lion

There are no lions in Bawm country, so the Bawm Chin translation uses “a tiger with a mane” where the Greek term for “lion” is used and in Sranan Tongo the “roaring lion” in 1 Peter 5:8 is a krasi tigri, an “aggressive tiger.”

In the Kahua culture, lions are not known either so the Kahua translation used “fierce animal.”

In 1 Peter 5:8, the Uripiv translation uses “a hungry shark” instead of a roaring lion.

Sources: David Clark for Bawm Chin and Kahua, Japini 2015, p. 33, for Sranan Tongo, and Ross McKerras for Uripiv)

sheep

“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep’. In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCAM, p. 70)

Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).

See also lamb.

Translation commentary on Micah 5:8

Verse 8 begins in a way very similar to verse 7. The phrase “remnant of Jacob” (Revised Standard Version) occurs again, but the statement of where the remnant is located is expanded into two parallel phrases, “among the nations” and “in the midst of many peoples.” These phrases refer again to the people in exile, and their meaning is combined in the single phrase among the nations in Good News Translation, in order to avoid clumsy repetition. Verse 8 is parallel in structure with verse 7 and continues with a double simile, or comparison, just as verse 7 did. The similes are “like a lion among the beasts of the forest” and “like a young lion among the flocks of sheep.” They are parallel repetitions of a single image, and Good News Translation puts them together in a single comparison, with its like a lion hunting for food in a forest or a pasture.

The lion is a dangerous hunter, whether he is searching for wild animals in the forest or for sheep in a pasture. In the same way the people of Israel who are left among the nations will be able to destroy their enemies, as verse 9 makes clear. Good News Translation has used a different expression for the “remnant” from that used in verse 7, but it is the same expression in the Hebrew. A translator can either use the same expression as in verse 7, or it may be possible by the use of pronouns to make clear that the same group of the people of Israel is being spoken of here. Or, if it sounds better to use a different term with the same meaning, as Good News Translation has done, that too is quite all right.

The remaining lines of verse 8 describe what a lion does when he gets among the sheep, helping to make more vivid the picture of how the people of Israel will deal with their enemies. As in verse 7, these last two lines of verse 8 are both relative clauses, but they are more complex in structure than those in verse 7. Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew structure closely: “which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.” There is no difficulty here with either the grammar or the meaning. Good News Translation expresses the same meaning, but with a sentence structure and a vocabulary that are much more natural in English: he gets in among the sheep, pounces on them, and tears them to pieces—and there is no hope of rescue. Pounces on them means “jumps on them” in the way cats do when catching prey. There is no hope of rescue can be translated “there is no one who can save the sheep from him.” In Good News Translation the lion is called he, but translators should of course follow the patterns of their own language. If a pronoun is used, it should be the appropriate one for a lion. In some languages it may seen strange to compare a group of people to a single “lion,” and it may be necessary to talk about “lions” instead.

The real problem is that the picture here of the effect that the people in exile will have on their neighbors is so different from that given in verse 7. The parallel structure of the two verses, which is closer in Hebrew than in English, makes it clear that they go together as a unit. Since this is so, we must come to one or the other of two conclusions. The first possibility is that these verses give opposite and complementary pictures of Israel’s relations with its neighbors in the exile. Many scholars do indeed accept the idea that one of these speaks of blessing and the other of destruction. Such contrasts can be found elsewhere, as in Prov 19.12, where images of a lion and dew are combined in one verse. Knox, Phillips, and Good News Translation all make it clear that this is the interpretation they are following.

The second possible conclusion is that verse 7 does not refer to blessing. Some scholars interpret it in the light of 2 Sam 17.12, where Hushai speaks of attacking David in these words: “we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and all the men with him not one will be left” (Revised Standard Version). Here the falling of dew is likened to a sudden, silent, and irresistible attack. Good News Translation has “We will … attack him before he knows what’s happening.” It is possible to see a similar meaning in 5.7, with both the dew and the showers of rain standing for the power of God, which is in no way dependent on man. If a translator prefers this understanding, he will have the following meaning in verse 7: “The people of Israel who survive among the nations will fall upon (or, attack) their enemies just as suddenly as dew or rain falls on the plants. Their power will come from God, and not from man.” Such a translation will bring the message of verse 7 much closer to that of verse 8. Nevertheless the majority of scholars prefer to understand the image of the dew in verse 7 in its more common meaning as something refreshing and helpful. This means that verses 7 and 8 describe different aspects of the people of Israel in their exile.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .