Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Judges 14:18:
Kupsabiny: “And before sunset on that seventh day, the people of the city told Samson, ‘What may be sweeter than honey? What may have more power than a lion?’ Then, Samson said to those people, ‘If you had not dug a trench of water to me (tricked me) and asked through my bride, you would not have gotten/found my riddle.‘” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “That very day before the sun set, the men of the city said to Samson, "What is sweeter than honey? Who is stronger than a lion?" Samson said, "If [you] had not ploughed with my cow, [You] would not have been able to give that answer."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “So before the end of the seventh day, they answered the riddle/thing-to-be-guessed. They said to Samson, ‘There is nothing sweeter than honey, and there is nothing stronger than a lion.’ Samson replied, ‘If you (plur.) had- not -forced/persisted/urged my bride/wife, you (plur.) would not have-known the answer.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So, before sunset on the seventh day, the young men came to Samson and said to him, ‘What/Nothing is sweeter than honey. What/Nothing is stronger than a lion !’ Samson replied, ‘You should not force a heifer to plow a field. Similarly, if you had not forced my bride to ask me about the riddle , you would not have known the answer to my riddle!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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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 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).
Among the English versions there seems to be a great deal of confusion and inconsistency in the translation of the various Hebrew words. This is due in large part to the fact that the English translators and the commentators who have guided them have had many mistaken ideas about lions and their behavior. To take Amos 3:4 as an example, Smalley and de Waard (A Handbook on Amos. New York, 1979), commenting on this verse and echoing many others, claim: “The lion’s roar in the first picture is the ferocious roar with which the lion attacks an animal he is going to kill and eat. When someone hears this roar, he knows that the lion has found his victim. In the second picture, however, it is the lion’s contented growl when he has dragged the food to his den.” (see here)
However, lions do not roar as they attack their prey, (in fact they kill very silently as a rule), and lions do not normally live in dens. Moreover, they do not growl contentedly when eating. Instead they growl and snarl at the other lions in the pride who are trying to share the meal.
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In case there are readers who react by thinking that it is unlikely that unsophisticated ancient peoples would have known these details, it should be pointed out that unsophisticated people all over Africa, who live in areas where there are lions, are very familiar with lion behavior, and it is highly likely that the Jewish writers were too. The problem would seem to lie with the mistaken presuppositions of western biblical scholars, rather than those of the Jewish writers. Later in this section evidence will be given that the biblical writers were very familiar with lion behavior.
In a similar vein, it is likely that the many Hebrew words for lions each have a slightly different meaning from one another. A closer study of lions and their behavior may help to define these meanings.
In biblical times lions were found all over the Middle East, in Mesopotamia, in Egypt, and in the area of Sudan and Ethiopia called Cush.
The Greek word leōn and the Latin leo are general words for lion, while the Greek leontēdon means something like “fierce lion”.
In order to dispel many of the wrong presuppositions about lions that are current among biblical scholars, the description of this animal will be more detailed and extensive than for other animals in this book.
Lions Panthera leo are the largest of the great cats, often being about 2.8 meters (9 feet) from nose to tip of tail, standing as high as 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) at the shoulder. However, the difference in size between lions and Bengal Tigers Panthera tigris is minimal. An adult lion is at least half a meter (20 inches) longer than a LeopardPanthera pardus and weighs twice as much, often reaching 250 kilograms (550 pounds) in weight; it is about 30 centimeters (1 foot) longer and 100 kilograms (220 pounds) heavier than a Jaguar Panthera onca or Mountain Lion (Puma) Puma concolor. Lions are a pale yellowish brown, but at birth they have spots that usually disappear gradually as they grow. Around the neck and shoulders of adult males grows a mane that is darker than the rest of their fur. Some even have black manes. Females and young males do not have manes and look very similar to each other.
Lions live in family groups called “prides”, which are made up of a dominant male lion (often called “the pride male”), plus a group of adult and sub adult females and young males. Males may leave the pride, and occasionally one or two females may go off with a wandering male, but normally the females continue in the pride and develop very close bonds with one another that last a lifetime. The dominant male will often make ritual attacks on the younger males of the pride, who roll over in submission rather than fight.
However, adult males from within and outside the pride challenge the dominant male and one another when a female is in season and will try to mate with her. This results in serious fights. If the dominant male is defeated from within the pride, he leaves the pride to wander alone, but the remainder of the pride remains intact. If a male from outside the pride takes over from the pride male, he usually chases away the other males, which then wander singly or in small groups of three or four. These wandering males will try to take over other prides or steal females from them. Ousted pride males, since they are alone and have no help in hunting, are often hungry, thin, undernourished, and dangerous.
About two or three days before a pregnant female is about to give birth to cubs, she digs a temporary den under a rock or fallen log and visits it with one or two of the other females. After she gives birth in the den, one of the other females will bring her meat from a kill. This enables the mother to remain with her newborn cubs continuously for the first week or two of their lives. The mother lioness moves the newborn cubs to a new den every three or four days. When the cubs are about two weeks old, the mother carries the cubs to where the other pride members are, and the pride makes their acquaintance by licking them. Thereafter the cubs belong to the pride and suckle on any lactating lioness that happens to be near.
Until they are old enough to hunt, cubs hide in thickets while the pride hunters do their work. At a later stage they accompany the hunting lions, but watch the killing from the sidelines. Finally the mother will help them kill small animals, until they are able to kill efficiently. Then they join the pride hunts.
A pride lives together in the same territory. Bushes and tree trunks are marked by spraying a liquid from a gland next to the anus. This marked territory is defended against intruding lions. The pride will come together at feeding time and remain together after a feed, but will scatter across the territory prior to hunting.
Lions utter a variety of sounds, and this should be borne in mind when translating Scripture passages that refer to the noises lions make. The Hebrew words are usually not very specific, but the context will indicate the type of noise intended.
Roaring is the loudest of the lion sounds and is usually produced by the males. It is believed to be territory-marking behavior and a means of maintaining pride solidarity. It is usually done before hunting begins and also functions to help the pride locate the positions of scattered members. This is important for hunting. Roaring consists of a long, very loud moaning sound followed by shorter rhythmic panting moans, which are repeated as many as twenty times, while becoming softer and softer. No two lions roar in exactly the same way, and they can be identified from their roars. Roaring is also a means by which wandering male lions make known their availability as potential mates. Hungry lions roar more frequently than well-fed ones, and this is an indication of how hungry they are.
Growling is a warning sound. It is a very deep rumbling repeated with each breath. It is intended to chase away strange lions or other potential enemies, such as leopards, hyenas, or humans. When a lion or lioness growls, it usually advances towards its enemy. If growling does not have the desired effect, it is replaced with snarling, which is similar to growling but is more intense and is produced with exposed teeth, the body in a low crouch, and ears laid back flat. This behavior is usually the prelude to an attack. When the attack is actually made on an enemy, a deep trembling moan is uttered, and the ensuing fight takes place with a lot of loud snarling and growling.
When lions are feeding together on one carcass, there is usually a lot of growling, snarling, and snapping among the feeding lions.
Other types of sound made by lions are:
woofing sounds when pride members meet after two or three days’ absence from each other. This sound is also used to call cubs from their hiding places;
drawn out yawning moans by females in heat and by both lions and lionesses when mating;
grunting sounds when chasing prey toward other lions waiting in ambush;
contented loud purring, much as cats do.
Hunting and feeding behavior: After lions have fed well, they rest and relax together for two or three days. Towards the end of this time some of the pride members will begin to move away from the others in the direction of places where prey animals are likely to be grazing. Then, before they begin to hunt, they signal their locations by roaring on and off for an hour or two. They then fall silent and begin to hunt in earnest. Hunting usually takes one of two forms. If there is good cover near the prey, two or three lionesses and young males will stalk the prey using the cover. When they get close enough, one or two will break cover and charge at the prey, while the others maneuver to cut off any escape.
If the terrain is more open, the lionesses and young males will take up ambush positions downwind of the prey animals. Adult males then move fairly openly into upwind positions. They then run toward the prey uttering loud grunts with each breath. With either method, at the first charge the lions try to disable the animal by seizing a leg or by biting the spine. Once they have slowed down the prey, one lion will seize the animal by the throat and suffocate it. Thus death is usually fairly slow and drawn out. If the animal is large, the kill takes a considerable amount of energy, and the lions rest, usually standing, before they begin to feed.
Single wandering male lions are at a great disadvantage in hunting and often go hungry. They thus roar more frequently than pride lions. They often begin to kill domestic animals and sometimes humans.
Among the lions present at the time of the kill, there is a type of seniority, with age being important. The most senior lion or lioness present will begin to feed, and this will be a signal for the others to join in. If the kill is large, they feed in relative silence, but if the prey is small, there is a lot of snarling, growling, and snapping. Whenever a dominant pride male arrives, however, the feeding lions withdraw and leave him to feed alone. A dominant male will sometimes allow an immature cub to feed with him but no mature lions. The pride members will only resume feeding when the dominant male is satisfied. Dominant males are very seldom involved in the chase or the kill. At most they make the charge that drives the prey towards lionesses and young males in ambush.
In the Bible the lion is a symbol of danger and destruction, often being paired with the bear. The lion is also a symbol of great political power and regal majesty.
Before discussing specific passages in detail, it is useful first to try and identify the various Hebrew words with likely lion types. If we examine the verbs and adjectives with which the Hebrew nouns co-occur, we find the following:
’Ari: This, the most frequently used word for lion, is associated with a very wide range of verbs in the Bible, including crouching in ambush, leaping, growling, roaring, killing, destroying, tearing prey to pieces, breaking bones, attacking, breaking from cover, scattering sheep, trampling, and standing on prey. The adjectives used with this noun include strong, destructive, brave, and hungry. From this evidence we can see that ’ari or its feminine form ’aryeh is the general word for lion or lioness.
’ari’el in 2 Samuel 23:20 and 1 Chronicles 11:22 literally means “lion of God” or “mighty lion”, but it is an idiom denoting a human hero or mighty warrior, not a lion.
’Aryeh: Although this is a feminine form, in English versions it is invariably translated as “lion”, because this form usually occurs in the Hebrew phrase gur ’aryeh, which is literally “a cub of lioness”, but which is more naturally translated as “lion cub” in English.
Beney shachats: This expression, which literally means “sons of pride”, occurs only once, in a poetic passage (Job 28:8) as the parallel of “lion” (shachal). Probably, besides having similar sounds, the two expressions both refer to lions. Only KJV reflects this in the translation.
Kefir: The verbs associated with this noun include kill, prowl, hunt, snarl, attack, break cover, tear prey to pieces, roar, and growl. The only adjective associated with the noun is “angry”. Translators often render this as “young lion”. Ezekiel 19:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 seems to support an identification of kefir with a young male lion that is an efficient killer.
Laviy’: The verbs associated with this noun are growling, devouring, lying down, crouching, and raising cubs. The only descriptive phrase that co-occurs is big teeth. The usual JB rendering of this word as “lioness” seems well founded.
Layish: This noun occurs only three times. The verb phrase that co-occurs is “ dying from lack of prey”. The adjectives that co-occur are “stately in its walk”, and “strong”. The evidence would fit an interpretation such as “lion in its prime time” or “mighty lion”. The reference would seem to be to a dominant male lion or “pride male”. Versions that render this word as “old lion” in some contexts, seem to be slightly misleading.
Shachal: The verbs that co-occur are roaring, hunting, and tearing prey to pieces. Some scholars, using evidence from Assyrian and classical Arabic, believe that this Hebrew word is derived from an older Semitic root meaning “to roar” or “to produce a call”. All available evidence would seem to allow for the interpretation of shachal as “male lion”. It may possibly be a word for a wandering male lion rather than a male that is a member of a pride.
In some English versions of Maccabees the Greek word skumnos is incorrectly translated as “cub” or “whelp”. The context refers to this creature roaring, which lion cubs do not do. The word seems rather to refer to a virile young adult lion. It is better translated as lion in its prime.
In areas where lions are completely unknown, it is better to borrow a word from a dominant language or from Hebrew or Greek, rather than to try and find a local equivalent. This is because the biblical references to the behavior of lions are fairly specific, and if a word for a local animal is used, it will not fit the behavior mentioned in the text. This is especially so because the lion is the only great cat (apart from the cheetah) that lives and hunts in large family groups.
Some attempt should be made to maintain the slight differences in meaning of the various Hebrew words for lions, when the context requires this. This can often be done by using short, natural-sounding descriptive phrases. Often, however, in contexts where only one of the Hebrew words for lion is used, there is no need to maintain a difference, and a simple word for lion or lioness will suffice.
The most common Hebrew phrases used for the sounds lions make are sha’ag, (natan) qol, naham. When sha’ag is used in contexts of human vocal behavior, it indicates cries of pain or distress. In contexts of animal vocal behavior, however, it can signal pain and distress but can also be an aggressive sound and can be translated “bellow, roar, moan, snarl, growl” or sometimes “bark”. A similar Arabic word usually refers to the lowing of cattle or the bleating of goats. For lions English translators have consistently chosen “roar”, because of their mistaken preconception that a lion’s “roar” is an aggressive sound. In most contexts it is best interpreted as “growl” or “snarl”.
(Natan) qol, on the other hand, is a more general expression and can mean any sort of vocalization, from calling, to groaning or singing. English translators of Amos 3:4 have chosen “growl” and “cry out”. In this text this word is the parallel of sha’ag, so the reason for these interpretations is plain. However, a neutral translation, such as “make a sound”, would be equally valid. Of all the Hebrew expressions for lion sounds, this is the one most likely to mean roar, especially in contexts where the noun shachal occurs for “lion”, as for example in Job 4:10.
Naham means to moan in sorrow or pain when used of humans and is usually translated as to growl when used of animals.
Lion habitats and the meaning of ma‘on in the context of lions: Generally the word ma‘on means dwelling place, hiding place, or refuge. In one or two places it refers to a military refuge or fortress. When used of animals, it can mean “lair” (as for jackals), “hiding place”, “territory”, or simply “place where the animals are found”. The choice in translating this Hebrew word has been either “lair” or “den” in all English translations. This choice again seems to be related to the misconceptions about the behavior of lions. Lions do not usually live in dens or lairs, and it is better to translate ma‘on as “territory” or “place where lions live”.
And the men of the city said to him: The men of the city may be the thirty Philistine companions of Samson, but they are more likely all the men of Timnah, including Samson’s companions. Translators may be more explicit, for example, “the men of Timnah.” The pronoun him refers to Samson, which Contemporary English Version makes explicit.
On the seventh day before the sun went down: The men waited until the last moment of the feast before telling Samson what the solution to his riddle was. This was a ploy to draw out the suspense and to humiliate Samson even more. The men had succeeded in turning Samson’s own bride against him and they won the bet as well. Of course, the number seven often has symbolic meaning in the Scriptures. Thus in this negative situation, it is probably used with some irony. The seventh day was the last day of the party (see verse 14.12). The unusual Hebrew word for sun, together with the verb rendered went down, has led some commentators to change the text here. For example, instead of before the sun went down, Revised English Bible has “just before he entered the bridal chamber.” Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible are similar with “before Samson/he went into the bedroom.” However, there is no textual support for such changes, with Hebrew Old Testament Text Project giving the Hebrew text an {A} rating. So translators are advised to follow the Hebrew text as Revised Standard Version has done. As in Contemporary English Version, many languages will prefer to place this time clause at the beginning of the verse: “Before sunset that day….”
What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?: In verse 14.14 Samson gives his riddle in parallel lines, saying:
Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.
The men of Timnah do not answer the riddle directly and say “A lion with bees inside of it.” They answer with a set of parallel lines, literally:
What [is] sweeter than honey?
What [is] stronger than a lion?
The men answer in the opposite order of the riddle, beginning with sweeter, and moving to stronger. Their answer is given in a question form, which may have been a culturally acceptable way to answer a riddle. There is no verb present here in Hebrew, but most versions insert the verb “is.” Out of the six Hebrew words in the answer, five begin with the sound m, which certainly communicates some kind of mocking tone. Affirmative statements may be used in the place of questions, for example, “There is nothing sweeter than honey; there is nothing stronger than a lion” or “Honey is sweet; a lion is strong.” Contemporary English Version gives a good model, saying:
A lion is the strongest—
honey is the sweetest!
ver CEVver* indents these two lines to show clearly that their answer, like the riddle itself, has a poetic form.
And he said to them …: Samson has lost the bet, and all he can do is reply. However, he uses figurative language to say what he is thinking. As elsewhere, an appropriate connector may be used for the Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And, for example, “Then,” or it may be omitted. The general verb said may be translated “replied” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) or “responded” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).
If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle: Samson’s response is probably an angry one (see verse 14.19). He has been deceived by his fiancée, her family, and their guests at the party. Perhaps correctly, he blames the men of Timnah rather than his bride. His response is in the form of a proverb, but presented as a condition-consequence statement.
If you had not plowed with my heifer is the condition. The Hebrew conjunction rendered If usually introduces a condition that did not happen, but here it introduces a condition that occurred. The meaning is that the men had indeed pressured his fiancée and forced her to act, perhaps contrary to her own conscience. The pronoun you refers to the men of Timnah, including Samson’s companions. The imagery here comes from the world of farming. Where the soil was hard, farmers plowed their fields, turning the soil over to make it ready for planting seeds. There are many ways in which farmers plowed their fields, but here Samson is thinking of cows or bulls pulling a plow. The Hebrew word for heifer refers to a young female cow. Here it is an image for Samson’s wife. Cultures differ concerning the symbolic meaning of various animals. In Song of Songs a woman of beauty is compared to a horse (Song of Songs 1.9), which in many cultures would be an insult rather than a compliment! Calling his wife my heifer was probably not an insult in the culture of that day. Plowed with my heifer is a figurative way to describe what the Philistine men did. Some see here an implicit sexual reference, which is a possibility. However, this expression may just be referring to extreme pressure, including threats of death to the woman and her family Their pressure and threats are compared to plowing. Because it is figurative language, it is important for translators to render the text literally if possible. Samson is being sarcastic, and it is better to allow the reader to work out the meaning. If the meaning is really not understandable from the context, translators can add a footnote, such as “The heifer refers to Samson’s bride.” If it is really necessary to make the meaning explicit, translators may say “If you had not threatened [or, pressured] my bride [so mercilessly
You would not have found out my riddle: This clause presents the consequence of the condition. If the men had not threatened Samson’s wife, they would not have been able to solve the riddle. In many languages a consequence begins with a word such as “then.” Though there is no such conjunction in Hebrew here, it may be added if necessary. In English the modal verb would is used in this kind of condition-consequence statement, but translators will need to use appropriate verb forms in their language. Found out renders the normal Hebrew verb for either finding an object or discovering a solution. For found out my riddle, see verse 14.12. We might say “solved my riddle” (New International Version, New Living Translation), “found the answer to my riddle,” or “discovered the solution to my riddle.” In some languages it may be helpful to place this consequence before the condition by saying “You would not have solved my riddle, if you had not plowed with my heifer.”
Translation models for the second half of this verse are:
• Samson said to the men, “You would not have discovered the answer to my riddle, if you had not plowed with my heifer.”*
* “Heifer” refers to Samson’s bride. These men pressured and threatened her and thus obtained the solution to the riddle.
• Then Samson said to the men, “If you had not plowed with my cow, you would not have found the answer to my riddle.”
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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