Like a scarecrow in a cucumber bed … so are their gods …: Compare Jer 10.5. The Greek compares the gods to a scarecrow, but does not explain how they are alike. Good News Translation does give the point of comparison: “These gods … are about as helpful as a scarecrow….” The word “about” makes it an idiomatic understatement, which is quite common in English. “These gods … are as helpful as a scarecrow…” is all that is necessary.

The Greek word for scarecrow basically refers to an amulet, or magical charm to guard against witchcraft, but it is used of scarecrows. These are figures of people, usually crudely made, that are set up in a field to scare birds away from the crops. The writer seems to presuppose that they are not very effective, saying that a scarecrow guards nothing; that is, “they are no protection at all” (Good News Translation). In cultures where scarecrows are unknown, translators may consider using a descriptive phrase as follows: “These Babylonian gods … are as helpful as human images set up in cucumber gardens to scare away the birds….”

If cucumber is not known, translators may use another gourd or food that grows on vines, or possibly a more general term such as “vegetable.”

For their gods of wood, overlaid with gold and silver, see the comments on verse 39. The pronoun their refers to the Babylonians. In some languages this may need to be made clear.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.