chariot

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

In Eastern Highland Otomi it’s translated as “cart pulled by horses” (source: Larson 1998, p. 98) and in Chichicapan Zapotec as “ox cart” (in Acts 8). Ox carts are common vehicles for travel. (Source: Loren Bliese)

In Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.) and in the Hausa Common Language Ajami Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

It is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

See also cart.

untranslatable verses

The Swedish Bibel 2000 declared the 69 Old Testament verses referenced herein as “untranslatable.” Typically, other Bible translations translate those verses and mention in footnotes that the translation is uncertain or give alternate readings. Christer Åsberg, the Translation Secretary with the Swedish Bible Society at that time, explains why the Swedish Bible Society decided to not translate these verses at all (in The Bible Translator 2007, p. 1ff.):

“In the new Swedish translation (SB) of 2000, [some verses are] not translated at all; [they are] indicated with three hyphens inside square brackets [- - -] [with a] reference to the appendix, where in the article ‘Text’ one will find a paragraph with roughly the following content:

In some cases the text is unintelligible and the variant readings differing to such an extent, that it is quite impossible to attain a reasonable certainty of what is meant, although some isolated word may occur, whose meaning it is possible to understand.

“If Bible translators find the Hebrew text untranslatable, what kind of text is it that they have produced in the translation into their own language? When a footnote says ‘The Hebrew is not understandable,’ what then is the printed text a translation of? And if the translators prefer to do without footnotes, are they then really released from the responsibility of informing their readers that the text they read is just mere guesswork?

“To leave a blank space in a Bible text seems to be an offensive act for many. (. . . ) To admit that a piece of Holy Scripture makes no sense at all may have been unimaginable in times past. In our enlightened era, an overprotective concern for the readers’ trust in the word of God is apparently a decisive factor when a translator tries to translate against all odds. The verdict ‘untranslatable’ is much more frequent in scholarly commentaries on different Bible books written by and for experts than in the translations or footnotes of the same books designed for common readers.

“Another reason (. . .) is a professional, and very human, reluctance to admit a failure. Also, many Bible translators lack translational experience of other literary genres and other classical texts where this kind of capitulation is a part of the daily run of things. They may have an innate or subconscious feeling that the Bible has unique qualities not only as a religious document but also as a linguistic and literary artifact. Completeness is felt to be proof of perfection. Some translators, and not so few of their clients, are unfamiliar with a scholarly approach to philological and exegetical matters. In some cases their background have made them immune to a kind of interpretative approximation common in older translations, confessional commentaries, and sermons. Therefore, their tolerance towards lexical, grammatical, and syntactical anomalies tends to be comparatively great.

“It is very hard to discern and to define the boundary between something that is extremely difficult and something that is quite impossible. I am convinced that all Bible translators in their heart of hearts will admit that there actually are some definitely untranslatable passages in the Bible, but are there a dozen of them or a score? Are there fifty or a hundred? Not even a group of recognized experts would probably pick out the same ten most obvious cases. (. . .)

“Conclusions:

  1. There are untranslatable passages in the Bible.
  2. How many they are is impossible to say—except for the translation team that decides which passages are untranslatable.
  3. An untranslatable passage cannot and should therefore not be translated.
  4. The lacuna should be marked in a consistent way.
  5. The translating team should stipulate their criteria for untranslatability as early as possible.
  6. It is an ethical imperative that the readers be comprehensively informed.
  7. Untranslatability has been and can be displayed in many different ways.
  8. An explanatory note should not confuse linguistic untranslatability with other kinds of textual or translational difficulties.
  9. The information given should make it clear that the translators’ recognition of untranslatability is a token of respect for the Bible, not a proof of depreciation.
  10. You shall not fear the void, but the fear of the void.”

With thanks to Mikael Winninge, Director of Translation, Swedish Bible Society

Translation commentary on Song of Songs 6:12

Many regard this verse, and especially its final words, as the most difficult passage in Song of Songs. As Revised Standard Version points out, “the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.” A similar footnote will need to be provided by the translator, to alert the reader to the fact that we really do not know for certain what the Hebrew text here means. Even if we go back to the earliest translations such as the Septuagint, we get little help, for the problem with this text predates them also. In view of the many aspects of this problem, and the fact that there is probably no solution, there may be little point in discussing it in great detail. A wide variety of changes to the text have been suggested, but they are often subjective and problematic. However, since we want to offer a possible translation, we shall have to consider some of the important issues.

The major task is to make sense of a very difficult text that says literally “not I-knew my-flesh she [or, you (feminine); or, it]-set-me chariots of my people my princes.”

The first problem is the number of strange grammatical forms. The word “flesh” can be interpreted either as the subject of the verb “set” or as the object of the verb “know” or “realized.” The verb “set” has an ambiguous subject marker, giving three possible interpretations: “you [feminine; or, she; or, it] set me.” Another problem is the way single words are placed together without prepositions or other connectors to show how they relate to one another. Finally the actual meaning of some of the words, especially those in the last phrase, is far from certain.

Before I was aware reflects the first two words, “I did not know.” This means “my flesh” is viewed as the subject of the verb “set” rather than the object of “know.” Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible translate similarly: “Before I knew [or, realized it] ….” However, a Hebrew idiom, “I did not know my flesh,” means that a person has lost his or her composure and does not know what to do. This means “flesh” can be the object of the verb “know.” The word “flesh” in Hebrew can be used as a reflexive and so here can mean “myself.” Fox and Revised English Bible thus suggest “I did not know [or, recognize] myself.”

Already in verse 5 we saw how distracted the young man felt when the woman looked at him. Bible en français courant conveys this bewilderment as “I don’t understand anything any more!” However, given the context of verse 11, with its hidden reference to lovemaking, it is more likely that he is rather “beside himself with joy.” Good News Translation “I am trembling” comes close, though a more open reference to joy would improve this translation.

Since Revised Standard Version has taken “flesh” to be the subject of the following verb, it translates the next set of words as my fancy set me. Many versions follow such an interpretation: “My desire set me” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible), “My desire had hurled me” (Jerusalem Bible). However, if we take “flesh” to be part of the previous phrase (“I am beside myself”), then the verb phrase is more independent. It can be translated either as “you…” or “she set me.” The “you” form here is a feminine singular, so whichever pronoun we adopt, the young woman appears to be the subject of this verb.

In a chariot beside my prince: this phrase is very difficult to understand. As noted above there are no connecting prepositions. We have literally “[? of] chariots of my people noble-one.” Various renderings have been proposed:

• NIV: among the royal chariots of my people

• JB: on the chariots of my people, as their prince

• Fox: in a chariot with a nobleman

• REB: she made me a prince chosen from myriads of my people

Some have interpreted the final words of Hebrew as a proper noun. Thus New Jerusalem Bible renders “mid the chariots of Amni-nadib.” For even more discussion on various proposals and suggested textual changes, Pope’s extensive commentary can be consulted.

One other suggestion as to how best to connect this phrase with the beginning of the verse is to insert the preposition “like [or, as if].” In this case the second part of the verse explains the first part: “I was beside myself [with joy], as if riding in a chariot with a noble one.”

The translator must try to make good sense of this seemingly meaningless chain of words. However, regardless of what we do by way of translation, it is essential to include a footnote in order to explain that the meaning of the entire line is uncertain. Alternatively we can follow New International Version and provide several different renderings in a footnote.

Good News Translation “You have made me as eager for love as a chariot driver is for battle” certainly fits the context but seems to be reading too much into the text. It is therefore not a good model to follow. For translation, then, two possibilities are:

• I was overcome with joy,
Like someone riding in a chariot with a noble person!*

• I was trembling with excitement—
as if riding in a royal chariot!*
Footnote: * Hebrew uncertain

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Song of Songs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1998. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .