The imagery changes again as the people continue to describe their difficult situation. Here they compare themselves to bears and doves.

We all growl like bears: What this comparison means is uncertain, because this is the only place in the Old Testament where it occurs. Some commentators think the Hebrew verb for growl refers to the noise made by a bear that is chained up and expresses its great discomfort. This verb can refer to aggressive activity as in Psa 59.6, where it is used of dogs howling, but that does not seem to be its meaning here. Translators can use a verb that generally describes the sound made by a wild animal in distress. For bears see the comments on 11.7. If bears are unknown in a culture, translators may use “wild/ferocious animals.”

We moan and moan like doves: The meaning of this comparison is more certain since it is used in several other places in the Old Testament (see 38.14; Ezek 7.16; Nahum 2.7). The people moan mournfully like doves cooing. We moan and moan is literally “moaning we moan.” The Hebrew verb for moan is repeated for emphasis (first as an infinitive and then as a finite verb). Like Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible understands this repeated verb to refer to an ongoing activity by saying “we keep moaning.” New American Bible is similar with “we moan without ceasing.” For doves and the mournful sound they make, see the comments on 38.14. In this line the emphasis is on the sound the dove makes, thus symbolizing someone who is mournful or distressed. Since the meaning of the image is more certain than was the case for the bear, it is possible to state it openly; for example, New International Version has “we moan mournfully like doves,” and Bible en français courant says “or [we all make] the sad/plaintive cries of a dove.”

In the first two lines of this verse the point of comparison is not the animals themselves but the sounds they make, sounds that represent discomfort or distress. Good News Translation drops the comparison with sounds made by the animals and summarizes what it sees as the underlying meaning: “We are frightened and distressed.” However, we recommend that translators keep the imagery here if possible, because it is an important element in the poetry of the verse.

We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us: These two parallel lines repeat the form and message of the second half of verse 9. The people long for God in his justice to rescue them from their present difficulties, but they are not experiencing his help. It is the same complaint they made in verse 9. See the comments there on the verb look for, the noun justice, and the phrase far from us, which form an inclusio for this subsection. Salvation here refers to God rescuing his people (see the comments on “save” at 25.9), which is not happening. Good News Translation combines both lines into one statement, but Bible en français courant preserves the parallel structure by saying “We hoped that God would intervene, but nothing. We waited for salvation, but it remains far from us.”

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• Like bears we all growl [or, howl],
like doves we constantly moan.
We hope for God’s justice, but it is not there,
for his rescue, but it is far away from us.

• We all howl like a [wild] animal,
we moan sadly/plaintively like a dove.
God’s justice is what we long for, but we do not see it,
we want him to rescue us, but such is far from us.

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 .