The Greek and Hebrew that are translated as “consecration” or “consecrate” in English is translated in Poqomchi’ as “set apart” (when applying to a ritual not to a moral status). (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Newari it is translated as “make holy” (source: Newari Back Translation) and in Kwere as “put to holy work” when it refers to making someone or something suitable for priestly duties, when it refers to individual consecration outside of the priestly duty, “offer (yourselves) for my sake” is also used. (Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
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. )
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”).
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.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 13:3:
Kupsabiny: “I have called for my soldiers who are fierce and honor/fear/obey me for my anger to punish people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I have chosen these soldiers to do this work. I have called them to pour out my anger. They will rejoice because I will win.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I already commanded my chosen soldiers to punish the people whom I hate. These soldiers are-rejoicing for they really trust/hope/believe that I will-do this punishment.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “Yahweh says, ‘I have commanded those soldiers to do that; I have summoned the warriors whom I have chosen to punish the people of Babylon because of my being very angry with them, and those soldiers will be very proud when they do that.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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.
Yahweh now speaks through the prophet, indicating what he has already done. The vocabulary seems to point to a “holy war” (so Good News Translation). Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version change the first person references to the LORD to third person. This is a valid option since the following verses refer to him in the third person.
I myself have commanded is an emphatic expression in Hebrew. The verb phrase have summoned is parallel to it. Three colorful expressions are used for those whom Yahweh has summoned: my consecrated ones, my mighty men, and my proudly exalting ones. It is part of Isaiah’s style to pile up three similar phrases. As in verse 2, those summoned are probably the Medes, but this should not be made explicit here. It is also possible that these expressions are symbolic for Yahweh’s armies fighting evil.
My consecrated ones does not mean “those who have dedicated themselves to me” but rather “those whom I have set apart [for some specific action].” The Hebrew word here comes from the same root as the word for “holy.” The NJPSV footnote|prj:NJPS.Isa 13.3 on this word suggests that it points to the requirement for all those who participate in a sacrificial meal to be holy or ritually clean. So the impending “slaughter” is given a strong religious flavor.
My mighty men means “the strong warriors I am about to use.” The pronoun my does not indicate these soldiers were followers of Yahweh. He simply used them for his purpose. Good News Translation renders mighty men as “soldiers” and Contemporary English Version has “very best warriors.”
My proudly exulting ones describes the consecrated and mighty warriors in another way. New Jerusalem Bible says “my proud champions,” and Bible en français courant has “the joyful champions of my honor.” In these versions “champions” has the sense of “defenders,” not “winners.” The Hebrew expression here is also found in Zeph 3.11, where it is used in a negative sense. The word for proudly is used earlier in 9.9 with the sense of “arrogance.” So this phrase may have a negative tone, but it is not likely in the context of the phrases, my consecrated ones and my mighty men, which describe the same people.
To execute my anger gives God’s purpose for these warriors. They are to carry out a punishment stemming from his anger. He is probably angry about the evils of Babylon. The Hebrew here simply says “to/for my anger,” but like Revised Standard Version, most versions supply a verb; for example, Revised English Bible has “to give effect to my anger,” and New Jerusalem Bible says “to serve my anger.”
Several modern translations rearrange the contents of this verse. After the command, they group the three descriptive phrases for the warriors and state the contents of the command at the end; for example, Bible en français courant has “I myself command the men who are consecrated to me, I have summoned my elite soldiers, the joyful defenders of my honor, [for them] to show my anger.” Some versions also collapse the three expressions into two, as Good News Translation does with “his proud and confident soldiers”; for example, Contemporary English Version says “The LORD has commanded his very best warriors and his proud heroes to show how angry he is.” These are valid options for some translators.
Translation suggestions for this verse are:
• I am the one who has commanded those I have set apart; I have summoned those warriors of mine, those proud ones, to carry out my purpose of punishment.
• I am the one who has commanded those arrogant and proud warriors I have dedicated to carry out my punishment.
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 .
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