enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

complete verse (Jeremiah 30:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 30:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “But all the people who destroy you will be destroyed
    and those enemies of yours will be driven to another country.
    The things of those who plunder your things will be plundered
    and the things will be robbed from those who rob your things.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘But all who will-destroy you will- also -be-destroyed; all your enemies will-be-taken-captives. All you have-attacked and took your possessions will-be-attacked and their possessions will- also -be-taken.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But some day all those who are trying to destroy you will be destroyed;
    all your enemies will be exiled to other nations.
    All those who have stolen things from you
    will have their valuable possessions stolen,
    and all those who attack you will be attacked.” (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 Jeremiah 30:16

Therefore does not really make sense in English, and so both Revised English Bible and New American Bible translate the opening particle as “Yet.” Its force is perhaps best represented by New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “Assuredly.” The function of the verse is to emphasize the truth that the LORD will treat other nations in the same way that they treat his people.

Devour translates a verb that literally means “eat,” though in the present context the meaning is extended to that of “destroy” (see 12.9).

Shall be devoured is a passive construction, which in many languages will be expressed as an active one; for example, “someone else [or, an enemy] will destroy them.”

All your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity: For captivity see 1.3. Shall go into captivity may better be rendered as a passive: “will be taken away as prisoners” (Good News Translation). However, for languages that would not use a passive construction here, it is possible to say “enemies [or, someone else] will take them away as prisoners.”

Those who despoil you shall become a spoil: Those who despoil translates a participle that means “plunderer” (see Jdg 2.14, 16; 1Sam 14.48; 2 Kgs 17.20 [Revised Standard Version “spoilers”]; Isa 17.14; Jer 50.11). Spoil translates a noun from the same Hebrew root as that rendered those who despoil; elsewhere in the Old Testament it is found in 2Kgs 21.14; Isa 42.22, 24; Hab 2.7 (Revised Standard Version “booty”); Zeph 1.13 (Revised Standard Version “plundered”). Shall become a spoil may need an agent indicated, as in “someone will plunder them [or, will make them their spoil].”

All who prey on you I will make a prey: The verb translated prey on literally means “take booty or spoil.” See 20.5, where Revised Standard Version has “plunder.” For the noun prey, see 2.14.

In some languages there may be some difficulty trying to distinguish among the terms despoil, spoil, and prey. The meaning is very close, and translators should use whatever terms would go well in the context. Note that Good News Translation, for example, has used “oppress” and “plunder.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .