desert / wilderness

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The Greek, Hebrew and Latin that is translated as “desert” or “wilderness” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Mairasi: “a place where noisiness is cut off (or: stops)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Muna: pandaso bhalano pr “big barren-field” (source: René van den Berg)
  • Balinese: “barren field” (source: J.L. Swellengrebel in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 75ff. )
  • Wantoat: “uninhabited place” (source: Holzhausen 1991, p. 38)
  • Umiray Dumaget Agta: “where no people dwell” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “where no house is” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Amri Karbi: “waterless region/place” (source: Philippova 2021, p. 368)
  • Ocotlán Zapotec: “large empty place” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Pa’o Karen: “jungle” (denoting a place without any towns, villages and tilled fields) (source: Gordon Luce in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 153f. )
  • Low German translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006: “steppe”
  • Yakan: “the lonely place” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a land where no people lived” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “the place with no inhabitants” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Matumbi uses various term: lubele (desert, sandy place without water) — used in John 11:54, lupu’ngu’ti (a place where no people live, can be a scrub land, a forest, or a savanna) — used in Mark 1:3 et al.), and mwitu (a forest, a place where wild animals live) — used in Mark 1:13 et al.) (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Chichewa Contemporary translation (2002/2016): chipululu: a place uninhabited by people with thick forest and bush (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Note that in Luke 15:4, usually a term is used that denotes pastoral land, such as “eating/grazing-place” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation).

See also wilderness and desolate wilderness.

complete verse (Genesis 21:21)

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

  • Newari: “He lived in the wilderness called Paran. His mother married him to a woman of Egypt.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “God did- not -abandon Ishmael until he grew-up/[lit. became-big]. He lived there in the desolate/lonely-place of Paran and he became an archer. Later on, his mother had- him -marry an Egiptohanon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He lived in Paran Desert. While e was there, Hagar got a wife for him from Egypt.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 21:21

He lived in the wilderness of Paran: see 14.6 for discussion of wilderness.

His mother took a wife for him means “Hagar arranged a marriage for him,” “chose a wife for him,” or “arranged for him to marry….” This was the responsibility of the father, but in Ishmael’s case that was not possible. A wife: that is a bride, a woman.

Land of Egypt: in 10.6, 13 Egypt is a person, but in 12.10 it is a country. Here also Egypt refers to the nation or country, which is often translated “the country called Egypt.” Egypt was of course the country that Hagar had come from; and in some cultures where marriage within a person’s own tribe is important, this may be brought out: “Hagar got a wife for him from her own country Egypt.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .