shepherd

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “shepherd” in English is translated in Kouya as Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ — ” tender of sheep.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains:

“Then one day they tackled the thorny problem of ‘shepherd’. It was problematic because Kouyas don’t have herdsmen who stay with the sheep all the time. Sheep wander freely round the village and its outskirts, and often a young lad will be detailed to drive sheep to another feeding spot. So the usual Kouya expression meant a ‘driver of sheep’, which would miss the idea of a ‘nurturing’ shepherd. ‘A sheep nurturer’ was possible to say, but it was unnatural in most contexts. The group came up with Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ which meant ‘a tender of sheep’, that is one who keeps an eye on the sheep to make sure they are all right. All, including the translators, agreed that this was a most satisfactory solution.”

In Chuj, the translation is “carer” since there was no single word for “shepherd” (source: Ronald Ross), in Muna, it is dhagano dhumba: “sheep guard” since there was no immediate lexical equivalent (source: René van den Berg), in Mairasi it is translated with “people who took care of domesticated animals” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Noongar as kookendjeriyang-yakina or “sheep worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), and Kwakum as “those-who-monitor-the-livestock” (source: Stacey Hare in this post ).

See also I am the good shepherd.

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 51:21 - 51:23

The image of break in pieces can be retained, but in these verses wherever it is people being dealt with, Good News Translation shifts to “kill,” “slay,” “slaughter,” or “crush.”

The horse and his rider: This is to be understood in a collective sense (Good News Translation “horses and riders”), as are the other objects and persons mentioned in these verses. What is important in the translation of this short passage is to render it in a way that will convey a dramatic and forceful impact to the reader.

For chariot see 4.13.

As elsewhere, if shepherds and flocks are not known, translators can use general terms such as “herdsmen” and “herds of domestic animals [or, their herds].”

The team of the farmer is either the horses or oxen he uses for plowing. Oxen are more likely, but translators can also use a general term such as “animals that pull the plow.”

Since governors and commanders are titles that are difficult to define precisely, it is best to translate them by terms that are more general, representing high positions of civil authority, such as in Good News Translation “rulers and high officials.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Jeremiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2003. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .