drink

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

complete verse (Exodus 7:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 7:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “The fish died until the river water smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink that water. All the water in Egypt reddened to become blood.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The fish in the river Nile died. The river stank badly so much so that the Egyptians were unable to drink its water. Water everywhere in Egypt had become blood.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The fish died and the river stank very-bad, so the Egiptohanon could- no-longer -drink. Everywhere in Egipto there-was blood.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “All the fish in the Nail river were dying, and that water smelled very bad, and so it wasn’t possible for the Isip people to be drinking [it]. Blood was full in every area of Isip.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “Fish which be present belly of water, it died, and water smelled bad, and Egyptians not it were able to drink. Therefore, blood filled Egypt all.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “Then all the fish died. And the water stank, with the result that the Egyptians could not drink water from the river. Everywhere in Egypt the water became red like blood.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 7:21

This verse repeats details already explained in the LORD’s command to Moses in verse 18. The fish included all species plus other living creatures in the river. They died as a result of the water changing into blood. The Nile became foul means that the river began to stink because of the dead fish. So that is simply the conjunction waw in the Hebrew, so the text does not clearly explain why the Egyptians could not drink. Most translations interpret this as the direct result of the odor rather than the pollution. (See verse 18 and the comment in the last paragraph.) Thus Good News Translation has “it smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink from it.”

There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt refers back to verse 19, where all the water in pools and in vessels was to be changed into blood. This is a general statement that may be understood to say that “everywhere in Egypt” (Good News Translation) the water became blood. Similarly Contemporary English Version has “Blood was everywhere in Egypt.”

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 .