Translation commentary on Genesis 22:23

Bethuel is named again in 24.15, 24, 47 as Rebekah’s father.

In some languages there is a problem in saying that a woman gave birth to a child who was “the father of….” In such languages the intermediate steps, that is, growing from baby to father, must not be omitted. If this is the case in your language, it may be necessary to say that the person “grew up and got married, and then became the father of….” One translation, for example, lists the names of the eight sons in verses 21-22 and then continues in a new sentence, “Kemuel later got married and had a son named Aram; and Bethuel got married too and had a daughter named Rebekah.”

These eight …: see suggestion above for introducing the eight in verse 20.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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