NJV. The waters round me rose to my neck, the deep was closing round me, seaweed twining round my head.
Iatmul. Wuna avlaakna tokuba gu kwadi’. Wunkak vaaguda bapmokwakaladi’, wuna naabu suwa sagidi.
the waters encircled me up to my soul = wuna avlaakna tokuba gu kwaadi’
wuna = my
avlaakna = soul’s
tokuba = in (the) above
gu = water
kwaadi’ = it lay
soul comes from the Hebrew neh’fesh (נפש) soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion, etc…
I do not know why the New Jerusalem replaces it with neck.
I created avlaak soul from two components:
1. avla = self
2. vaak = topic, matter.
Iatmul has two postpositions that mean above: sabi and toku.
These are interchangeable, and always take the Locative Suffix –ba.
The water is not above Jonah’s head, it is in his head’s above (space).
I chose toku because it is similar to another Postposition: tugu besides something deep.
the deep closed around me = wunkak vaaguda bapmokwakaladi’
wunkak = me
vaaguda = the deep
bapmokwakaladi’ = closed around
deep/depth comes from the Hebrew tehhome (תהום) deep (sea), abyss.
I built vaaguda from two components:
1. vaagu = bury
2. -da = thing.
The Suffix –da is Non-Agentive – or possible De-Agentive, i.e. it steals agency.
Furthermore, the /vaa/ in vaagu comes from va dig, and the gu is also the word for water.
You can’t swim out of the abyss, it is like trying to dig a hole in water.
bapmokwaaladi’ (he) closed around comes from bapmokwaala close a door, which has two components:
1. bapmau = canoe timber.
2. kwaala = assemble in a line.
What other thing do you make from timber?
A coffin.
the reeds bound my head = wuna naabu suwa sagidi
wuna = my
naabu = head
suwa = reed
sagidi = they tied
Ironically, the word suwa reed is only one letter distant from suwi loosen.
KJV. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
Iatmul. Wuna avlaakna tokuba gu kwadi’. Wunkak vaaguda bapmokwakaladi’, wuna naabu suwa sagidi.