hungry

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “hungry” is translated in Noongar as koborl-wirt or “without stomach” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang) and in the Kölsch translation (publ. 2017) it is often translated as nix zo Käue han or “have nothing to chew on” (note that zo Käue han or “something to chew on” is also used for “eat” — see Mark 6:37). (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

See also famished.

complete verse (2 Corinthians 11:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 11:27:

  • Uma: “In my work that I do for the Lord, I exert-all-effort and work with all my ability. Many times I don’t-have-a-chance-to-sleep, I don’t-have-a-chance-to-drink, I don’t-have-a-chance-to-eat. Many times I am hungry, cold and don’t have enough clothes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “My work is difficult and I always work hard. Often I cannot sleep at night. I endure hunger and thirst. Often I have little to eat. I endure cold because my clothes are few.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I have labored hard; I am always going without sleep; I’m always hungry; I’m always thirsty; I’m always needing food and I’m always needing a place to stay and also clothing.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I have worked until I was exhausted. Often I didn’t sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. I have also been cold because my-clothes were insufficient. Often I have not eaten because of my work.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I have really also experienced excessive hardship and exhaustion, being-always -kept-from-sleep, extremely hungry and thirsty, and excessively cold and not having any thing-to-wrap-around worth-speaking-of.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I suffered much from the hard work I did. Many times I didn’t have enough time to sleep. I suffered from hunger. I suffered from thirst. Many times when I didn’t have enough food, I didn’t eat. Many times I suffered from cold in the country. Many times I suffered from not having enough clothing to wear.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 11:27

It will be noted that Good News Translation starts a new sentence at the beginning of this verse, and this may serve as a good model in other languages.

The words translated toil and hardship occur also in 1 Thes 2.9, where Revised Standard Version renders them as “labor and toil.” Paul is referring to his hard work as a craftsman. One language has translated these two words by the following sentence: “I saw [or, experienced] pain in hard work.” Another says “I did hard work, and difficult labor wore me out.”

Through many a sleepless night translates the same expression as found in 6.5, but here the word for many is added. Paul does not mean that he had difficulty falling asleep at night. Rather he would often work late into the night at his trade in order to be free to preach the gospel during the day.

Often without food: It is unlikely that this expression refers to fasting. It is more likely another way of talking about hunger just mentioned.

In cold: the term used here is found only twice elsewhere in the New Testament (John 18.18 and Acts 28.2). Here it is taken by Good News Translation as referring to a lack of shelter. This provides the reason for Paul’s feeling cold.

Exposure is literally “in nakedness.” Though some translations take this quite literally (“naked” New International Version, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), the word occurs in Greek literature in reference to someone who has only one rough cloak. Knox translates this term “ill-clad,” while Translator’s New Testament has “without sufficient clothing.” A translation such as “without enough clothing to keep warm” is probably closer to the correct meaning than the word “naked” is. The Good News Translation translation “without enough … clothing” fails to preserve the idea that Paul suffered from the cold. Better is Contemporary English Version, which combines the last two items as follows: “I have been cold from not having enough clothes to keep me warm.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .