skip

The Hebrew that is translated “skip” or similar in English is emphasized in Gbaya with the ideophone zaŋgule which can be added to the word for “jump” to express a “leap” or “skip.”

Philip Noss (in The Bible Translator 1976, p. 100ff. ) explains: “A descriptive device common to Gbaya oral literature that is often found in translations of the Psalms is the ideophone. The ideophone may be identified with onomatopoeia and other sound words frequently seen in French and English comic strips, but in Gbaya and other African languages it comprises a class of words with a very wide range of meaning and usage. They may function verbally, substantively, or in a modifying role similar to adverbs and adjectives. They describe anything that may be experienced: action, sound, color, quality, smell, or emotion. In oral literature they are used not only with great frequency but also with great creativity.

Conforming to Gbaya literary style, the team used ideophones in its translation of the Psalms, although an average of less than two per psalm is a considerably lower rate of occurrence than in Gbaya narrative. There were two reasons for this limited usage. The first was that the Psalms are poetry rather than action narrative where their occurrence would be more common. The second was that in a tale being performed for artistic reasons, the ideophone may predominate over the action, whereas in the psalm the ideophone must complement without dominating or overshadowing the message. However, since the ideophone is an integral part of Gbaya literary expression, it could not be omitted. To do so would have rendered the translation colorless and unliterary.”

wild ox (unicorn)

The Hebrew that is translated in most English versions as “wild ox” was translated by the Ancient Greek Septuagint translation as μονόκερως (monókeros) or “unicorn.”

Bibles in the Protestant tradition also used an equivalent of that translation up into the early 20th century. This includes translations like the English King James Version/Authorised Version (unicorn), the German translation by Luther (up to and including the revision of 1912) (Einhorn), or the Swedish Charles XII Bible of 1686 (enhörningen).

Since translations of the Orthodox traditions tend to follow the Septuagint (see above), they also use an equivalent of “unicorn,” such as the Russian Synod translation with единорог (yedinorog).

Translations in the Catholic tradition tended to use an equivalent of “rhinoceros,” going back to the Latin Vulgate’s rinoceros. Modern Catholic translations that follow the Hebrew text now also use “wild ox” or an equivalent.

The influential Literary / Classical Chinese Delegates Version (publ. 1854) used sì (兕), a mythological Chinese creature that also only had one horn (see here ).

Translation commentary on Psalm 29:5 - 29:6

The furious storm, still described as The voice of the LORD, breaks down even the cedars of Lebanon, trees that were famous for their massive size and strength. In languages where large cedars, particularly those that grow in Lebanon, are unknown, an illustration may be required. The voice … breaks the cedars may sometimes be rendered “when the LORD speaks he breaks the strongest trees, he even breaks the strong trees of Lebanon.” Alternatively, if there is a tree well known for its size and strength, a term for such a tree may be substituted.

In verse 6 the Hebrew Lebanon is not the country but “the mountains of Lebanon”; and Sirion is the Phoenician name for Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in Syria (9,150 feet, or 2,789 meters), some 42 miles (67 kilometers) northeast of Lake Galilee. Since many readers are acquainted with Lebanon as a country, it may be advisable to indicate in the text “mountains of Lebanon.”

In poetic language the psalmist describes how the mountains shake in the storm; some suggest that the storm is accompanied by an earthquake, but poetic license must be allowed for. In languages where the calf and ox are unknown, other domestic animals may be substituted.

The picture of a range of mountains jumping may be beyond even the poetic expression of some people. In some cases it may be necessary to say “he shakes the mountains called Lebanon and they jump like a calf jumps” or “when the LORD causes an earthquake, the mountains of Lebanon go up and down like a jumping animal.”

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 .