round

In Gbaya, the notion of something round is emphasized in the referenced verses with kirkiti, an ideophone that designates a round object.

In 2 Chronicles 3:5 it refers to the round stems of (artificial) palm trees around which chains were circled and in Zechariah 5:7 to a round lid that was lifted.

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

complete verse (Zechariah 5:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Zechariah 5:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “That basket had a lid that was made from metal. When that lid was opened I saw inside that basket a woman sitting.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I saw the cover of lead being opened and a woman sitting in the basket.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The basket has a lead cover. And when the cover was-lifted, I saw that there-is a-woman sitting inside the basket.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the angel lifted the basket’s cover, which was made of lead. There was a woman sitting inside the basket!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Zechariah 5:7

And behold, the leaden cover was lifted: For behold see the comments on 1.8. Here Good News Translation renders it “As I watched.” The leaden cover has not been mentioned before, so Good News Translation restructures to introduce it at the beginning of the verse according to the requirements of natural English usage: “The basket had a lid made of lead.” Lead would not normally have been used for such a purpose because of its great weight. The reason for its use in this case was to prevent the person in the barrel from escaping (verse 8). In areas where “lead” is unknown, translators may say, for example, “a heavy metal called ‘lead,’ ” or simply “a very heavy metal.” We are not told who lifted the leaden cover. In languages that have no passive, translators could say “Someone lifted the lid” or even “The angel lifted the lid.” Since in verse 8 it is the angel who closes the lid, it is reasonable to suppose that it was he who had opened it.

There was a woman sitting in the ephah: The emphasis is on the woman, and in English this is conveyed better by mentioning her last, as in Good News Translation and New International Version “there in the basket sat a woman” (similarly Contemporary English Version). In some languages it may be necessary to state how the woman was sitting. Translators should not be misled by the Good News Translation illustration that shows the woman sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her. We have argued in the notes on verse 6 that the ephah was like a round barrel rather than an oblong basket, and if so, then the woman could not have sat with straight legs. Translators who need to state how she sat can assume she sat cross-legged, just as people do today in many parts of the world. The only other possibility is that she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The barrel had a lid made of lead. As I watched, the lid was lifted [or, the angel lifted the lid], and there inside the barrel I saw a woman sitting.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Zechariah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .