Elijah

The name that is transliterated as “Elijah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “whirlwind” (according to 2 Kings 2:11) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff.)


“Elijah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Click or tap here to see how other sign languages are translating “Elijah”

In American Sign Language it is translated with a depiction of being taken up to heaven with a chariot of fire. (Source: ASL Sign Language Directory )


“Elijah” in American Sign Language (source )

Likewise in Estonian Sign Language, but with a different sign (source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff.)


“Elijah” in Estonian Sign Language (source )

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “fire” (referring to 1 Kings 18:38). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Elijah” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Following is a Russian Orthodox icon of Elijah from the late 13h century.

 
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

messenger

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “messenger” in English is translated in Noongar as moort yana-waangki or “person walk-talk” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

Jezebel

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Jezebel” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign depicting “striking serpent” representing her deceitfulness. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Jezebel” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 19:2

Then: The common Hebrew conjunction at the beginning of this verse may be taken in a temporal sense, as in Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version, or as a logical connector (New International Version “So”). Others leave it untranslated. Translators should follow whichever is most natural in the receptor language in this context.

So may the gods do to me, and more also: This is a fixed formula expressing an oath that occurs often in 1-2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings. See the comments on 1 Kgs 2.23. Here, of course, Jezebel uses the plural gods instead of the singular “God,” since she is a pagan and not a worshiper of the one God of Israel. The words to me are not in most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, but they are in the Septuagint. Regardless of which text translators follow here, these words are implicit in the Hebrew and may be made explicit in the receptor language.

I do not make your life as the life of one of them: Life, here and in verses 3-4, translates the Hebrew noun nephesh, which is often rendered “soul” in traditional translations (but see the comments at 1 Kgs 1.12). Them refers to the prophets of Baal, mentioned in the previous verse, and not to the gods. Good News Translation makes this clear by restating this as “I don’t do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .