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 (Isaiah 43:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 43:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “See, I am doing a new thing.
    It is happening, do you not see it?
    I shall make a path that goes through the desert
    and rivers shall flow there in the desert.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Look! I am doing a new work,
    and just now it has started to happen. What! Don’t you see it?
    I am making a path in the wilderness,
    and [I] am making rivers flow on dry ground.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “for what I will-do is a new thing. This is already happening. Have- you (plur.) not -seen it? I will-make a way and springs in the desert.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

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”.

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on Isaiah 43:19

In the previous verse Yahweh told his people not to concentrate on past events, but here he tells them to focus on a new event that is more important. Since there is a contrast between these two verses, some languages may begin verse 19 with a connector such as “But.”

Behold, I am doing a new thing: The word Behold emphasizes the contrast between the old events and the new one; it also draws special attention to the new one. The new event will be more important than all of God’s past actions. The Hebrew verb rendered am doing is a participle. It points to something that will happen very soon. New Revised Standard Version and Revised English Bible express it well with “am about to do,” and so does Good News Translation with “am going to do.”

Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?: This line is parallel to the previous one, saying the new event is already taking place. The use of the adverb now and the verb springs forth together emphasizes that this event has come suddenly and unexpectedly. Springs forth is a figurative way of saying there are already signs that God is working to rescue Israel; these signs are like early shoots on a plant (compare 42.9).

Do you not perceive it? is a rhetorical question. Yahweh is making a strong statement that his people should be aware of what he is doing. The verb perceive is literally “know.” It may be rendered “recognize.” For languages that cannot use a rhetorical question here, Good News Translation provides a helpful model with you can see it now!

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert is the new thing God is about to do (compare 41.18). Using the Exodus imagery again, God says he will lead his people through the desert that lies between Babylonia and Israel. These two lines begin with a conjunction in Hebrew that is literally “Also.” New Jerusalem Bible and Bible en français courant render it “Yes,” but most versions omit it. There is a slight textual problem in these lines. Revised Standard Version follows Masoretic Text with rivers, but Dead Sea Scrolls has “paths.” According to Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, translators may follow either text. “Paths” is a better parallel to way, but verse 20 mentions “rivers in the desert.” Thus either reading is possible. Many versions prefer “rivers,” but Revised English Bible has “paths.” For the Hebrew word rendered wilderness, see the comments on 14.17, where it is translated “desert.” Desert is parallel and synonymous with it. The Hebrew word for desert also refers to a wasteland.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Look! I am about to do something new;
even now it is emerging.
Can’t you recognize it?
I will make a road through the wilderness,
and create rivers in the desert.

• See! I am about to do something [completely] new;
it is happening even now.
Can you not see it?
I am going to make a road through the wilderness,
paths through the barren waste.

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 .