joy

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The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

Translation commentary on Tobit 11:18

Ahikar and his nephew Nadab: See 1.22. “Tobit’s nephews Ahikar and Nadab” (Good News Translation) is the what the text we are following has. New Revised Standard Version, in making Nadab the nephew of Ahikar, is following other sources. (In the k Book of Ahikark*, Nadab appears as the villain. Tob 14.10, where Nadab appears again, seems to know this tradition.) These same sources include the sentence with which the chapter ends in New Revised Standard Version. In favor of the addition is that it makes a smooth transition to 12.1, but it is not in our text, and is not necessary, so we recommend that it be omitted in translation.

It is odd that Good News Translation has “Tobit’s nephews” here, but at 14.10 it identifies Nadab as Ahikar’s nephew, though that is not in the Greek text there. Since Ahikar is Tobit’s nephew (see 1.22), Nadab could not be Ahikar’s nephew as well, unless the word translated “nephew” includes grand-nephews, and unless the Good News Translation use of the word “nephews” could be extended to grand-nephews. It is not really clear what relationship is described by the Greek word used here, since it can also refer to cousins. At this particular point, a general word for “kinsman, relative” would not be out of order, and translators are urged to do this; for example, “Tobit’s relatives Ahikar and Nadab also came….”

In the manuscripts there are various spellings of the name Nadab.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Tobit. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.