complete verse (Isaiah 13:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 13:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “I shall stir up the people of Media to fight against Babylon,
    so they shall never love/accept to be given silver or gold.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Look, the LORD has said,
    "I have roused Media to attack Babylon.
    They have no concern for silver,
    and they are not greedy for gold.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Listen! I will-have- those of/from Media who do not care for silver and gold -attack Babilonia.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Look! I am going to incite the people of Media to attack Babylon.
    The army of Media will attack Babylon, even if they are offered silver or gold if they promise to not attack it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Isaiah 13:17

Both Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begin this verse with “The LORD says” to indicate who is speaking here. Translators may add these words for clarity. See the comments on verse 11 for the extent of the LORD’s words in verses 9-22.

Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them: As in the previous subsection (verses 9-16), the prophet also begins here with the attention-getting word Behold. In Hebrew it has a first person singular suffix and is followed by a participle to indicate something about to take place. This line is literally “Behold [or, Look at] me stirring up [or, about to stir up] the Medes.” I am stirring up means that Yahweh will cause something to happen (see also 41.2, 25). In this case he will cause the nation of the Medes to become powerful and carry out his plans. The verb stirring up underlines the notion of Yahweh being active in international affairs and in control of what happens on earth. If this verb is difficult to translate literally, Contemporary English Version provides a suitable model for the line: “I’m sending them [the Medes] to attack Babylonia.”

The Medes originated in the northwest of what is today called Iran (Persia), northeast of Babylonia. They were allies of the Persians at the time of Emperor Cyrus, and together they conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. The Persian people lived to the southeast of Babylonia, the nation referred to by the pronoun them. Good News Translation uses the name “Babylon” instead of the pronoun for clarity.

Who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold: These words describe the Medes, not the Babylonians. The two objects, silver and gold, are placed before the verbs in the Hebrew text. This unusual pattern draws special attention to the two metals. In these two lines the prophet is saying the Medes do not have money or material gain as the reason for their attack. Hence they have to be feared more than other armies. Revised English Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch interpret these lines to mean that the Medes are not open to bribes. They will attack and cannot be tempted by money or gifts to turn aside. Contemporary English Version‘s interpretation is the same: “The Medes can’t be bought off with silver or gold.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• The LORD says, “Look! I am raising up the Medes against Babylon[ia]. The Medes do not care for silver or worry about gold.

• Look! I am about to stir up the Median army against Babylon[ia], and it is not silver and gold that the Medes care about.

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 .