The name that is transliterated as “Isaiah” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the signs signifying “save + prophet” (referring to Genesis 2:21). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Following is a Russian Orthodox icon of Isaiah from the 18th century (found in the Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia). The text in the scrollis from Isaiah 2:2: “In the last days […] shall be established.”
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 20:7:
Kupsabiny: “After that, Isaiah said to the servants of the king, ‘Prepare some fig oil and apply it to the place of the boil so the king may become well.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then Isaiah said, "Make a plaster of figs." They did like that. The plaster was put on the boil and he recovered.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Isaias told the servants of Hezekia that they are-to-tie-on his boil a crushed/mashed fig. They obeyed this, and he was-healed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So Isaiah returned to the palace and told Hezekiah what Yahweh had said. Then he saidto Hezekiah’s servants, ‘Bring a paste made of boiled figs. Put some of it on his boil, and he will get well.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Two types of fig trees are mentioned in the Bible, the Common Fig Ficus carica (Hebrew te’enah) and the Sycomore Fig Ficus sycomorus (Hebrew shiqmah; see “Sycomore fig”). They are closely related. The common fig tree grows not only in Israel, but throughout the world in warm climates. In the Holy Land it was a common source of food; the fruit was eaten both fresh and dried. Sometimes the dried ones were pressed together to form flat “cakes” or blocks (Hebrew develah). But, just as important, the large leaves of the fig make it an excellent shade tree. However, the first use of the fig mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 3:7) was not for food or shade but for clothing; Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves for themselves to cover their nakedness.
The fig was probably domesticated in northwestern Turkey from a wild variety that grew there around 5000 years ago. Greek, Roman, and Egyptian records indicate that the fruits were popular. Figs are now grown especially in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and Portugal, as well as in the warm parts of the United States.
The fig is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by humans and birds throughout the Mediterranean area. Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites traced to at least 5000 B.C.
The domesticated fig grows to about 5-8 meters (17-26 feet) and has a round crown and very deep and round roots. The trunk may grow to be more than 70 centimeters (2 feet) thick. Fig trees may grow to be several decades old, if they are well cared for. Figs are usually propagated by planting cuttings. The pollination of the flowers is an amazingly intricate process closely linked to the life cycle of a tiny wasp, and the fact that fig trees, like papayas and date palms, are male or female. (There are now some kinds of figs that produce fruit without pollination.) The fruits are about the size of a hen’s egg and can be green, yellow, purple, or brown depending on the type. They are sweet and soft and difficult to transport. For that reason most farmers dry the fruits before shipping them. The “fruit” of the fig is technically a strangely shaped flower. Noting the absence of a “real” flower, the ancient people of India called it a flowerless tree.
The common fig tree, along with the vine and the olive, is one of the three “top trees” for the Jews. The Bible refers to the fig over 270 times. The image of peace and happiness in Israel was “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25).
Wild figs are common throughout the tropical world; there are at least eight hundred species of Ficus, thirty-two in southern Africa alone. The banyan, peepul, and bo are all types of fig. The fruits of wild fig trees are not nearly as juicy or sweet as those of the domesticated ones. In many places people eat the fruit when they find it in the wild, but do not market it or cultivate the trees. Translators are urged to use the local word, and, if necessary, use a footnote to indicate the difference between the local one and the biblical one. Where it is not known at all, transliterations from a major language may be used in nonfigurative contexts.
And Isaiah said …: The direct quotation in this verse may sound more natural as an indirect expression in certain languages. Isaiah is not addressing Hezekiah here since the verbs in the quotation are plural. For this reason Good News Translation adds “the king’s attendants.” The Hebrew leaves implicit the fact that Isaiah had returned to the king’s palace; in some languages this information will need to be stated. For example, some languages will begin this verse with “Then Isaiah went back [to the palace] and said….”
Bring a cake of figs: Fig trees are discussed at 1 Kgs 4.25. But it should be noted that the Hebrew word translated cake has nothing to do with something baked from flour. It means rather a “lump” (New Revised Standard Version) or something pressed together (see 1 Sam 25.18; 30.12). In this context the cake of figs is obviously something used for medicinal purposes. In the ancient world people thought that figs had healing properties. New International Version and New American Bible talk about “a poultice of figs,” but “poultice” is a rare word that is unknown even to many native speakers of English. Some more common language ways of communicating the whole clause here are “Bring some mashed figs” (Contemporary English Version) and “Make a paste from figs” (New Century Version).
And let them take and lay it on the boil: Some versions follow the Hebrew text more closely and take the verb forms here as indicative rather than as imperative like the verb Bring. The meaning in Hebrew is “and they took and laid it on the boil.” Versions translating the indicative meaning include New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and New Jerusalem Bible. In the light of the following verse, the imperative meaning seems more logical. But the indicative is more faithful to the Hebrew text.
Translators must also decide to whom the pronoun them refers. The Revised Standard Version rendering seems to suggest that the people who applied the figs to the boil were not the same as the people who brought the figs. However, it probably refers to the people Isaiah addressed when he ordered that the fig paste should be made.
The nature of King Hezekiah’s illness has not been disclosed previously. But the use of the definite article with boil seems to imply that the writer already had a specific problem in mind. The Hebrew word rendered boil is the same one that is used to describe the plague on the people of Egypt (Exo 9.9). The book of Leviticus (13.18-23) treats this kind of problem in its section on skin diseases. In addition to the word boil, the term has also been rendered “open sore” (Contemporary English Version), “rash” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “inflammation” (Revised English Bible), and “ulcer” (New Jerusalem Bible). The word “tumor” in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible is misleading and should probably be avoided.
That he may recover: Revised Standard Version, which follows the Septuagint, is worded in such a way as to indicate that the purpose of the action of placing the paste made of figs on the sore place is to bring healing. Other modern translations, however, follow the Hebrew text, which indicates that this was the actual result by saying “and he got well.” The difference lies in the understanding of which vowels were intended for the word here in the Hebrew text. The parallel text in Isa 38.21 clearly has vowels that make the word mean that he may recover, but the vowels used here in the Hebrew text suggest rather “and he recovered” (New International Version). The Hebrew text states that Hezekiah was healed at this point, but this does not fit logically with the context in which Hezekiah goes on to ask for a sign that the LORD will heal him (verse 8). So in addition to Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, other versions translating a purpose clause are New Revised Standard Version and New American Bible. But most other versions translate the most obvious meaning of the Hebrew text, which gives a statement of fact that the king did indeed recover.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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