joy

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The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

Translation commentary on 2 Maccabees 15:28

A paragraph break is appropriate here (so Revised Standard Version).

When the action was over refers to the end of the battle. This clause may be expressed as “After the battle” (Contemporary English Version) or “When they had stopped fighting.”

And they were returning with joy: It will be necessary in a number of languages to state the place to which Judas’ soldiers were returning. We may say “and they were joyfully returning home” or “… returning to Jerusalem.”

They recognized Nicanor, lying dead, in full armor: The writer wants us to know that not even full armor could protect Nicanor from God’s action. Good News Bible adds the phrase “on the battlefield” for effect, and also for clarity, since the victorious Jews would not have gone very far before seeing Nicanor’s body. It lay “on the battlefield,” not somewhere along the way to Jerusalem.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.