untranslatable verses

The Swedish Bibel 2000 declared the 69 Old Testament verses referenced herein as “untranslatable.” Typically, other Bible translations translate those verses and mention in footnotes that the translation is uncertain or give alternate readings. Christer Åsberg, the Translation Secretary with the Swedish Bible Society at that time, explains why the Swedish Bible Society decided to not translate these verses at all (in The Bible Translator 2007, p. 1ff.):

“In the new Swedish translation (SB) of 2000, [some verses are] not translated at all; [they are] indicated with three hyphens inside square brackets [- - -] [with a] reference to the appendix, where in the article ‘Text’ one will find a paragraph with roughly the following content:

In some cases the text is unintelligible and the variant readings differing to such an extent, that it is quite impossible to attain a reasonable certainty of what is meant, although some isolated word may occur, whose meaning it is possible to understand.

“If Bible translators find the Hebrew text untranslatable, what kind of text is it that they have produced in the translation into their own language? When a footnote says ‘The Hebrew is not understandable,’ what then is the printed text a translation of? And if the translators prefer to do without footnotes, are they then really released from the responsibility of informing their readers that the text they read is just mere guesswork?

“To leave a blank space in a Bible text seems to be an offensive act for many. (. . . ) To admit that a piece of Holy Scripture makes no sense at all may have been unimaginable in times past. In our enlightened era, an overprotective concern for the readers’ trust in the word of God is apparently a decisive factor when a translator tries to translate against all odds. The verdict ‘untranslatable’ is much more frequent in scholarly commentaries on different Bible books written by and for experts than in the translations or footnotes of the same books designed for common readers.

“Another reason (. . .) is a professional, and very human, reluctance to admit a failure. Also, many Bible translators lack translational experience of other literary genres and other classical texts where this kind of capitulation is a part of the daily run of things. They may have an innate or subconscious feeling that the Bible has unique qualities not only as a religious document but also as a linguistic and literary artifact. Completeness is felt to be proof of perfection. Some translators, and not so few of their clients, are unfamiliar with a scholarly approach to philological and exegetical matters. In some cases their background have made them immune to a kind of interpretative approximation common in older translations, confessional commentaries, and sermons. Therefore, their tolerance towards lexical, grammatical, and syntactical anomalies tends to be comparatively great.

“It is very hard to discern and to define the boundary between something that is extremely difficult and something that is quite impossible. I am convinced that all Bible translators in their heart of hearts will admit that there actually are some definitely untranslatable passages in the Bible, but are there a dozen of them or a score? Are there fifty or a hundred? Not even a group of recognized experts would probably pick out the same ten most obvious cases. (. . .)

“Conclusions:

  1. There are untranslatable passages in the Bible.
  2. How many they are is impossible to say—except for the translation team that decides which passages are untranslatable.
  3. An untranslatable passage cannot and should therefore not be translated.
  4. The lacuna should be marked in a consistent way.
  5. The translating team should stipulate their criteria for untranslatability as early as possible.
  6. It is an ethical imperative that the readers be comprehensively informed.
  7. Untranslatability has been and can be displayed in many different ways.
  8. An explanatory note should not confuse linguistic untranslatability with other kinds of textual or translational difficulties.
  9. The information given should make it clear that the translators’ recognition of untranslatability is a token of respect for the Bible, not a proof of depreciation.
  10. You shall not fear the void, but the fear of the void.”

With thanks to Mikael Winninge, Director of Translation, Swedish Bible Society

Translation commentary on Isaiah 40:20

In this verse the prophet describes an idol made out of wood.

He who is impoverished chooses for an offering wood that will not rot: The Hebrew participle rendered He who is impoverished refers to someone who is poor. This person can only afford wood for his idol, in contrast to the wealthy mentioned in the previous verse who use gold and silver (so Good News Translation, Bible en français courant). However, the word rendered He who is impoverished occurs only here, so its meaning is uncertain. New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and New American Bible translate it “mulberry wood” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). For these two lines New Revised Standard Version has “As a gift one chooses mulberry wood—wood that will not rot.” The mulberry tree has hard wood that does not rot easily. For languages that do not have “mulberry wood,” it may be rendered “a fine piece of [hard] wood.” Whichever interpretation translators follow here, they should add a footnote to indicate that the meaning of the Hebrew is unclear, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The Hebrew word rendered offering is literally “that which is lifted up.” It may be rendered “gift” (New Revised Standard Version) in this context. It is unclear what the offering is in this context. The wooden idol may be offered to the god it represents, or the wood may be offered to the artisan to make an idol out of it. Good News Translation and Revised English Bible omit the idea of offering, but translators should keep it. Wood that will not rot refers to hard wood that will last. It requires a lot of effort to carve.

He seeks out a skilful craftsman: Since the person who chooses the wood is unable to make the idol himself, he looks for someone who is skilled in carving wood. The Hebrew word for craftsman is the same one rendered “workman” in the previous verse (see the comments there). The Hebrew adjective translated skilful is often rendered “wise” (see 19.11-12), but “skillful” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “skilled” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version) fits better in this context. Wisdom has very practical applications.

To set up an image that will not move: The first task of the craftsman is probably to make the statue, and then to fix it firmly in place. Good News Translation makes this clear with “to make an image that won’t fall down.” Bible en français courant is similar by rendering the last two lines as “Then he looks for a good craftsman, capable of making an idol that will hold firm.” Image renders the same Hebrew word translated “idol” in the previous verse (see the comments there). Since an idol cannot move by itself, this line must mean the craftsman puts it in place firmly, so that it doesn’t topple (see 1 Sam 5.3-4 for an example of an idol that toppled). New Revised Standard Version says “to set up an image that will not topple” (similarly New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

Revised English Bible and New American Bible move 41.6-7 after this verse. They believe that the two verses are out of place in chapter 41 but link closely with the satire on idols here. Some scholars (for example, Blenkinsopp) believe there are good exegetical reasons for this reordering. However, in the absence of any textual evidence to support it, we advise translators to retain the Masoretic Text order.

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• For his offering a poor person chooses wood that will not rot,
then he finds a skilled craftsman to make an image with it
and to put it [firmly] in place so that it cannot fall over.

• He chooses for an offering mulberry wood that will not rot,
then he seeks out a skilled craftsman to carve the image
and to set it up so that it will not be unsteady.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .