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 Wisdom 11:3

They withstood their enemies and fought off their foes: Enemies and foes have exactly the same meaning, and refer to such groups as the Amalekites and Midianites (Exo 17.8-16; Num 31.1-12) who opposed the Israelites during their forty year journey through the Sinai wilderness. Withstood and fought off are also very similar in meaning. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation keep both words, but in some languages it will be helpful to combine the nouns and verbs as Contemporary English Version does with “They defeated their enemies.” Or we may even say something like “No enemy was able to defeat them.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.