angry

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “(was or became) angry” in English is translated in Kwere as “saw anger.” In Kwere, emotions are always paired with sensory verbs (seeing or smelling or hearing). (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Bariai it is “to have grumbling interiors” (source: Bariai Back Translation).

See also anger and feel (terror, pain, suffering, anxiety).

first person pronoun references in Isaiah 12

The Hebrew that is translated in English with the first person singular pronoun (I) is translated in Klao with the first person plural pronoun (we) because more than one person is speaking. (Source: Don Slager)

God's anger, wrath of God

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “the wrath of God” or “God’s anger” has to be referred to in Bengali as judgment, punishment or whatever fits the context. In Bengali culture, anger is by definition bad and can never be predicated of God. (Source: David Clark)

Translations in other languages:

  • Quetzaltepec Mixe: “translated with a term that not only expresses anger, but also punishment” (source: Robert Bascom)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the coming punishment of God on mankind” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God’s fearful/terrible future punishing of people” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “the coming anger/hatred of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “the punishment which will come” (source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “God’s action of anger comes forth in the open” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “His anger keeps increasing (until it will definitely arrive)” (source: Enggavoter 2004)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御) is used as in mi-ikari (御怒り) or “wrath (of God)” in the referenced verses. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also anger and the coming wrath.

anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

complete verse (Isaiah 12:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 12:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “A day will come when you shall sing,
    ‘I exalt you, oh, God!
    You were angry with me, but you comforted me,
    and you are no longer angry.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “In that day you will say:
    "O LORD, I praise you!
    You were angry with me,
    But now your anger has subsided.
    And now you have given me consolation.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When that day will-come, you (plur.) will-sing:
    ‘LORD, I praise you (sing.).
    You (sing.) were angry with me, but now your (sing.) anger has-vanished,
    and you (sing.) delight in me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “At that time, you people of Jerusalem will sing this song:
    ‘Yahweh, we praise you!
    Previously, you were angry with us,
    but you are not angry now
    and you have comforted us.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 12:1

You will say in that day: The pronoun You is singular. The prophet is speaking, but he does not indicate whom he is addressing. It probably is Jerusalem and its people considered as a single entity—those who have been promised a new Davidic ruler (chapter 11). It could also be the remnant mentioned in 11.16. Bible en français courant expresses this sense explicitly, saying “People who have been freed, you [singular] will say on that day.” The time phrase in that day links back to verses 10 and 11 of the previous chapter. It can be understood as the usual reference to some time in the future. Good News Translation does this with “A day is coming.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch makes an explicit link with the preceding chapter, saying “On the day of your salvation.”

I will give thanks to thee, O LORD: The future tense is a little misleading. The person is not promising to praise God at some future time. Most versions use a present tense (see Good News Translation). The Hebrew verb here refers to a confession of praise as well as thanksgiving, and the “praise” component is very strong. Bible en français courant has “Lord, I want to praise you,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “LORD, I praise you!” (similarly Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

For though thou wast angry with me, thy anger turned away: In 10.25 Yahweh said he would end his anger against Israel and redirect it against the Assyrians. This has now happened. The Hebrew verb rendered wast angry occurs only here in the Old Testament prophetic writings, but it is found four times in the Psalms.

The connector for indicates that the speaker will now give the reason for his thankfulness. However, translators should take care not to give the impression that the speaker praises God because God was angry. A possible misunderstanding can be avoided by adding “though” as Revised Standard Version does, or by reversing the clauses of this quote as follows: “I praise you, LORD, because you are no longer angry … although once you were angry with me.” Good News Translation uses two separate sentences, and leaves for implicit.

Thy anger turned away makes the abstract noun anger the subject of an action. Some languages will find this difficult and will rather say “you turned your anger aside” or something similar, making God the subject and anger the object of the verb.

And thou didst comfort me: In place of anger came comfort. This is similar to the theme of chapter 40. Punishment is complete and this makes God’s new message one of comfort. Most versions use the verb comfort, but Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch prefers an idiom: “and I can breathe freely again!”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• You will say at that time, “I thank you, LORD, because you turned your anger away from me and gave me comfort, though once you were angry with me.”

• At that time you will say, “I give you thanks LORD because, although you were angry with me, you have now turned aside your anger and comforted me.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .