How shall we translate prepositions? Here are examples of several ways in which prepositions just creep in. Some as longer words, some short, some attached, and some just implied. I am commenting on this post from Daniel and Tonya.
| וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל הַשָּׂטָן הֲשַׂמְתָּ לִבְּךָ אֶל עַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב כִּי אֵין כָּמֹהוּ בָּאָרֶץ אִישׁ תָּם וְיָשָׁר יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים וְסָר מֵרָע וְעֹדֶנּוּ מַחֲזִיק בְּתֻמָּתוֹ וַתְּסִיתֵנִי בוֹ לְבַלְּעוֹ חִנָּם | 2.3 | and יְהוָה said to the accuser have you set out in your heart concerning my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth a man complete and upright fearing God and turning away from evil and still for him he prevails in his completeness though you incited me against him to swallow him for nothing |
| ד כִּי חִצֵּי שַׁדַּי עִמָּדִי אֲשֶׁר חֲמָתָם שֹׁתָה רוּחִי בִּעוּתֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעַרְכוּנִי | 6.4 | for the arrows of the Sufficient are against me where their poison drinks my spirit the terrors of God have disordered me |
| ד אִם-בָּנֶיךָ חָטְאוּ-לוֹ וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם בְּיַד-פִּשְׁעָם | 8.4 | If your children sinned against him then he sent them away by the hand of their transgressions. |
| ד חֲכַם לֵבָב וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ מִי-הִקְשָׁה אֵלָיו וַיִּשְׁלָם | 9.4 | wise of heart or courageous of strength who hardens against him and remains whole? |
| יז תְּחַדֵּשׁ עֵדֶיךָ נֶגְדִּי וְתֶרֶב כַּעַשְׂךָ עִמָּדִי חֲלִיפוֹת וְצָבָא עִמִּי | 10.17 | you renew your witnesses before me and increase your indignation against me changes and a host are upon me |
| ה וְאוּלָם מִי יִתֵּן אֱלוֹהַּ דַּבֵּר וְיִפְתַּח שְׂפָתָיו עִמָּךְ | 11.5 | but let it be given that God will speak and open his lips against you |
| יט מִי-הוּא יָרִיב עִמָּדִי כִּי-עַתָּה אַחֲרִישׁ וְאֶגְוָע | 13.19 | Who is this who will contend against me! For I will be silent - I will expire |
| כ אַךְ-שְׁתַּיִם אַל-תַּעַשׂ עִמָּדִי אָז מִפָּנֶיךָ לֹא אֶסָּתֵר | 13.20 | But two things do not do against me then from your faces I will not cover myself |
| כו כִּי-תִכְתֹּב עָלַי מְרֹרוֹת וְתוֹרִישֵׁנִי עֲוֹנוֹת נְעוּרָי | 13.26 | for you write against me bitter things and you cast in me the iniquities of my youth |
| יג כִּי-תָשִׁיב אֶל-אֵל רוּחֶךָ וְהֹצֵאתָ מִפִּיךָ מִלִּין | 15.13 | that you turn against God your wind and let forth from your mouth such speeches? |
| כד יְבַעֲתֻהוּ צַר וּמְצוּקָה תִּתְקְפֵהוּ כְּמֶלֶךְ עָתִיד לַכִּידוֹר | 15.24 | Trouble and anguish terrify him They will prevail against him even as a king-hero ready for battle |
| כה כִּי-נָטָה אֶל-אֵל יָדוֹ וְאֶל-שַׁדַּי יִתְגַּבָּר | 15.25 | For he spread out his hands against God and against the Sufficient made himself great |
| י פָּעֲרוּ עָלַי בְּפִיהֶם בְּחֶרְפָּה הִכּוּ לְחָיָי יַחַד עָלַי יִתְמַלָּאוּן | 16.10 | They gape on me! with their mouths with reproach they strike my cheek as one against me they are filled |
| ט יֹאחֵז בְּעָקֵב פָּח יַחֲזֵק עָלָיו צַמִּים | 18.9 | a trap will grasp by the heel famine will prevail against him |
| ה אִם-אָמְנָם עָלַי תַּגְדִּילוּ וְתוֹכִיחוּ עָלַי חֶרְפָּתִי | 19.5 | If truly against me you gloat and determine against me my reproach |
| ו דְּעוּ-אֵפוֹ כִּי-אֱלוֹהַּ עִוְּתָנִי וּמְצוּדוֹ עָלַי הִקִּיף | 19.6 | Know this indeed - that God bends me and in his stronghold against me strikes |
| יא וַיַּחַר עָלַי אַפּוֹ וַיַּחְשְׁבֵנִי לוֹ כְצָרָיו | 19.11 | And he burns against me his wrath and counts me as his troubler |
| יב יַחַד יָבֹאוּ גְדוּדָיו וַיָּסֹלּוּ עָלַי דַּרְכָּם וַיַּחֲנוּ סָבִיב לְאָהֳלִי | 19.12 | As one come his troops and raise against me their way and camp on every side of my tent |
| יח גַּם-עֲוִילִים מָאֲסוּ בִי אָקוּמָה וַיְדַבְּרוּ-בִי | 19.18 | Even the unweaned reject me I rise and they speak against me |
| כז יְגַלּוּ שָׁמַיִם עֲוֹנוֹ וְאֶרֶץ מִתְקוֹמָמָה לוֹ | 20.27 | heaven will reveal his iniquity and earth rise up against him |
| כז הֵן יָדַעְתִּי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם וּמְזִמּוֹת עָלַי תַּחְמֹסוּ | 21.27 | lo I know your machinations and thoughts against me that do violence |
| ו הַבְּרָב-כֹּחַ יָרִיב עִמָּדִי לֹא אַךְ-הוּא יָשִׂם בִּי | 23.6 | will he in great strength contend against me no - but he himself would set me out |
| י כִּי-יָדַע דֶּרֶךְ עִמָּדִי בְּחָנַנִי כַּזָּהָב אֵצֵא | 23.10 | for he knows a way against me he has scrutinized me as gold I will come out |
| יג הֵמָּה הָיוּ בְּמֹרְדֵי-אוֹר לֹא-הִכִּירוּ דְרָכָיו וְלֹא יָשְׁבוּ בִּנְתִיבֹתָיו | 24.13 | they - they are those who rebel against light they do not recognize his ways and they do not sit in his tracks |
| ז יְהִי כְרָשָׁע אֹיְבִי וּמִתְקוֹמְמִי כְעַוָּל | 27.7 | let it be that my enemy is as the wicked and one rising against me as unjust |
| ו בִּרְחֹץ הֲלִיכַי בְּחֵמָה וְצוּר יָצוּק עִמָּדִי פַּלְגֵי-שָׁמֶן | 29.6 | in the washing of my walk with clotted cream and the rock pouring against me rivers of oil |
| כ כְּבוֹדִי חָדָשׁ עִמָּדִי וְקַשְׁתִּי בְּיָדִי תַחֲלִיף | 29.20 | my glory fresh against me and my bow in my hand passed through |
| יג אִם-אֶמְאַס מִשְׁפַּט עַבְדִּי וַאֲמָתִי בְּרִבָם עִמָּדִי | 31.13 | if I refuse the judgment of my servant or my maid in their contention against me |
| כא אִם-הֲנִיפוֹתִי עַל-יָתוֹם יָדִי כִּי-אֶרְאֶה בַשַּׁעַר עֶזְרָתִי | 31.21 | if I have brandished my hand against the orphan when I saw in the gate my help |
| לח אִם-עָלַי אַדְמָתִי תִזְעָק וְיַחַד תְּלָמֶיהָ יִבְכָּיוּן | 31.38 | if against me my ground would call for help and as one her furrows weeping |
2 comments:
You comment at the other blog, asking: "Is it careless? (tiring!) or just that precision is not so careful as we might think it ought to be."
Thanks for being transparent in your translating processes--and against the interlated texts. You have definite patterns (and non-patterns) in your renderings. I love your decision to highlight your agency and not to hide behind some ideal notion of translator invisibility.
Invisibility! Passion should never be invisible. But there are dangers here - this I know. I hardly dare render some things though I might sense them only vaguely in the ancient tongue.
I am intrigued with Job 31 - particularly those places where everyone translates - 'well obviously this is deliberate sin for the judges' and yet the text does not ever seem to imply to me that Job would be so obvious in his judgment to condemnation.
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