Apinayé as “having an eye on something” (source: Patricia Ham in Notes on Translation, August 1965, p. 2)

In Kalmyk, there is no equivalent to “remember,” so the translation there is “don’t forget.” (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )

See also forget, wisdom, God remembered Noah and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

Translation commentary on Sirach 9:12

Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly: The way that irreligious people live may be attractive in some ways, but the wise will not try to find their pleasures that way. Good News Translation has “Don’t take pleasure in the things that make ungodly people happy,” and Contemporary English Version says “Don’t look for happiness where ungodly people do,” or we may use figurative language; for example, “Don’t walk in the paths that the ungodly use to find happiness.” For ungodly see the comments on 7.17.

Remember that they will not be held guiltless as long as they live is literally “remember that they will not be declared innocent until Hades.” “Hades” is a Greek term for the world of the dead. This line implies that the Lord holds the ungodly guilty, and that sometime before they die they will get their punishment. They will not escape judgment indefinitely. Good News Translation lacks this latter idea. We would suggest an approach like this: “Remember that the Lord knows their guilt, and they will not die without being punished” or “… and he will punish them before they die.”

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.