NJV. Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh, for he has delivered the soul of one in need from the clutches of the evil doers.
Garrwa: Birijbakiyi Bubulijbañi, jadiyadimbakiyi Bubulijba! Jarimba ñuli yunkurr buwakanjañañi, maniyurri dalyawijbawarr.
sing to Yahweh = birijbakiyi Bubulijbañi
birijbakiyi = sing!
Bubulijbañi = to Yahweh
birijbakiyi has two components:
1. birijba = sing.
2. –kiyi = the Imperative Suffix.
-kiyi appears in the next section, where it is attached to jadiyadimba.
praise Yahweh = jadiyadimbakiyi Bubulijba
jadiyadimbakiyi = make (Him) strong!
Bubulijba = Yahweh
Another translation for jadiyadimba is magnify. I mean this in the sense of making His presence greater in your lives, and the lives of those around you.
he has delivered the soul of the one in need = jarimba ñuli yunkurr buwakanjañañi
jarimba = take away
ñuli = he has done
yunkurr = breath
buwakanjañañi = of the Father’s son
In the previous section, I use yunkurr (breath) as a substitute for motive. Here, I use it as a substitute for soul.
The original Hebrew is neh’fesh (נפש), which means: soul, living being, life, self, desire, passion, etc…
What about buwakanjañañi?
“one in need” comes from the Hebrew awbaw’, which means be willing or consent. I chose a different route.
Three components build buwakanjañañi:
1. buwakanja = Father
2. –ña = Dyadic Kin Suffix.
3. –ñi = of the.
What is a Dyadic Kin Suffix?
This feature is a staple across the Abo languages. Basically, each and every Kin relationship is reciprocal, e.g. every grandparent has a grandchild, and vice versa.
You attach –ña to the elder one in a pair, and it indicates the younger one in that pair.
Other examples include:
kukuli = mother’s mother
kukuliña = (woman’s) daughter’s child.
ŋawuji = father’s mother
ŋawujiña = son’s child.
The Garrwa system of Reciprocal Kin Relationships is a complex one.
To summarise, buwakanjaña means child of the Father.
In addition, Garrwa has several words for father, of which the most common is wulukanja, with buwakanja being quite rare.
Furthermore, buwakanjaña means child of the Father, with “Father” having that upper-case F.
You should never confuse my made-up word with kajakaja, which means child of a man (or lower-case f father).
from the clutches of evil doers = maniyurri dalyawijbawarr
maniyurri = from the hand
dalyawijbawarr = of those who break things into pieces
“evildoers” comes from the Hebrew rawah’ (רעע), which means, among other things, to break into pieces.
The Garrwa dalyawijba means to break into pieces.
KJV. Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
Garrwa: Birijbakiyi Bubulijbañi, jadiyadimbakiyi Bubulijba! Jarimba ñuli yunkurr buwakanjañañi, maniyurri dalyawijbawarr.
