leopard / cheetah

The Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew that is translated as “leopard” in English was translated in the 1900 Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) translation (a newer version was published in 2000) as milakulâĸ or “one with small spots.” “Milakulâĸ (modern milakulaaq), is derived from the base milak ‘spot, freckle’ followed by a nominalizing suffix with a diminutive sense. This choice provides readers with a vivid description of the animal in question, which would allow them to visualize its appearance even though it is not a feature of the local environment.’” (Source: Lily Kahn & Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi in The Bible Translator 2019, p. 125ff.)

In passages where speed is in the focus (such as Habakkuk 1:8, the Kalanga translation uses “cheetah.” (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)

 

Both leopards Panthera pardus and Cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus were fairly common in Israel until the twentieth century. Leopards lived both in the mountains and in the thick undergrowth found in many wadis and along the Jordan Valley. A very few still live in the Negev and in the wadis along the Dead Sea. Cheetahs lived in the semi-desert plains of Egypt the land of Israel Arabia and Syria. They were trained and used in hunting in both the Middle East and Egypt hundreds of years before Christ. They have now been hunted to extinction in these areas.

In the Old Testament it is likely that the one Hebrew word namer and the Aramaic word nemar were used for both animals. The Greek word pardalis means leopard.

Leopards are the most widely distributed of all the great cats. They are found throughout tropical mainland Asia and Africa. They are about 2 meters (6 feet) in length and are a yellowish brown color with black spots arranged in rosettes all over the body and tail. These spots make it very easy for a leopard to blend in with patches of shade and sunlight in or under bushes and trees. They are extremely agile, and this agility and their natural camouflage are used to the full in their hunting methods. They stalk gazelles, antelope, or deer (occasionally goats or sheep) until they are within ten or fifteen meters (30-50 feet) or less. They then break cover and leap onto their prey. They have a slightly different strategy when hunting monkeys and baboons. They drive them to the extreme ends of branches by climbing after them, and when the monkey or baboon finally drops from the tree, the leopard leaps after it and catches it on the ground.

Once a leopard has killed an animal, it carries it into a tree or onto a high rock to eat, possibly to get away from hyenas. Once a leopard has satisfied its appetite, if there is still meat left on the carcass, it will leave the carcass in the fork of a branch and return to feed again later. The exception to this is when a female has cubs. She will then carry the kill to her cubs in a lair under rocks or a log, but she will still carry any leftover meat into a tree to store in the branches. Unlike lions and cheetahs, leopards do not chase their prey over long distances.

Leopards live and hunt alone, coming together only at mating time. Cubs stay with their mothers only until they can hunt on their own; they are usually completely on their own by the time they are one year old. A female leopard with cubs is very protective and extremely dangerous.

Occasionally a leopard will be born completely black (the so-called black panther). This is simply an ordinary leopard with a slight genetic abnormality known as melanism.

Leopard in the Judean desert, Wikimedia Commons

Cheetahs or hunting leopards as they are sometimes called are also spotted but are slightly smaller and have longer legs than leopards. They also have a vertical stripe across each eye. Unlike most other members of the cat family cheetahs cannot retract their claws. They are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa but their numbers are greatly reduced now. A few remain in South Asia where they were once plentiful.

Cheetahs live in small family groups and hunt together. They are extremely fast and rely on this speed in their hunting. They live in open grassland on plains and apart from the grass and low bushes there is often not much cover for them to use in stalking. They stalk their prey to within about fifty meters (55 yards) and then break cover and with a tremendous turn of speed chase the prey and attempt to catch it by the throat.

Cheetah, Wikimedia Commons

Leopards are often paired with lions in the biblical text and are thus a symbol of violent danger. In Habakkuk 1:8, however, the namer is a symbol of speed. This would fit the cheetah rather than the leopard.

Where leopards are not known, the word for jaguar, bobcat, puma, mountain lion, or tiger can be used. Elsewhere, a borrowed word or a transliteration will need to be used, taking the Hebrew or the dominant local language as the basis.

Source: All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

See also a leopard (cannot) change his spots.

complete verse (Daniel 7:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 7:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “While I still looked at that one, I again saw another beast. This was like a leopard. On its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast had four heads and had been given the authority to rule.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After that the third animal resembled a leopard. On its back were four bird-like wings. That animal had four heads and it was given authority to rule. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Then I saw the third animal which is like a leopard. It had four wings on its back and had four heads. And it was-given authority to rule.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then I saw in front of me the third of those beasts. It resembled a leopard, but it had four wings protruding from its back. The wings were like a bird’s wings. It had four heads. It was given the power/authority to rule people.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 7:6

After this I looked: a literal rendering of these words may give the reader the impression that Daniel had not been looking previously. But the sense is rather “After seeing that I looked again” or “While I was still looking.” New Revised Standard Version has “As I watched,” while Revised English Bible has “As I gazed.”

And lo: this is the same particle that is translated “behold” in verses 2 and 5. It will be necessary to leave it untranslated in some languages. But where a language has a similar particle for directing the attention of the hearer, it may be used here.

Like a leopard: the precise identification of this animal is uncertain. The experts are not in complete agreement as to whether this refers to a leopard or to a panther. Most English versions have “leopard,” but since this is a comparison in a vision, the precise identification of “panther” or “leopard” is probably of no great importance.

With four wings of a bird on its back: translators should be careful not to give the impression of four little bird wings resting unattached on the back of the animal. The intention of the writer was clearly that they were attached to and a part of the body of the animal, as was the case with the lion in verse 4. In the same way, the four heads should be understood as being firmly connected to the body of the beast.

Dominion was given to it: again, the passive form will have to be translated actively in many languages. This seems to be parallel in meaning to the expressions “standing like a man” in verse 4. The upright position is symbolic of power and dominion. But in this case the symbolism appears to be replaced by nonfigurative language. Dominion means the power or authority to rule over or impose its will on others; New International Version has “authority to rule,” and Revised English Bible “sovereign power.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .