16While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep’. In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)
In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)
Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “survive,” “escape,” “save,” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) in these verses with pulumuka, describing someone whose life was in danger but who has freed himself or herself. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 1:16:
Kupsabiny: “But while his words were still dying from the mouth, another servant came and said that, ‘Lightning hit the sheep and some other servants completely! I alone was left behind so, I have come to tell you.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Just while he was speaking like this, another servant came and spoke like this, "The fire of God came down from the sky and the sheep and the shepherds died. Only I alone was spared to bring you the news."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “While the man was- still -speaking, another man arrived and told-the-news, ‘Your (sing.) sheep and the ones-who-watch-over these were-hit by lightning, and they were-burned-up. I alone (am) the(-one-who) has-escaped to tell you (sing.).’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “While he was still talking to Job, another messenger arrived. He said to Job, ‘Lightning from the sky struck and killed all the sheep and all the men who were taking care of the sheep! I am the only one who escaped to come and tell you what happened.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
While he was yet speaking a second messenger suddenly appears. In this manner the writer draws attention to the rapidity of the blows that are falling on Job. Repetition is used in verses 15-19 to highlight the recurring order of events. The concluding words of verse 15 are repeated at the end of verses 16, 17, 19; and the opening words of verse 16 are found again at the beginning of verses 17 and 18. For a similar repetition see Exodus 7.8–11.10, in which the king of Egypt reacts to the plagues. The translator must know if the repetition used by the author accomplishes the task of presenting successive events of a basically similar nature, or if there is a different device used in his language which does this. The patterns that are effective in Hebrew may not have the same effect in another language. It may be better in some languages to recast this clause to say, for example, “While the first messenger was still speaking…” or “Before that messenger finished telling Job what had happened….”
The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them: robbers carried out the first attack; the second blow is struck from heaven and destroys seven thousand sheep and all the herdsmen.
Fire of God can mean lightning. (See 1 Kgs 18.38, the contest between Yahweh and Baal on Mount Carmel; also Gen 19.24; Num 11.1; 2 Kgs 1.12.) Thunder is the “voice of God” in Psalm 29. New English Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New Jerusalem Bible prefer to keep “fire,” while Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant have “lightning.” Fire of God may easily be misunderstood if translated literally. Therefore it is probably best to follow Good News Translation.
The next two verbs in verse 16, burned up and consumed, emphasize the total destruction. Good News Translation, which uses “lightning struck” in 16b, has “killed them all” in 16c. Consumed translates the Hebrew for “ate.” (See also 15.34; 20.26; 22.20; Num 16.35; 26.10.) Consumed is repetitive and adds no new information, and may be handled in some languages by the techniques used for indicating the completeness of an action.
The sheep and the servants is literally “the sheep and the young men,” the latter understood as in Good News Translation “shepherds.” In languages where sheep raising is unknown or where people do not look after domestic animals, it will sometimes be necessary to say, for example, “the lightning struck the sheep (using whatever term has been used in verse 3) and the workmen who were taking care of them.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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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 to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, mairu (参る), a humble form of kuru (来る) or “come” is used.
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