cardinal directions

The cardinal directions “east” and “west” are easy to translate into Maan here since the language uses “where the sun comes up” and “where the sun goes down.” For “north” the translator had “facing toward the sun rising to the left,” and for “south” she had “facing toward the sun rising to the right.” So the listener had to think hard before knowing what direction was in view when translating “to the north and south, to the east and west.” So, in case all four directions are mentioned, it was shortened by saying simply “all directions.” (Source: Don Slager) Likewise, Yakan has “from the four corners of the earth” (source: Yakan back-translation) or Western Bukidnon Manobo “from the four directions here on the earth” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo back-translation).

Kankanaey is “from the coming-out and the going-away of the sun and the north and the south” (source: Kankanaey back-translation), Northern Emberá “from where the sun comes up, from where it falls, from the looking [left] hand, from the real [right] hand” (source: Charles Mortensen), Amele “from the direction of the sun going up, from the direction of the sun going down, from the north and from the south” (source: John Roberts), Ejamat “look up to see the side where the sun comes from, and the side where it sets, and look on your right side, and on your left” (source: David Frank in this blog post).

In Lamba, only umutulesuŵa, “where the sun rises” and imbonsi, “where the sun sets” were available as cardinal directions that were not tied to the local area of language speakers (“north” is kumausi — “to the Aushi country” — and “south” kumalenje — “to the Lenje country”). So “north” and “south” were introduced as loanwords, nofu and saufu respectively. The whole phrase is kunofu nakusaufu nakumutulesuŵa nakumbonsi. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff.)

“West” is translated in Tzeltal as “where the sun pours-out” and in Kele as “down-river” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel).

In Morelos Nahuatl, “north” is translated as “from above” and “south” as “from below.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

The Hebrew text that gives instructions where to place items in the tabernacle with the help of cardinal directions (north and south) had to be approached in the Bambam translation specific to spacial concepts of that culture.

Phil Campbell explains: “There are no words in Bambam for north and south. In Exodus 26:35, God instructs that the table is to be placed on the north side and the lamp on the south side inside the tabernacle. The team wants to use right and left to tell where the lamp and table are located. In many languages we would say that the table is on the right and the lampstand is on the left based on the view of someone entering the tabernacle. However, that is not how Bambam people view it. They view the placement of things and rooms in a building according to the orientation of someone standing inside the building facing the front of the building. So that means the table is on the left side and the lampstand is on the right side.”

See also cardinal directions / left and right.

cherub

Some key biblical terms that were directly transliterated from the Hebrew have ended up with unforeseen meanings in the lexicons of various recipient languages.

Take, for example, the English word “cherub,” from Hebrew “kĕrȗb.” Whereas the original Hebrew term meant something like “angelic being that is represented as part human, part animal” (…), the English word now means something like “a person, especially a child, with an innocent or chubby face.” Semantic shift has been conditioned in English by the Renaissance artistic tradition that portrayed cherubim in the guise of cute little Greek cupids. This development was of course impossible to foresee at the time when the first English translations borrowed this Hebrew word into the English Bible tradition, following the pattern of borrowing set by the Greek and Latin translations of the Old Testament.

In Russian, the semantic shift of this transliteration was somewhat different: the -îm ending of “kĕrūbîm,” originally signifying plurality in Hebrew, has been reanalyzed as merely the final part of the lexical item, so that the term херувим (kheruvim) in Russian is a singular count noun, not a plural one. (A similar degrammaticalization is seen in English writers who render the Hebrew plural kĕrūbîm as “cherubims.”) Apparently, this degrammaticalization of the Hebrew ending is what led the Russian Synodal translator of Genesis 3:24 to mistakenly render the Hebrew as saying that the Lord God placed a kheruvim (accusative masculine singular in Russian) to the east of the garden of Eden, instead of indicating a plural number of such beings. (Source: Vitaly Voinov in The Bible Translator 2012, p. 17ff.)

In Ngäbere the Hebrew that is translated in English as “cherub” is translated as “heavenly guard” (source: J. Loewen 1980, p. 107), in Nyamwezi as v’amalaika v’akelubi or “Cherubim-Angel” to add clarity, in Vidunda as “winged creature” (source for this and before: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext), and in Bura-Pabir as “good spirit with wings” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In Northern Pashto it is either translated as “heavenly creature” (Afghan Pashto Bible, publ. 2023) or “winged creature” (Holy Bible in Pakistani [Yousafzai] Pashto, publ. 2020) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that combines “angel” and “spinning sword” (referring to Genesis 3:24):


“Cherub” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

See also seraph and ark of the covenant.

garden

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated into English as “garden” is translated into Naskapi with a word that means “a place for things to grow.”

Doug Lockhart (in Word Alive 2013 ) explains: “‘Garden’ was another term that had no Naskapi equivalent. ‘There are no gardens here,’ Bill [Jancewicz, a translation consultant] explains. ‘So what word do you use for ‘Garden of Eden,’ and have it communicate something logical in Naskapi? We finally came up with a word that means ‘a place for things to grow,’ like a park.'”

See also gardener.

flaming

The Hebrew that is translated as “flaming” or similar in English is translated in Zaramo as dimeluka or “twinkling twirl” or “flashing.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

translations with a Hebraic voice (Genesis 3:24)

Some translations specifically reproduce the voice of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible.

English:
He drove the human out
and caused to dwell, eastward of the garden of Eden,
the winged-sphinxes and the flashing, ever-turning sword
to watch over the way to the Tree of Life.

Source: Everett Fox 1995

German:
Er vertrieb den Menschen
und ließ vor dem Garten von Eden ostwärts die Cheruben wohnen
und das Lodern des kreisenden Schwerts,
den Weg zum Baum des Lebens zu hüten.

Source: Buber / Rosenzweig 1976

French:
Il expulse le glébeux
et fait demeurer au levant du jardin d’‘Édèn les Keroubîm
et la flamme de l’épée tournoyante
pour garder la route de l’arbre de vie.

Source: Chouraqui 1985

For other verses or sections translated with a Hebraic voice, see here.

complete verse (Genesis 3:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 3:24:

  • Kankanaey: “Then he sent fearsome guards from heaven so-that they would guard the entrance of the land at Eden that is located-toward the coming-out of the sun. He also placed-upright a flaming and revolving sword at the entrance, and that is what blocked the path that went to the tree that gives life so-that absolutely no one would approach.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After God had cast out the man, He put a cherub and a blazing, burning sword, which was spinning all around, toward the east of Eden to watch the way toward the tree of life.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “After the man was-able-to-leave, the LORD God put kerubin/cherubims on the east side of the garden of Eden. And he also put a sword that was-flaming and spinning so-that nobody could-go-near to the tree that gives life.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “After Yahweh expelled them, on the east side of the garden he placed cherubim/creatures with wings and an angel holding a flaming sword which flashed back and forth. He did that in order to block the entrance to the garden, so that people could not go back to the tree that enables people who eat its fruit to live forever.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 3:24

He drove out the man: drove out means “to banish, expel, get rid of” and is more dramatic than “send forth” in verse 23. Only the man is mentioned as being driven out, but we are to understand that the action affected both the man and the woman; and some translators will want to express this in the text. Drove out may also be translated “He forced the man to leave,” “He made the man get out,” or as a direct quotation, “He said to the man ‘Get out!’ ”

East of the garden of Eden means outside the garden on the east side.

He placed the cherubim: cherubim is the English way of writing the sounds of the Hebrew word, which is a plural masculine noun. These creatures are described in the Old Testament as the carriers of God and the guardians of sacred things. For example, in Psa 18.10 the LORD rides on a cherub in the thunderstorm. In 1 Kgs 6.23-28 two large cherubim hold their wings over the ark in the temple to protect it and provide a seat for the LORD. Their appearance is described as having the body of a lion or bull, the face of a man, and being equipped with wings. They are living creatures who along with angels carry out God’s commands. See Ezek 1.5-12; 10.21. For illustrations see a Bible dictionary.

The translation of cherubim is seldom if ever fully satisfactory, since no such creatures are seen in nature, and it is nearly impossible to compare them to something already familiar to the reader. Normally translators use a borrowed term and describe their physical appearance in a word list. Some use a descriptive phrase such as “creatures with wings,” or “winged animals called cherubs.” In English “cherubs” refers to plump, rosy-cheeked, angelic figures. Sometimes the term “angel” is used as a general term for the beings who carry out God’s commands, with another word such as “strong” for these creatures who stand guard.

A flaming sword seems to be a separate means of guarding the entrance to the garden. It is not certain from the Hebrew if this is a flame in the shape of a sword, or a sword that throws off flames, and so perhaps “lightning.” It may mean “a flashing sword.” Sword is used here as an image of authority and protection. Some languages do not have a term for sword unless it is a borrowed term, which may be unfamiliar. In cultures that do not possess swords, it may be possible to represent the sword by another symbol; for example, “a flaming spear,” “a bayonet of fire,” or “a burning arrow.” A more general term such as “flaming weapon” may be useful, if the imagined weapon is suitable in this context. Since it is not certain what the relation of the flame is to the sword, it may also be possible to say, for example, “a flame in the shape of a spear.”

Which turned every way means “turned around and around,” or as Good News Translation says, “in all directions.”

To guard the way to the tree of life explains the purpose of the cherubim and the sword. Guard the way means “to keep anyone from coming near the tree of life” (Good News Translation), or “to guard access to the tree…” (Bible en français courant). One recent translation says “… to block the way, so that people would not be able to approach the tree….”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .