The Hebrew that is translated as “seer” in English is translated in Newari as “one who will say what will happen in the future” (source: Newari Back Translation).
In Mandarin Chinese it is translated as “one who sees first” (xiānjiàn / 先见) compared to “prophet” as “one who knows first” (xiānzhī / 先知). (Source: Zetzsche)
In Wolof in these verses as boroom peeñu or “possessor of visions.” In contrast, “prophet” is translated with the established term Yonent (app. “Send one”). (Source: Marilyn Escher)
The Hebrew and the Greek that are translated in English versions as “prophesy” are translated into Anuak as “sing a song” (source: Loren Bliese), into Balanta-Kentohe as “passing on message of God” (source: Rob Koops), and into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that does not only refer to the future, but is “speak on behalf of God” (source: Robert Bascom).
Other translations include: “God making someone to show something in advance” (Ojitlán Chinantec), “God causing someone to think and then say it” (Aguaruna), “speaking God’s thoughts” (Shipibo-Conibo), “God made someone say something” “Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac) (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125), “proclaim God’s message” (Teutila Cuicatec), “speak for God” (Chichimeca-Jonaz), “preach the Word of God” (Lalana Chinantec), “speak God’s words” (Tepeuxila Cuicatec), “that which God’s Spirit will cause one to say one will say” (Mayo) (source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “say what God wants people to hear” (tell people God wod dat e gii oona fa say) (Gullah) (source: Robert Bascom), and “bring God’s mouth” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation).
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Acts 3:18, 3:21, 3:25: nurwowohora — “mouth says words that don’t come from one’s own mind.” (“This term refers to an individual’s speaking words that are not his because either a good or bad spirit is at work through him. The speaker is not in control of himself.”)
For Acts 19:6, Acts 21:9: nakotnohora — “talk about.” (“The focus of this term is on telling God’s message for the present as opposed to the future.”)
For Acts 21:11: rora — “foretell” (“The focus of this term is giving God’s message concerning the future. The person who speaks is aware of what he is doing and he is using his own mind, yet it is with God’s power that he foretells the future.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
The Hebrew and Latin that is transliterated as “Amos” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “renovate / renew,” particularly referring to Amos 9:11. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts Amos’ move from the Southern Kingdom of Judah into the Northern Kingdom of Israel to prophesy against it.
Following is a Russian Orthodox icon of Amos from the 18th century (found in the Transfiguration Church, Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia). The words on the scroll are extracted from Isaiah 13:6: “For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty!”
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 )
The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Amos 7:12:
Kupsabiny: “After that, Amaziah said to Amos, ‘Get away from here you prophet and flee to the land of Judah. Go and speak words there so you can be given something.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then Amaziah said to Amos, "You prophet, get out of here, go to Judah and get your food there and prophesy there” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Then Amazia said to Amos, ‘You (sing.) prophet, you (sing.) get-out from here and you (sing.) return to Juda. Do/Earn there your (sing.) source-of-living as a prophet.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Then Amaziah came to me and said, ‘You prophet, get out of here! Go back to the country of Judah! Earn money to buy food to be able to live there, and do your prophesying there!” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This is the second scene discussed under 7.10-17. It should be a new paragraph. We are not told what the relation of this scene is to the previous one. The translation, however, will depend on how that relationship is pictured. Is Amaziah doing what the king ordered in his reply? This is not very likely, since Amaziah’s report had to be sent by messenger to Samaria, which would mean a delay of several days. Amaziah seems to have acted on his own account, and seems to have tried to get Amos to leave the kingdom before the king could act.
The translator should be careful not to see more in this than the Hebrew text allows. Notice the Revised Standard Version: O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there. In Hebrew the tone is neutral, without indicators of emotion.
Many English translations, on the contrary, make Amaziah sound angry or scolding: “Off with you, visionary” (New American Bible); “You dreamer! Be off to Judah and earn your living there; play the prophet there” (Moffatt); “Be off, you seer! Off with you to Judah!” (New English Bible); That’s enough, prophet! It is doubtful that such translations are equivalent. The Hebrew word for seer did not have a derogatory tone, and such people were not looked down on in Hebrew culture. Also, the Hebrew eat bread for “earn a living” is not derogatory. On the contrary, the grammatical form in combination with the Hebrew verb for “to flee away” shows some kindheartedness in Amaziah’s words.
So the translation should not use strong and negative language. It could be something like “Leave from here, you who see visions, save yourself in the country of Judah; speak there the message of God; they will give you your bread/food and you will eat it.”
There is also a possibility that Amaziah is using the fact of his report to Jeroboam as a lever to get Amos to leave. Whether Jeroboam reacts or not, if Amaziah gets Amos out, he accomplishes his purpose: “Why don’t you escape to Judah while there is time? You can always prophesy there and make your living. But don’t you dare stay around here and prophesy at Bethel any more! This is the national temple, the place where the king worships.”
And Amaziah said to Amos/Amaziah then said to Amos. In some cases the style used by Amaziah in speaking to Amos will have to be different from that used with the king in the previous scene. How he speaks to Amos will depend on the decision concerning his motives, as discussed just above.
Seer/prophet! These two words overlap in meaning so that prophet can be justified in English. For the translation of prophet and prophesy, see 2.11, 12.
Go, flee away to the land of Judah/Go on back to Judah. Many languages use more than one verb in a row, as the Hebrew does, but not necessarily in the same order.
And eat bread there/Let them pay you for it. Prophetic work included the right to be supported by the community. Good News Translation changes the order to show the relation between the activities. Other translations should probably do the same. On the other hand, although Let them pay you for it may be a necessary translation for money economies, in many cultures and eat bread there, “and let them feed you” or “get your rice from them” would be better.
Good News Translation prints them in special type to emphasize it so that the sentence will not be understood wrongly as “Let them d payd* you for it” (the most normal reading in English). Such a device is not recommended in a common-language translation. The same effect could have been made by a different wording: “You can get your pay from them,” “Let the people there pay you.”
And prophesy there/and do your preaching there. See 2.11, 12. There does not seem to be any need to use preaching here, as Good News Translation has done, although the meanings overlap.
Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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