Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!
Language: English
English (eng) is a(n) Indo-European language of Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Belize, Canada, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Christmas Island, Dominican Republic, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), United Kingdom, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Ireland, Isle of Man, British Indian Ocean Territory, Jersey, Cayman Islands, Liberia, Mexico, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Suriname, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United States, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of, South Africa, marked as not endangered
The Greek word that mean both (the organ) “tongue” and “language” (glossa) allows for a word play in Acts 2. While English still has some traces of “tongue” also being used as “language” (such as in “mother tongue“) it is generally considered archaic in that use, although a number of modern English Bible translations (New International Version, Christian Standard Bible, English Standard Version) maintain “tongue” as the word for “language” in Acts 2:4.
Other languages have a more natural match between the words for “tongue” and “language”:
The Hebrew in Genesis 2:7 that is translated by many English versions as “dust of the ground” or similar is translated in the English translation by Robert Alter (pub. 2004) as “humus” to recreate the pun in the Hebrew where ‘adam is “human” and ‘adamah is “soil.”
The Hebrew in Song of Solomon 1:9 that is translated as “a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots” by many translations in English is translated in the English poetic translation of Marcia Falk as “a mare among stallions.”
Falk (2004, p. XXI) explains: “For example, in chapter 1, verse 9, of the Hebrew, a man compares his beloved to a mare in Pharaohs chariotry — an image that becomes especially puzzling when one discovers that in ancient Egypt only stallions, never mares, drew chariots. But the Egyptians’ enemies set mares loose during war to drive the pharaoh’s stallions wild, and this is the crux of the metaphor. Neither regality nor creaturely beauty is what defines the beloved here; rather she is a symbol of allure and temptation, as dangerous as ‘a mare among stallions’ — the phrase I arrived at for my translation. Seen this way, the image is striking, even daunting; the woman possesses a captivating power over her admirer. All the more moving, then, is his response to her, which is not to withdraw but to draw nearer. Although she is already lovely, with braided hair framing her cheekbones and a simple string of shells outlining the curve of her neck, he vows to lavish her with his own gifts — ornaments of gold and silver to gild the lily.”
The Hebrew in Job 6:6 that typically is translated as “juice of mallows” or similar in English is translated in the English translation by E.L. Greenstein (2019) as “juice of chubeza .” Greenstein (p. 27) explains: “A Middle Eastern herb, lacking in taste. The Hebrew word (read halamit) is known from ancient Syria (Alalakh). The term for ‘taste’ is polysemous, denoting ‘reason’ as well; see also Job 12:11 and Job 34:3. Job is telling Eliphaz that his argument is lacking in reason and that he will have none of it.”
The Hebrew in Job 7:1 that typically is translated as “hard service” or similar in English is translated in the English translation by E.L. Greenstein (2019) as “fixed sentence.”
The Hebrew in Job 8:8 that typically is translated as “what their ancestors have found” or similar in English is translated in the English translation by E.L. Greenstein (2019) as “the deep-wisdom of their ancestors.”
The Hebrew in Job 11:1^3 that typically is translated as “stretch out your hands toward him” or similar in English is translated in the English translation by E.L. Greenstein (2019) as “raise your palms in prayer.”
The Hebrew in Job 13:27 that typically is translated as “you put my feet in the stocks” or similar in English is translated in the English translation by E.L. Greenstein (2019) as “and mark my feet with lime.” Greenstein (p. 59) explains: “Reading be-sid for ba-sad ‘in stocks,’ which makes no sense: fettered feet cannot go anywhere, so they cannot be followed. Job develops the same point in 14:16.”
