drink

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

complete verse (Exodus 7:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 7:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “The fish in the river will die and the river will stink so that the people of Egypt will not drink that water.’ ’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The fish will die in river, and river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the river.’” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The fish will-die, the river will-stink, and the Egiptohanon will- no-longer -be-able-to-drink its water.’ ’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “The fish will be dying, and the water will smell very badly, and so it won’t be possible for the Isip people to drink [it].’” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “and fish which be present there will die, and water will smell evil, and Egyptians not it will be able to drink.» › »” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the fish in the Nile River will die, and the water in the river will stink, and the Egyptians will not be able to drink water from the Nile River.’’’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 7:18

Fish should be understood as plural and generic, referring to all the different kinds of fresh water fish and living creatures in the Nile River. They shall die because the water of the river will be changed into blood. The Nile shall become foul means that “the river will stink” (Good News Translation), for the word foul refers to a bad odor, not to pollution (as in New American Bible). The same word is used of the dead frogs in 8.14 and of the spoiled manna in 16.20. The bad odor of the Nile was evidently the result of the dead fish rather than the blood. (See also verse 21 below.)

It is not clear from the text just why the Egyptians would loathe to drink the water from the Nile. Obviously, the blood and the dead fish would make the water “polluted” (New American Bible), but it is possible that they would loathe to drink because of the smell. The English word loathe carries the meaning “will not want to drink” (Jerusalem Bible), but the Hebrew word means “to become tired” and suggests that “the Egyptians will look in vain in the Nile for water fit to drink” (Translator’s Old Testament). In context, however, the meaning seems clear: “the Egyptians will not be able to drink from it” (Good News Translation).

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 .