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 (2 Chronicles 8:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 8:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that he also renewed the city of Tadmor in the wilderness and all his cities of granaries/supplies in Hamath.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He built the city of Tadmor in the wilderness and he rebuilt in Hamath all the cities where he had put the storage places he had built.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He also built/[lit. caused-to-stand] again Tadmor that is in a desolate-place and the cities in Hamat which (are) the place-to-put the storage-rooms/buildings.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “His workers also rebuilt walls around Tadmor town in the desert, and in the Hamath region in all the towns where they kept supplies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 8:4

He built Tadmor in the wilderness: The Hebrew verb for built, which occurs twice in this verse, is the same one rendered “rebuilt” in the verse 2. As there, it can mean “rebuilt” (Bible en français courant) or “fortified” (Good News Translation) here. Tadmor was an oasis city in the Syrian desert about 225 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of Damascus and almost 485 kilometers (300 miles) north of Jerusalem. Good News Translation calls Tadmor “Palmyra,” which is the name given to this city during the Hellenistic period. But this is anachronistic and probably should be avoided, although this information could be given in a footnote, as Nouvelle Bible Segond has done. Wilderness is probably better translated “desert” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version). See the comments on 1 Chr 12.8.

And all the store-cities which he built in Hamath: Store-cities (literally “cities of storage”) were towns that served as places for the storage of government supplies, including food and weapons. The people who lived in these towns guarded and cared for the supplies. Good News Translation renders store-cities as “cities … that were centers for storing supplies.” Some other possible translations are “towns for storing grain and supplies” (New Century Version), “towns … as supply centers” (New Living Translation), and “storage towns” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible). For Hamath see the comments on 1 Chr 18.3. By capturing both Tadmor and Hamath, Solomon won control over the major trade routes in the north.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .