The Hebrew and the Greek that are translated in English versions as “prophesy” are translated into Anuak as “sing a song” (source: Loren Bliese), into Balanta-Kentohe as “passing on message of God” (source: Rob Koops), and into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that does not only refer to the future, but is “speak on behalf of God” (source: Robert Bascom).
Other translations include: “God making someone to show something in advance” (Ojitlán Chinantec), “God causing someone to think and then say it” (Aguaruna), “speaking God’s thoughts” (Shipibo-Conibo), “God made someone say something” “Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac) (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125), “proclaim God’s message” (Teutila Cuicatec), “speak for God” (Chichimeca-Jonaz), “preach the Word of God” (Lalana Chinantec), “speak God’s words” (Tepeuxila Cuicatec), “that which God’s Spirit will cause one to say one will say” (Mayo) (source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “say what God wants people to hear” (tell people God wod dat e gii oona fa say) (Gullah) (source: Robert Bascom), and “bring God’s mouth” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation).
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Acts 3:18, 3:21, 3:25: nurwowohora — “mouth says words that don’t come from one’s own mind.” (“This term refers to an individual’s speaking words that are not his because either a good or bad spirit is at work through him. The speaker is not in control of himself.”)
For Acts 19:6, Acts 21:9: nakotnohora — “talk about.” (“The focus of this term is on telling God’s message for the present as opposed to the future.”)
For Acts 21:11: rora — “foretell” (“The focus of this term is giving God’s message concerning the future. The person who speaks is aware of what he is doing and he is using his own mind, yet it is with God’s power that he foretells the future.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “Lord God” or “Lord God” encountered an issue in Tok Pisin. Norm Mundhenk explains why (in The Bible Translator 1985, p. 442ff. ):
“I am not aware of any serious objections to either the word God [for “God”] or Bikpela [for YHWH] alone. However, when trying to translate the expression ‘the Lord God,’ the translators first tried to use Bikpela God. But Bikpela is also an adjective meaning ‘big’ and in the expression Bikpela God, it would usually be understood as “Big God,’ as though there were other smaller gods around also.
“In the Old Testament, as the recent articles have clearly pointed out, the English word ‘Lord‘ often stands for the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, which is usually spelled these days as Yahweh. With this in mind, the name Yawe was tried in Tok Pisin, but it was felt that most readers did not connect this strange name with God. Eventually, we decided to keep Bikpela, but to translate ‘Lord God’ as God, Bikpela, literally ‘God, the Lord.’
“The reason for this decision was really only that the words could be used naturally in this order, without the problem of giving a wrong meaning which we had when putting Bikpela first. It was not until some people asked if it was right to ‘turn around’ the name and the title in this way that we realized that there was really a deeper reason for doing what we did. In fact, for most speakers of Tok Pisin, God is the only God they know, and it seems likely that God is understood as the personal name of God, rather than as a class name. Bikpela, on the other hand, is a class name — there can be more than one Bikpela, though it is recognized that God is the greatest of them and there is no confusion when he is referred to simply as Bikpela. Thus, in Hebrew an expression like ‘YHWH, the God of Israel,’ has the personal name first, followed by the class name explaining who he is. And we have exactly the same situation in Tok Pisin when we say God, Bikpela bilong Isrel. I suspect that in many other languages which have borrowed the word ‘God,’ we might find that it has been borrowed basically as a personal name, rather than as a class name.”
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 21:28:
Kupsabiny: “Ezekiel, prophesy. Call to these Ammonites who insult Israel the words that I the God of power am saying. Tell (them), A sword, oh a sword, has been drawn to destroy. It is washed for killing and it flashes/shines like lightning.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “‘And you man, tell the Ammonhon who insult Israel that I, the Lord GOD, (am) the-(one) saying this: The sword is now ready to kill. It is polished very-well so-that [it] will-flash like lightning.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “‘And, you human, prophesy and say this: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says about the Ammon people-group, and about what they have said to insult Israel: ‘The King of Babylon says, ‘My soldiers have swords’ ; they have pulled out those swords to slaughter many people. They have polished them in order to kill people, and to make those swords flash like lightning.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And you, son of man, prophesy, and say: For son of man, see Ezek 21.1; for prophesy, see 20.46.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach: For Thus says the Lord GOD, the traditional introduction of a prophetic message in this book, see verse 24. The first part of this prophecy is directed at the Ammonites, who were the other possible target of Nebuchadnezzar’s attack (see verse 20). According to 25.3-7, the Ammonites were greatly pleased when Jerusalem was destroyed. This pleasure was probably made more intense by the fact that they had escaped the same fate only by chance, when Nebuchadnezzar cast lots to choose between Jerusalem and Ammon. The prophecy is also about their reproach. Apparently the Ammonites taunted and insulted the people of Jerusalem even while Nebuchadnezzar was marching toward them. Such reproach involved humiliating, shaming and laughing at the people in Jerusalem (compare 5.14). In fact, the words of the prophecy may contain the insults that the Ammonites were saying about the people of Jerusalem. Good News Translation renders their reproach as “who are insulting Israel” (similarly Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Century Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Other possible models are “who are jeering Israel” and “who are making fun of Israel.”
Say introduces the words of the prophecy.
A sword, a sword is drawn for the slaughter, it is polished to glitter and to flash like lightning: This prophecy begins in almost the same way as that in verses 9-10 (see the comments there), but care must be taken with the small differences. Here the sword is drawn, that is, taken out of its sheath (see Ezek 21.3) for the slaughter. As the Revised Standard Version footnote shows, polished to glitter is a conjecture and involves changing the Hebrew text, which reads literally “polished to contain.” Most translations understand the Hebrew to mean “polished to bring something to an end”; for example, Good News Translation says “polished to kill,” New International Version has “polished to consume,” and Revised English Bible translates “burnished for destruction.” Polishing a sword is part of the process of making it really sharp. Another possible interpretation is that the sword is polished as much as it can be; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “polished to the utmost,” and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project has “polished as much as possible.” This interpretation fits best with the next clause because a sword that is polished to perfection will indeed flash like lightning. The last two clauses of this verse may be translated “It is polished really shiny so that the light flashes off it brightly.”
Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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