There are many difficulties in an attempt at concordant translation. The first is choosing a word whose meaning stretches to metaphor - this is because it is 'obvious' that words play this role in the source language. So they must also in some parallel respect play similarly in the target language. The second is finding a sufficient number of possible glosses when the source language has synonyms and the target language does not. Inventing new words may be a requirement.
These thoughts arise over my current usage of 'shine', etc in English and the many words in Hebrew used in Job that can be glossed as shine. Two synonyms occur to me - enlighten for one possible word and flash - not so sure of this one since I already used it for two other words as this table will show. Flash leads to a possible flame but I have used enflame in parallel to flash already.
Interestingly enough - the AV translators frequently did not attempt concordance and the translation suffers as a result. The clear link, for instance, from boil in Job 2:7 to the framed botch in Deuteronomy 28:27, 35 is thus lost for English readers. Equally the playful Leviathan with his eyes shining as the eyelids of dawn is lost for English between Job 3 and 41. So although complete concord is impossible between the two languages, it is very desirable to capture the frames, threads, metaphors, and overall sonic or sequential concord where possible.
ד הַיּוֹם הַהוּא יְהִי-חֹשֶׁךְ אַל-יִדְרְשֵׁהוּ אֱלוֹהַּ מִמַּעַל וְאַל-תּוֹפַע עָלָיו נְהָרָה | 3.04 | That day - let it be darkness let God not seek for it from above nor let a sunbeam on it shine | |||
The next is a hapax - I did not choose 'does not rise' since I 'felt' I had already overused that sound... | |||||
ז הָאֹמֵר לַחֶרֶס וְלֹא יִזְרָח וּבְעַד כּוֹכָבִים יַחְתֹּם | 9.07 | He speaks to the sun and it stops shining and of stars - he seals them | |||
ג הֲטוֹב לְךָ כִּי תַעֲשֹׁק כִּי-תִמְאַס יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ וְעַל-עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים הוֹפָעְתָּ | 10.03 | Is it good to you that you oppress that you refuse the labour of your open palms and shine on the counsel of the wicked? | |||
כב אֶרֶץ עֵפָתָה כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל צַלְמָוֶת וְלֹא סְדָרִים וַתֹּפַע כְּמוֹ-אֹפֶל | 10.22 | a land of faintness and like the gloom of obscurity without order and the shining is like gloom | |||
| I must do something about this one - If shine, then he makes them 'shiners' if flash then flashers - but it could be more subtle! But equally one does not want to lose the sound of plunder and dunder ! | ||||
ל לֹא-יָסוּר מִנִּי-חֹשֶׁךְ יֹנַקְתּוֹ תְּיַבֵּשׁ שַׁלְהָבֶת וְיָסוּר בְּרוּחַ פִּיו | 15.30 | He will not turn away from darkness flame [hapax] will dry his branches and he will turn away by the breath of his mouth | |||
ה גַּם אוֹר רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ וְלֹא-יִגַּהּ שְׁבִיב אִשּׁוֹ | 18.05 | Even the light of the wicked will be extinguished and the spark of his fire will not shine | |||
כה שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתוֹ יַהֲלֹךְ עָלָיו אֵמִים | 20.25 | it is drawn and comes out from the back as the flash from his bitterness goes out on him are horrors | |||
כח וְתִגְזַר-אֹמֶר וְיָקָם לָךְ וְעַל-דְּרָכֶיךָ נָגַהּ אוֹר | 22.28 | then you will decree a word and it will arise for you and on your ways light will shine | |||
ג בְּהִלּוֹ נֵרוֹ עֲלֵי רֹאשִׁי לְאוֹרוֹ אֵלֶךְ חֹשֶׁךְ | 29.03 | in his shining - his candle over my head in his light I walked darkness | |||
כו אִם-אֶרְאֶה אוֹר כִּי יָהֵל וְיָרֵחַ יָקָר הֹלֵךְ | 31.26 | if I see light shining of the precious moon walking | |||
ל לְהָשִׁיב נַפְשׁוֹ מִנִּי-שָׁחַת לֵאוֹר בְּאוֹר הַחַיִּים | 33.30 | to return his being from the pit to be enlightened in the light of the living | |||
טו הֲתֵדַע בְּשׂוּם-אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶם וְהֹפִיעַ אוֹר עֲנָנוֹ | 37.15 | do you know God's setting of them and the light of his mist he made shine? | |||
לה הַתְשַׁלַּח בְּרָקִים וְיֵלֵכוּ וְיֹאמְרוּ לְךָ הִנֵּנוּ | 38.35 | can you send out flashes and they go? and say to you - behold us! | |||
כג עָלָיו תִּרְנֶה אַשְׁפָּה לַהַב חֲנִית וְכִידוֹן | 39.23 | against him rattles a quiver flash of shaft and spear | |||
י עֲטִישֹׁתָיו תָּהֶל אוֹר וְעֵינָיו כְּעַפְעַפֵּי-שָׁחַר | 41.18 | his sneezing shines a light and his eyes are like the eyelids of dawn | |||
יג נַפְשׁוֹ גֶּחָלִים תְּלַהֵט וְלַהַב מִפִּיו יֵצֵא | 41.21 | his being enflames [hapax] coals and a flash from his mouth goes forth | |||
כד אַחֲרָיו יָאִיר נָתִיב יַחְשֹׁב תְּהוֹם לְשֵׂיבָה | 41.32 | after him is an enlightened track he counts the depth gray-haired |
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