8Then all these officials of yours shall come down to me and bow low to me, saying, ‘Leave us, you and all the people who follow you.’ After that I will leave.” And in hot anger he left Pharaoh.
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).
Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)
In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)
The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was word by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 11:8:
Kupsabiny: “All your (sing.) leaders will come to where I am, and (they) will all bow down before me and will say, ‘Go away with your (sing.) people.’ Then I will leave.’ When Moses had finished those words, he left in anger.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then all your officials will come (to me) bowing down before me and saying,’ Leave here, and take all the people who follow you.’ Then I will go out from here.’ After this Moses left Pharaoh in hot anger.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “And all your (sing.) officials will-come-near to me bowing-down and will-say, ‘You go now together-with the people who were-following you!’ After that, I will-leave.’ Then Moises left from the presence/[lit. front] of the king his anger was very-intense.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “Your (sing.) leaders and all your people will come and kneel down to me and so speak strong like this, ‘Quick! Go with all the people who are following your commands!’ All these events [will] come about and when it’s done then I will leave Isip and go.’ Moses talked like that and when it was done then he left the great chief of the Isip people and then exited and went, and he was very angry.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “And these people be chiefs of servants your thus, they will come to me, kneel down, saying to me ‹Leave with people who follow you all.› Afterwards, I will leave.» And Moses was angry very, left from king.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Then all these officials of yours will come and bow down before me and will say, ‘Please get out of Egypt, you and all the Israeli people!’’ After that, I will leave Egypt!’ After Moses/I said that, he/I very angrily left the king.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And all these your servants suggests that Moses is standing before the king and his “officials.” Your is singular. Shall come down to me indicates that Moses is now speaking his own words, for the me refers to Moses rather than to Yahweh. Good News Translation helpfully marks this change by closing the quotation at the end of verse 7 and beginning this verse with “Moses concluded by saying.”
Come down: this verb means “to descend.” It suggests that Moses is speaking from a lower level than that of the king and his courtiers, who may have been standing with the king on a raised platform or dais in the palace. Or it may be understood figuratively, suggesting that Moses is being sarcastic in referring to their higher social standing. Some translations (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) combine the idea of down with bow down, suggesting the idea of “come humbly.”
And bow down to me does not mean that the Egyptians will worship Yahweh. Me refers to Moses, and bow down means to bow down to the ground, or to prostrate oneself, here in the sense of pleading. Some translators may express this sentence as “All your [singular] officials will come and humbly prostrate themselves before me.” Saying introduces what the king and his “officials” will say to Moses. (Note that Good News Translation changes the following words to indirect discourse, “and they will beg me to take all my people.”) Get you out is imperative singular in the Hebrew, but since the king’s servants, or “officials” (Good News Translation), will bow down to Moses, it should be interpreted more as a pleading than as a command. New Revised Standard Version has “Leave us,” and Revised English Bible has “Go away.” And all the people who follow you refers to all the Israelites. And after that I will go out is spoken by Moses. Revised English Bible has “When that time comes I shall go,” or more simply “Then I will go.”
And may need to be strengthened here to “Then” (Good News Translation), “With that” (New American Bible), or even “After saying that,” since all the dialogue is completed. He went out from Pharaoh is literally “he went out from with Pharaoh,” so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “he left Pharaoh’s presence,” and Good News Translation has “Moses left the king.” In hot anger is literally “in the heat of the nose,” so either “hot with anger” (New International Version) or “burning with anger” (Durham) is possible. It is also possible to place the phrase in hot anger at the beginning of the sentence and say “Moses was very angry and left the king” (similarly Contemporary English Version).
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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