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.

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Jeremiah 42:14)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, the Jarai and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation both use the exclusive pronoun, excluding the Lord.

Translation commentary on Jeremiah 42:13 - 42:15

Many translations begin a new paragraph at verse 13. Bible en français courant keeps the flow of the passage with “Jeremiah continued.”

In order to achieve a more logical order and at the same time to omit unnecessary repetition, Good News Translation places verses 13-15 together. Bible en français courant retains the order of the verses, but rearranges the clauses in verse 13:

• Jeremiah continued: “Suppose that you refuse to obey the orders of the Lord your God and that you say, ‘No, we will no longer live in this land, 14….’ ”

Another possibility is:

• But if you decide to disobey the LORD your God and say, “We will not stay here in this land” [or, by saying that you will not stay here in this land], 14….

However, we recommend that translators break down these verses into short, clear sentences that express all the meaning of the passage, that they sort out how these relate to each other, and then translate them together in as natural a discourse as possible. See more discussion below.

Disobeying the voice of the LORD your God (see verse 6 and 40.3) is the equivalent of “disobeying the LORD your God.”

And saying at the beginning of verse 14 marks the continuation of the direct discourse begun in verse 13, and so it may be omitted, as in Bible en français courant. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders 13 and 14 as follows:

• 13 But you must obey the Lord your God and not leave this land. 14 You must not say: We will go to Egypt….

See war: Languages have different ways of describing this experience; in English it is more natural to say “experience war” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “face war” (Good News Translation).

The sound of the trumpet was a signal for war, as Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch indicates: “war trumpet.” Good News Translation makes a slight shift, saying “the call to battle.”

Be hungry for bread: In the Jewish culture bread, made from either barley or wheat, was the main source of food. If translators retain the form here, readers may miss the meaning. “Go hungry” (Good News Translation) is therefore better in most cultures.

Then at the start of verse 15 is a continuation of the if clause of verse 13 (But if you say …). For most readers the connection will have been lost, unless careful attention is given to transitionals within the discourse. Good News Translation handles this by moving the if much closer in the sentence to the then clause: “But you … must not disobey … You must not say … If you say this, then….” As noted above, Bible en français courant begins Jeremiah’s words to the people with “Suppose you say….” This sentence is continued to the end of verse 14. Then verse 15 begins “Then….” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch begins verse 14 with “You must not say,” which is followed immediately by what the people are warned against saying; then verse 15 opens with “In this case….” Translators can also make this relationship clear with a construction similar to this:

• 13 If you say … 14 and say, “No, we will go to Egypt … and live there,” 15 then, if you say all this, here is what the LORD says to you, you of Judah who are left….

Hear the word of the LORD: See 2.4.

Remnant: See the comments at verse 2 and 6.9.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: See 2.2, 19.

If you set your faces is an idiom that means “If you are determined” (New American Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation) or “If you insist” (New Living Translation). The idiom occurs again in 44.12. See also 21.10; Luke 9.51.

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 .