You can read my introduction to the language in the previous:
Sources for Ik:
Schrock, Terrill B.
- The Ik language: Dictionary and grammar sketch (Berlin: Language science Press 2017)
A grammar of Ik (Icé-tód) (Utrecht: University Press 2014
KJV. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Ik. Nda atsuo keŋana ntsie kijoo Goosokijoo nda Loŋazutwama, nda ilumosatie saboo na iŋoɗyaimeta, bolesuƙotata ɲaseconie amutsak.
And everyone from the land of Judaea and Jerusalem came to him = Nda atsuo keŋana ntsie kijoo Goozosamoo nda Loŋazutwama,
Nda = and [x3]
atsuo = came
keŋana = each one
ntsie = to him
kijoo = from the land
Goosokijoo = from Judaea
Loŋazutwama = from Jerusalem
“Judah” probably comes from the Hebrew yawdaw’ (ידה), which means throw or cast. (I say “probably” because Bible Hub does so.) In any case, I have used this as my jumping off point.
Goosokija has three components:
1. gooz = throw/cast/toss.
2. -es = was X–ed.
3. -kija = land.
Thus, Goosokija means something like the cast-down land or the land of the thrown-down ones.
Loŋazutwama is NOT a translation of the Hebrew Yerooshawlah’im (ירושלם). So what have I done instead?
Loŋazutwama has two components:
1. Loŋazutu
2. -ama
The Loŋazut is an Ik wedding ceremony where the two families plant a mixture of seeds together. This symbolises the combined fertility of both the married couple and the lands their families own.
More broadly, this shows the wedding between Christ and the Church (i.e. those parts of the Earth that obey the Lord).
Am I stretching?
If you remove the first syllable, you get *ŋazut.
*ŋazut is not an Ik word, but the very similar ŋazul, which means coagulated blood (also called grume).
The Suffix –ama changes depending on context.
In this context, we will use all three meanings at once.
1. Food
If an Ik marriage is fruitful, everything they plant in the Loŋazut will fruit and flower, and there will be a lot to eat.
From Deuteronomy 8:3 (BSB)
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
(During his 40 days in the desert, Jesus cites this to rebuke Satan.)
2. Small
Jerusalem, the scene of the Crucifixion and Resurrection, is only the start of the New Creation that Jesus came down to initiate (both begin and test).
From Mark 16:15-16
[Jesus] said to them, “Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
3. Person
In Mark 1:3, I translate the Greek “Kyrios” as Amazeama (lit. person over person).
It is God who decides if the harvest is successful or not.
and as they were being baptised in the river Jordan = nda ilumosatie saboo na iŋoɗyaimeta,
ilumosatie = as they were being baptised
saboo = in the river
na = that
iŋoɗyaimeta = descends into chaos
The name “Jordan” comes from yawrad’ (ירד), which means go down or descend.
This world is the chaos into which the world descends.
Ik has two words that look similar but have different meanings:
1. sàba = river
2. sába = organ fat.
Man lives on every word that comes from the mouth of God. When you are baptised, He feeds you.
they confessed their sins = bolesuƙotata ɲaseconie amutsak
bolesuƙotata = they confessed
ɲaseconie = of their sin
amutsak = debt/obligation
bolesuƙot means give up or relinquish.
When you confess your sins, you no longer hold the debt that you had incurred. (Of course, He knows whether you mean it.)
KJV. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
Ik. Ŋabuo Birekesa ɲakaasa ɲakaalee nda ɲamisipa ɦyojejek, ƙidzuo girwaa nda gafariyoo ɗaɗahwaa rowao
John wore a garment of camel-skin and a belt of leather = Ŋabuo Birekesa ɲakaasa ɲakaalee nda ɲamisipa ɦyojejek
Ŋabuo = wore
Birekesa = John
ɲakaasa = robe
ɲakaalee = of camel(-hair)
nda = and [x2]
ɲamisipa = belt
ɦyojejek = of leather
ɲakaasa ɲakaalee = camel(-hair) robe
I was originally going to use ŋisil, which means fiber/silk/nerve.
However, I chose to use ɲakaaso.
Why did I make this choice?
The Alliteration: ɲakaa(-sa) and ɲakaa(-lee).
and he lived on locusts and wild honey = ƙidzuo girwaa nda gafariyoo ɗaɗahwaa rowao
ƙidzuo = he ate
girwaa = locusts
gafariyoo = he ate
ɗaɗahwaa = honey-comb
rowao = from the field
Ik has several words for eat. This verse includes but two thereof:
ƙidzes means bite or chomp.
Schrock’s dictionary includes the phrase ƙidzesa daŋa eat whole termites alive.
gafaries means jab repeatedly and scoop up and eat with the fingers.
It is for this reason that I replaced ɗaɗ honey with ɗaɗaho (lit. honey-house) to conjure up the image of John poking his fingers into the beehive and getting stung.
(Granted, he probably used a stick – he was still covered in bee-stings, old and new.)
The “wild” in “wild honey” comes from the Greek ag’reeos (άγριος), which means wild/fierce, and comes from agros (αγρός), which means field, and is the root of the word agriculture.
John did not live in the pod, but he most certainly ate the bugs, and it was he who baptised Jesus in the river Jordan. Why is this important?
Leviticus 11:20-23 (ESV)
“All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.”
The book of Leviticus deals exclusively with the Law which Jesus came to fulfil, and it is to the topic of sacrifice that I wish to draw your gaze.
There is another word for belt that I considered using. This word is:
ŋamolol = leather strips worn by a killer from the animal s/he slays in order to atone for taking the life of another human being.
John’s baptism of his cousin Jesus is one of the actions which will seal his ultimate fate – his death upon the cross. Also, the word heightens the wild and raggedy appearance of John.
Alliteration aside, this word is a bit too bold even for my standards, but I wanted to include it nevertheless.
KJV. And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
Ik. Siranuo, todetuo taa: “Atsa ntsi seamucee ɲcie na ŋixona ɲcu – nta ŋabonuƙota dugumetonie nda hoɗesie ƙiwee ŋaɗetaiyee Ntsi.
as he was preaching, he said = Siranuo, todetuo taa
siranuo = he heralded
todetuo = he said
taa = [Quote]
He who comes after me is mightier than I = atsa ntsi seamucee ɲcie na ŋixona ɲcu –
atsa = comes
ntsi = he
seamucee = in the path
ɲcie = my
na = that one
ŋixona = is strong
ɲcuo = from me
ŋixona ntsi ɲcu = he is stronger than me (lit. is-strong he from-me)
Most languages do not have a dedicated Comparative, akin to the English –er.
Indeed, a direct equivalent to the word “than” is a feature almost exclusive to Europe.
The Ik strategy of saying is strong from me is far more universal, though by no means the majority strategy.
seamuce has two components:
1. sea = blood
2. muce = path
By itself, seamuce means vein or blood vessel.
Why have I taken this poetic liberty?
John will be killed by pro-Herod loyalists before the Crucifixion of Jesus.
Jesus’ victory over death will require the spilling of his own blood.
Much blood will be spilt during the building of the Kingdom of God, and much blood continues to be spilt even today.
and I am unworthy to bend over = nta ŋabonuƙota dugumetonie
nta = not
ŋabonuƙotia = I am worthy
dugumetonie = to bend over
ŋabonuƙot means be complete/finished and be enough/plenty/sufficient.
If we remove the final –uƙot (away/complete), we get ŋabon.
This is close to the word ŋabobo, which means dance-ground.
The Ik word for bastard is ŋaboboim (lit. dance-ground child).
John knows his place – he never claims to be the Son of God.
He is no bastard – or false – Messiah.
and untie the straps of his sandals = nda hoɗesie ƙiwee ŋaɗetaiyee Ntsi.
nda = and
hoɗesie = loosen
ƙiwee = straps
ŋaɗetaiyee = of the sandal
Ntsi = His
KJV. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
Ik. Ilumia bee bitia cwo, iluma bitia taa Suguro na Da.”
I baptised you with water = ilumia bee bitia cwo
ilumia = I baptise
bee = did (last time)
bitia = you
cwo = with water
Ik contains a feature which I had never seen before I studied this language.
This feature is the idea of Removed Tense.
In this verse, we have two markers, these being:
bee = Removed Past (aka. last time)
taa = Removed Future (aka. next time)
Outside of context, these become yesterday and tomorrow respectively.
In this context, they refer to the two separate baptisms.
Also, I would like to draw your eye to these two mini sentences:
ilumia bee bitia = I baptised you
iluma bitia taa = He will baptise you
Take away the first word from each of the above. You get:
bee bitia
bitia taa
The former follows typical word order, whilst the latter comes from my poetic license.
but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit = iluma bitia taa Suguro na Da.
iluma = He baptises
taa = will do (next time)
bitia = you
Suguro = with the Spirit
na = that
Da = is Glorious
The original Greek word for “ghost/spirit” is pneuma (πνευμα), which means wind-breath-spirit.
Similarly, the Ik word sugur means air/breeze/wind as well as spirit.
Other meanings include:
1. fever/flu/malaria
2. cellular network
3. a sickness and the shrub whose roots provide the cure.
Da is a shortened form of doon, which has many meanings:
1. be handsome/beautiful
2. be agreeable/pleasant
3. be generous/philanthropic
4. be glorious/radiant
5. be saintly/holy.
Altogether, Sugura na Da = Spirit that is Glorious
It is the pre-existing Ik term for Holy Spirit, and when I saw it I liked it so much that I decided to use it myself.
The full passage in Ik:
1. Itsyaketonio na maraŋa emutie Birasimae Ŋƙwaae, Tigaramatsie Ɲakuji.
2. Iƙirosie Biritee Ntodie noo taa: “Enes, eregia deaamaa ɲcie ekwee bie, na beresie ɲasaparia bie.”
3. Morokaa ikilie naloŋizatak: “Iɗimesuo ɲasaparia Amazeama, itnitetuo deamuceikaa Ntsi.”
4. Atsuo Biretse ilumuo naloŋizatee, nda siranuo ilumesuƙotia toluutesuƙotie paka eregesukoti ɲaseconi.
5. Nda atsuo keŋana ntsie kijoo Goosokijoo nda Loŋazutwama, nda ilumosatie saboo na iŋoɗyaimeta, bolesuƙotata ɲaseconie amutsak.
6. Ŋabuo Birekesa ɲakaasa ɲakaalee nda ɲamisipa ɦyojejek, ƙidzuo girwaa nda gafariyoo ɗaɗahwaa rowao
7. Siranuo, todetuo taa: “Atsa ntsi seamucee ɲcie na ŋixona ɲcu – nta ŋabonuƙota dugumetonie nda hoɗesie ƙiwee ŋaɗetaiyee Ntsi.
8. Ilumia bee bitia cwo, iluma bitia taa Suguro na Da
9. Atsini odoicikaa sini atsa Birasima napei Buɓetonuo Tsiɓulakoni nda ilumosa sabee na iŋoɗyaimeta Birikeso.
10. Nda ɗir totirie kimatso cuaakuo, enio ɗusie didigwariya nda ntsie kidzimie Sugura ɗita biba.
11. Nda atsa morokua nee didigwari: “Iyida bia Ɲcie Tigaramatsuo minesuk; bie cionuƙotia.”