Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets

Alun Lewis was, along with Keith Douglas, finest poet of the Second World War. He died in Burma at the age of 28 in rather mysterious circumstances, possibly at his own hand. I'll blog about a particular poem of his tomorrow (just discovered, and a real find).

His second collection of poems, with a forward by Robert Graves, was published posthumously and entitled Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets, a reference to the Book of Job (Ch. 39 v. 5). The King James Bible renders the lines thus:

He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


Which seems straightforward enough, if offering little by way of spiritual enlightenment or consolation. Here, culled from the internet, are twenty alternatives:. Let's do some theological close reading.

New International Version
At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, 'Aha!' It catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.

New Living Translation
It snorts at the sound of the horn. It senses the battle in the distance. It quivers at the captain's commands and the noise of battle.

English Standard Version
When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

New American Standard Bible 
"As often as the trumpet sounds he says, 'Aha!' And he scents the battle from afar, And the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the trumpet blasts, he snorts defiantly. He smells the battle from a distance; he hears the officers' shouts and the battle cry. 

International Standard Version
When the trumpet blasts he'll neigh, 'Aha! Aha!' From a distance he can sense war, the war cry of generals, and their shouting."

NET Bible
At the sound of the trumpet, it says, 'Aha!' And from a distance it catches the scent of battle, the thunderous shouting of commanders, and the battle cries. 


GOD'S WORD® Translation

As often as the horn sounds, the horse says, 'Aha!' and it smells the battle far away- the thundering [orders] of the captains and the battle cries.


JPS Tanakh 1917

As oft as he heareth the horn he saith: 'Ha, ha!' And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

New American Standard 1977 
“As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’ 
            And he scents the battle from afar, 
            And thunder of the captains, and the war cry.


Jubilee Bible 2000
for the blasts of the shofar fill him with courage; he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the princes and the sound of the battle-cry.


King James 2000 Bible
He says among the trumpets, Aha; and he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


American King James Version
He said among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


American Standard Version
As oft as the trumpet'soundeth he saith, Aha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


Douay-Rheims Bible
When he heareth the trumpet he saith : Ha, ha : he smelleth the battle afar off, the encouraging of the captains, and the shouting of the army. 


Darby Bible Translation
At the noise of the trumpets he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


English Revised Version
As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.


Webster's Bible Translation
He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

World English Bible
As often as the trumpet sounds he snorts, 'Aha!' He smells the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

Young's Literal Translation
Among the trumpets he saith, Aha, And from afar he doth smell battle, Roaring of princes and shouting.

How about that?  The very useful Pulpit Commentary offers the following gloss on the verses:

He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! literally, at the trumpet; i.e. at the sound of the trumpet. The utterance, "Ha, ha!" (heakh)' is an imitation of the horse's snort or neigh. And he smelleth the battle afar off. Not merely presages it, as Pliny Bye ("Equi praesagiunt pugnam, 'Hist. Nat,' 8:42), or perceives it. but seems to scent it. The open and quivering nostrils raise this idea. The thunder of the captains, and the shouting. On the great noise made by advancing armies in ancient times, see 2 Kings 7:6; Isaiah 5:28-30: Jeremiah 8:16, etc. 

('Aha', as used by many translators, no longer cuts the mustard thanks to its permanent association with Steve Coogan's monstrous creation Alan Partridge.)

The point of all this? I suppose it's to show how many versions of the Bible there are and the instability of the texts that make up those Bibles. The presence of these verses from the Book of Job in modern culture is either through the King James Version or (more likely) some wonky evangelical re-boot, shorn of poetry, subtlety and history. These particular verses seem especially odd torn from context - reminding me of Alan Bennett's comedy vicar quoting Genesis 27:11 in Beyond the Fringe: "But my brother Esau is an hairy man, and I am a smooth man." What are we supposed to learn from that?