sandal (illustration)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” in English is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also untie sandals.

sandal / shoe

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “sandal” or “shoe” similar in English is translated in Noongar as djena-bwoka or “feet kangaroo skin” (source: Bardip Ruth-Ang 2020) and in Mairasi as “foot thing” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about sandals (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also cloth.

virgin

The Hebrew and Greek that is mostly translated as “virgin” in English can be translated as “woman that is untouched” in Batak Toba or “a woman with a whole (i.e. unopened) body” in Uab Meto.

“Similar words for ‘girl,’unmarried young woman,’ suggesting virginity without explicitly stating it, are found in Marathi, Apache, or Kituba. Cultural features naturally influence connotations of possible renderings, for instance, the child marriage customs in some Tboli areas, where the boy and girl are made to sleep together at the initial marriage, but after that do not live together and may not see each other again for years. Hence, the closest attainable equivalent, ‘female adolescent,’ does not imply that a young girl is not living with her husband, and that she never had a child, but leaves uncertain whether she has ever slept with a male person or not. Accordingly, in Luke one has to depend on Luke 1:34 to make clear that Mary and Joseph had not had sexual intercourse. A different problem is encountered in Pampanga, where birhen (an adaptation of Spanish virgen — ‘virgin’), when standing alone, is a name of the ‘Virgin Mary.’ To exclude this meaning the version uses “marriageable birhen,” thus at the same time indicating that Mary was relatively young.” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel, see here)

In Navajo (Dinė), the term that is used is “no husband yet” (Source: Wallis, p. 106) and in Gola the expression “trouser girl.” “In the distant past young women who were virgins wore trousers. Those who were not virgins wore dresses. That doesn’t hold true anymore, but the expression is still there in the language.” (Source: Don Slager)

The term in Djimini Senoufo is katogo jo — “village-dance-woman” (women who have been promised but who are still allowed to go to dances with unmarried women). (Source: Übersetzung heute 3/1995)

In Igbo translations, typically a newly-created, multi-word phrase is used that very explicitly states that there has not been any sexual relations and that translates as “a woman (or: maiden) who does not know a man.” This is in spite of the fact that there is a term (agb͕ọghọ) that means “young woman” and has the connotation of her not having had sexual relations (this is for instance used by the Standard Igbo Bible of the Bible Society of Nigeria for Isaiah 7:14). Incidentally, the euphemistic expression “know” (ma in Igbo) for “having sex” has become a well-known euphemism outside of Bible translation. (Source: Uchenna Oyali in Sociolinguistic Studies Vol. 17 No. 1-3 (2023): Special Issue: Gender and sexuality in African discourses )

In Chichewa, it is translated as namwali which is used to refer to a girl who has reached puberty stage and is ready to get married. Apart from the physical aspect, the word also has social implications in the sense that it is used to recognize the fact that the girl has become responsible enough to make informed decisions and take care of herself and others. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also virgins (Revelation 14:4) and complete verse (Matthew 1:23).

complete verse (Song of Solomon 7:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Song of Solomon 7:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “How beautiful are your feet
    when you have put on sandals
    oh, daughter of (a/the) king!
    Your thighs shine like metal,
    that a master smith/craftsman has beautifully made!” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “O magnificent young woman,
    how beautiful are your feet in sandals.
    Like made by a craftsman
    your beautiful legs are like gems.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “O honorable woman, how beautiful (are) your (sing.) feet with sandals. The form of your (sing.) thighs (are) very nice. These (are) just like jewels which were-made by a skilled/expert worker.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “You who are the daughter of a prince/king,
    you have lovely feet in your sandals.
    Your curved hips/thighs are like jewels
    that have been made by a skilled craftsman/man who shapes jewels very well.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 7:1

How graceful are your feet opens with the same exclamation as 4.10; see comments there. Graceful, describing the way the young woman walks, renders the Hebrew adjective “beautiful.” The Revised Standard Version choice graceful may be influenced by the base meaning of feet, which is “[foot]steps.” Since most of the features described are the body parts themselves, the adjective describing her feet is probably better given as “beautiful.” “Lovely” is an acceptable alternative.

In sandals: the leather sandals traditionally worn left the top of the foot exposed. However, the Hebrew term may actually describe any kind of footwear.

“How beautiful are your feet in sandals” (Good News Translation) is one model for translation.

O queenly maiden: see comments on 6.12. Here the phrase, literally “daughter of a noble,” balances her references to her lover as “king.” That is to say, the young man affectionately refers to her as a noblewoman (see also the discussion under 6.12). “O noblewoman!” is Fox’s suggested translation, while Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible give “O prince’s daughter.” It may be simpler to say “[my] princess.” Good News Translation appears to combine this phrase with the opening exclamation and says “What a magnificent young woman you are!”

Your rounded thighs are like jewels describes the upper part of her legs. Rounded thighs is given as “the curve of your thighs” in Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and can be followed. Jewels is the Revised Standard Version rendering of a Hebrew word that occurs only here, so its meaning is not certain. The root seems to be connected with the idea of chain-like ornaments. Comparing the young woman with jewels may be a way of telling her she is precious and beautiful—“Your hips are curved like jewels.” Good News Translation leaves out the comparison altogether, following directly with the next line.

The work of a master hand or “the work of the hands of a craftsman.” The elegance and beauty created by an artist is the point of this description. The noun phrase work of may be effectively rendered as a verb phrase, “made by a fine artist.”

One possibility for translation is to reverse the order of some of the description but maintain the same idea: “Your rounded thighs are works of art, beautiful as jewels.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .