drink

In Telugu different verbs for humans drinking (tāgu / తాగు) and animals drinking (cēḍu / చేడు) are required.

complete verse (Exodus 15:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 15:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “When they reached Marah, they got/found that water was so bitter that no one could drink it. That thing/event is what made it to be called Marah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When they got Marah, they could not drink its water because the water was bitter. That’s why the place is called Marah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When they came/reached Mara, they saw (some) water, but they could- not -drink (it) because the water (was) bitter. (That is why this place was-named Mara).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “And when it was done, then they arrived at a stream in the area of Mara, but they weren’t able to drink it, because its taste was bitter. For this reason, they called the name of that area Mara.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “When they went arrived place which is named Mara, they not water of that place be able to drink, because it be bitter. That is why they call for it that place Mara.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “So they/we went on and came to a place named Marah. There was water there, but they/we could not drink it, because it was bitter. That is why they named the place Marah, which is the Hebrew word that means ‘bitter’.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 15:23

When they came to Marah is literally “And they entered Marah.” Marah was neither a city nor a village but only a place where there was water and some vegetation. So Good News Translation has “they came to a place named Marah.” They could not drink the water of Marah is literally “they were not able to drink waters from Marah.” Because it was bitter describes the unpleasant taste of the water in a general sense. It was possibly caustic, with a sharp, biting taste, but was not necessarily sour as opposed to “sweet” in verse 25. And it was not poisonous. Most languages will have suitable vocabulary to describe liquid or food that has an unpleasant or bitter taste.

Therefore it was named Marah refers to the place, not to the water. The text does not indicate whether it already had that name or whether the Israelites gave it that name. A footnote here, explaining that Marah means “bitterness,” is helpful to the reader. The Hebrew mentions Marah three times, but Good News Translation mentions it only twice in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.

An alternative translation model rearranging the clauses in this verse is:

• They found water at a place named Marah but couldn’t drink it because of its unpleasant taste. That is how the place got its name Marah.

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 .