complete verse (Isaiah 13:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 13:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “(They) will kill the young men of Babylon with arrows,
    and (they) will not show mercy even to the children.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “By shooting arrows with [their] bows they will kill young men.
    They will neither feel heart-broken, having compassion on nursing babies [lit.: children who drink milk],
    nor will they show love and kindness to children.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They will-kill with bows-and-arrows the young men of Babilonia. They will-have- no -mercy on the children including the infants.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “With their arrows, the soldiers of Media will shoot the young men of Babylon;
    they will not even act mercifully toward infants or children!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Isaiah 13:18

The Medes care more about fighting than money. This is evident in the gruesome details here, which are similar to those in verses 15-16.

Their bows will slaughter the young men: This line personifies bows. Their bows stands for the people who use them. The Hebrew verb translated slaughter usually means “to dash to pieces” or “to shatter” (see verse 16, where it is rendered “dashed in pieces”). The problem is that bows do not usually have that effect; rather, they fire arrows that pierce the body. So this line may be a poetic summary of what the bows cause. Good News Translation expresses it nonfiguratively by saying “With their bows and arrows they will kill the young men.” The Hebrew noun for young men is often used to refer to men old enough to go to battle, so here we could also say “warriors.” Revised English Bible omits this line altogether, which we do not recommend.

They will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb recalls verse 16. The single-minded aim of the Median army is destruction of the enemy. This is highlighted by the lack of pity shown for even the smallest infant. The phrase fruit of the womb can refer widely to any person, but here it is parallel to the word children in the next line. Translators should try to use two different words for children here.

Their eyes will not pity children: Their eyes is figurative for the Medes themselves. The pronoun “they” can be used here. Seeing defenseless children suffering the effects of war would normally move a person to pity. However, the Medes will not show them pity when they attack the Babylonians.

Translation suggestions for this verse are:

• Their bows and arrows will slaughter the young warriors; they will have no mercy on children, they will have no compassion even on infants.

• They will slaughter the young men with their weapons; they will show no mercy to children, not even to babies.

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 .