complete verse (Jeremiah 48:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Jeremiah 48:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, the people of Moab were ashamed over their god Chemosh which they were worshipping like when the people of Israel felt shame over their thing that they relied on in Bethel.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Moab will-be-ashamed of the god Kemosh, just as the Israelinhon was-ashamed of their god at Betel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the people of Moab will be ashamed of their god/idol Chemosh because it did not help them,
    like the Israeli people were ashamed because their gold statue of a calf was smashed at Bethel.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 48:13

In this context be ashamed of is best understood as “be disillusioned with” (Good News Translation), “be disappointed by” (Bible en français courant), or “be let down by” (Revised English Bible).

Chemosh is the Moabite god (see verse 7).

The house of Israel; that is, “the Israelites.” See 2.26.

Bethel: A god of this name is known to have been worshiped in Syria and Babylonia; it is also one of the names used of God among the Jews who later settled in Elephantine, Egypt. Since the name refers to a god, and not to the better known place, Good News Translation renders Bethel, their confidence as “Bethel, a god in whom they trusted.”

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 .