Translating the Geography of Amos
One of the problems which makes some translations of the Bible difficult to understand is that direction of movement (words like “come,” “go,” “climb,” “descend,” etc.) is not translated naturally. Amos refers to many places, and makes frequent reference to movement to them or away from them, from one place to another. In this section we would like to give the translator a little help which may make it possible for him to translate such movement more meaningfully.
For many languages, the place in which the message is spoken or written is the viewpoint place. Amos certainly traveled extensively, and it is hard to know exactly where his prophetic activities took place. Probably he stayed in Samaria and Bethel for some time and delivered some of his messages there. But he may have also visited Gilgal and other places. However, the translator should imagine the messages as spoken in Bethel. The choice is somewhat arbitrary, but has some justification, and for many languages the translation will be clearer if a specific place is kept in mind.
In languages where the place of speaking or writing is the viewpoint place, the choice of words like “come” and “go,” and the use of expressions like “went up” and “went down,” should be based not on what the Hebrew or English has, but on the relationship to that viewpoint place. For the translation to be natural, the translator must always keep in mind how the different places are related to Bethel geographically.
But in some other languages the question of viewpoint place is more complicated. Some messages are spoken or written as though the viewpoint place was not the place of speaking, but the place which is important in the message. In that case, the viewpoint place in translation will shift from time to time, as in the first two chapters of Amos, for example. In some languages these two different kinds of viewpoint place may each be used at different times.
The different place names mentioned in Amos are in all directions from Bethel. Also, there are other features of the geography which are important for motion in some languages. The direction of flow in the Jordan River is southward, so north is upstream and south is downstream. For those languages where this is important, for example, Amaziah sent a message “up” to Jeroboam in 7.10.
The mountains are important for some languages where “up” and “down” is a matter of relative height on the mountain. In general, what is near the Jordan and the lakes is down, as is what is near the sea. Within the mountains it may be harder to know. Samaria is higher than Bethel so, again, for languages like this Amaziah’s message went “up” to Jeroboam.
In some languages the important distinction is between going toward or away from the water. If a translator were to use a map, it may be of help in translating meaningfully.
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