desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

complete verse (1 Kings 2:34)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 2:34:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, Benaiah went to the tent of God and killed Joab then, he was buried in his homestead in the wilderness.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up to the altar and killed Joab, and buried him in his own land in the wilderness.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Benaya went to Joab and killed-him. He was-buried near his house in the desolate-place.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So Benaiah went into the Sacred Tent and killed Joab. Joab was buried on his property in the desert part of Judah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 2:34

Then: This verse begins in Hebrew with the common conjunction. Revised Standard Version gives it a temporal translation, while Good News Translation gives it a logical sense, expressing the result “So.” Either is possible.

Went up probably means that Benaiah climbed the steps leading up to the altar (see the comments on 1 Kgs 1.53). Revised English Bible makes this explicit with “went up to the altar.” On the other hand, New American Bible, like Good News Translation, takes the verb to mean simply that he “went back” to the Tent of the LORD’s presence.

It will be noted that Good News Translation drops the qualifying expression son of Jehoiada as being an unnecessary repetition of information already given (see verse 25 as well as 1 Kgs 1.8, 26, 32, 36, 38, 44).

He was buried in his own house: The words in his own house do not mean that he was literally buried inside of the house where he had lived. The sense is that he was buried “at his home” (New Jerusalem Bible) where he had lived. Others translate “on his property” (Bible en français courant) and “near his home” (Contemporary English Version). According to 2 Sam 2.32, Joab’s family was from Bethlehem.

The wilderness: The Hebrew noun for wilderness refers to uninhabited land or to large sections of land in which few towns exist. Revised English Bible translates this “the country” and Good News Translation says “the open country.” New American Bible and New Jerusalem Bible both say “the desert.” The reference here is probably to the wilderness of Judah.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .