demon

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated/transliterated in English as “demon” is translated in Central Mazahua as “the evil spirit(s) of the devil” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation July, 1967, p. 5ff.).

In Sissala it is translated with kaŋtɔŋ, which traditionally referred to “either a spirit of natural phenomena such as trees, rivers, stones, etc., or the spirit of a deceased person that has not been taken into the realm of the dead. Kaŋtɔŋ can be good or evil. Evil kaŋtɔŋ can bring much harm to people and are feared accordingly. A kaŋtɔŋ can also dwell in a person living on this earth. A person possessed by kaŋtɔŋ does not behave normally.” (Source: Regina Blass in Holzhausen 1991, p. 48f.)

In Umiray Dumaget Agta it is translated as hayup or “creature, animal, general term for any non-human creature, whether natural or supernatural.” Thomas Headland (in: Notes on Translation, September 1971, p. 17ff.) explains some more: “There are several types of supernatural creatures, or spirit beings which are designated by the generic term hayup. Just as we have several terms in English for various spirit beings (elves, fairies, goblins, demons, imps, pixies) so have the Dumagats. And just as you will find vast disagreement and vagueness among English informants as to the differences between pixies and imps, etc., so you will find that no two Dumagats will agree as to the form and function of their different spirit beings.” This term can also be used in a verb form: hayupen: “creatured” or “to be killed, made sick, or crazy by a spirit.

In Yala it is translated as yapri̍ija ɔdwɔ̄bi̍ or “bad Yaprija.” Yaprijas are traditional spirits that have a range presumed activities including giving or withholding gifts, giving and protecting children, causing death and disease and rewarding good behavior. (Source: Eugene Bunkowske in Notes on Translation 78/1980, p. 36ff.)

In Lamnso’ it is translated as aànyùyi jívirì: “lesser gods who disturb, bother, pester, or confuse a person.” (Source: Fanwong 2013, p. 93)

In Paasaal it is translated as gyɩŋbɔmɔ, “beings that are in the wild and can only be seen when they choose to reveal themselves to certain people. They can ‘capture’ humans and keep them in hiding while they train the person in herbalism and divination. After the training period, which can range from a week to many years, the ‘captured’ individual is released to go back into society as a healer and a diviner. The gyɩŋbɔmɔ can also be evil, striking humans with mental diseases and causing individuals to get lost in the wild. The Pasaale worldview about demons is like that of others of the language groups in the area, including the Northern Dagara [who use kɔ̃tɔmɛ with a similar meaning].” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)

See also devil and formal pronoun: demons or Satan addressing Jesus.

Translation commentary on Psalm 106:37 - 106:39

In verse 37b the word translated “idols” by Good News Translation is found only here and in Deuteronomy 32.17; it is taken by most to mean demons (so the Septuagint). The reference is still to the pagan deities, whom the psalmist calls demons (as in Deut 32.17). Bible en français courant “false gods” is better than “idols”; New English Bible “foreign demons” is not very satisfactory. Briggs defines the word as meaning the ancient gods of the Canaanites.

Verse 38 is long and wordy in Hebrew (see Revised Standard Version); Good News Translation has expressed the meaning more concisely. Because the Israelites had offered their innocent children as sacrifices, both the land (verse 38b) and they themselves (verse 39a) were made polluted and unclean, that is, unfit to worship Yahweh, to have fellowship with him.

If a translator wishes to reproduce the rather repetitious character of the Hebrew text in verses 37-38, the following may serve as a model:

• 37 They offered their own sons and daughters
as sacrifices to those false gods.
38 They killed those innocent children–
their own sons and daughters–
and offered them as sacrifices
to the idols of the Canaanites;
these killings made the land impure.

Idolatry is compared here, as often elsewhere in the Old Testament, to marital infidelity; Israel was Yahweh’s “wife,” and when she worshiped foreign gods she was being unfaithful to him. Revised Standard Version‘s quaint played the harlot is from King James Version; see New Jerusalem Bible‘s more vigorous “their behavior was that of a harlot.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .