Translation commentary on Genesis 21:9

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian: But is not an adequate discourse opener for English and many other languages. Accordingly it may be necessary to begin this episode with something like “One day when,” “It happened later that,” “After the feast was over.” If verse 8 is taken as opening this episode, the best transition here may be “During the course of the feast”; or it may be quite satisfactory to follow Revised Standard Version as it stands. Saw is used here in the sense of “notice,” “observe.” The narrator avoids Ishmael’s name and focuses on Ishmael’s mother and her origin. Good News Translation, however, names the son.

Playing with her son Isaac: a note in Revised Standard Version says that “with her son Isaac” is lacking in the Hebrew text but is found in the Greek Septuagint and the Vulgate translations. The verb translated playing was rendered by the Septuagint translators by a verb meaning “mocking,” and this has been followed by some recent versions. However, the Hebrew word is not followed by a preposition, as it is in other cases where the sense is clearly “mocking,” and so the meaning is better taken as “playing,” which is supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. The Hebrew verb expresses the intensive form of the root from which Isaac’s name is derived. This is another example of a play on the name Isaac. It is highly unlikely that this play on words can be reproduced in translation. It is the sight of young Ishmael playing as an equal with Isaac that causes Sarah to become jealous and angry.

In some languages translations of this verse simply say “Sarah saw that other son of Abraham, the son of Hagar the Egyptian woman, playing.” But in other languages playing is an activity that two or more children do together; a common rendering is “Sarah saw that other son of Abraham … playing with her son Isaac.” One translation expresses this as “One day Sarah saw her son Isaac and Ishmael the son of … Hagar playing together.”

Translators may find that the whole of verse 9 may be translated as a time clause and verse 10 as the main clause. For example, Speiser translates “When Sarah noticed that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian…, she turned on Abraham, ‘Cast out….’ ”

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 .

Translation commentary on Genesis 45:7

After the opening clause, which repeats the thought of verse 5, this verse has two parts that are parallel in meaning.

To preserve for you a remnant on earth is literally “to establish for you a remainder on earth.” Remnant translates a noun related to a verb meaning to be left over or to remain after something has destroyed the rest. The ones left over (from the destructive famine) in this case are people of the future who will be born to individuals like the brothers; therefore the sense is “descendants.” Accordingly we may render the first half of this verse as “God sent me ahead of you [plural] to make sure you [plural] will have descendants.” It is understood that these descendants will be on earth, and so the words on earth may not be needed.

And to keep alive for you many survivors: keep alive translates a form of a verb meaning to cause to live, or to preserve alive. Survivors translates a noun that refers to people who have escaped some deadly tragedy. However, there is another view of the words rendered many survivors. The word translated many by Revised Standard Version may also mean “great,” “extraordinary,” “powerful”; and the word translated survivors may be understood as “escaping or causing to escape,” which is “deliverance.” This is the view of Driver and Anchor Bible and is followed by such versions as New Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, New American Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy. In this case we may translate, for example, “Therefore God sent me ahead of you [plural] to this country so that you might have descendants, and to save your lives in this marvelous way.” Although this is the interpretation recommended by the Handbook, the rendering of Revised Standard Version, which is also followed by Revised English Bible and Good News Translation, is also possible.

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 .

Translation commentary on Genesis 28:17

And he was afraid: the fear that Jacob experiences is caused by unknowingly being in a sacred spot and being unprepared for what might happen to him. The LORD standing beside him (verse 13) would have added to the fear.

And said may need again to be expressed as “and said to himself,” or idiomatically in many cases, “He said in his heart.”

How awesome is this place!: awesome is literally “to be feared.” Jacob experiences the dread, fear, awesomeness of being in the presence of the LORD. Other words used in English are “awe-inspiring,” “fearsome,” “terrifying.” In some languages it may be necessary to use a figurative expression; for example, “How this place makes my heart quiver,” “This place melts my liver.” In others all of the sense of awe and fear is conveyed by saying “this is a sacred [taboo] place.”

This is none other emphasizes the certainty of Jacob’s conclusion regarding the place he is in. This expression may also be rendered, for example, “This is certainly the place where God lives.”

House of God refers to the house, place, or city where God dwells and not a house that God possesses.

And this is the gate of heaven: this refers to the same place as in the previous sentence. Gate of heaven expresses the idea of the entrance to heaven. Because this was where God had appeared to Jacob, the place of his dream was considered the gate, doorway, entrance to heaven. The whole expression is figurative rather than literal, and so in some languages it is necessary to say “It is just like the gate of heaven.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Genesis 37:4

Father loved him more than all his brothers: in the Hebrew him is moved from its usual position to give it special emphasis. We may translate “Their father loved Joseph more than he loved the other brothers”; Good News Translation has “more than he loved them.” See verse 3 for comments on loved … more than.

They hated him is the first consequence of Joseph’s being loved more. For this use of hated see 26.27. In some languages it may be necessary to express hated him idiomatically; for example, “their hearts were hot against him,” “their livers boiled because of him,” or “they were bad friends with him.”

Could not speak peaceably to him is literally “could not speak to him for [in] peace (shalom).” Since shalom was a regular greeting, this expression seems to mean that they could not greet him; and we may translate, for example, “they could not bring themselves to greet him in a friendly manner” or “they could not give him a friendly hello.” Some translations express this in a negative way: “they always spoke to him crossly.”

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 .

man / woman

The Hebrew ’ishshah for “woman” and ’ish for “man” is a clear play on words. In English the terms “man” and “woman” naturally simulate that play on words (Moffatt emphasizes this in his 1926 translation by saying “This shall be called Wo-man, for from man was she taken.”)

In the German translations of Luther (all versions) and Menge (publ. 1926), this word play is emulated by creating the new term “Männin” which would be the grammatical feminine form of “Mann” (“man”). The Low German translation by Johannes Jessen (publ. 1937, republ. 2008) also uses a newly created term with Mannsfru or “man-woman.” (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

The Chadian Arabic translation does not recreate an alliteration between “woman” and “man” but instead between “woman” and “she was taken out.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

Translation: German

Bei dem hebräischen ’ishshah für "Frau" und ’ish für "Mann" handelt es sich um ein Wortspiel. Im Englischen simulieren die gebräuchlichen Begriffe "man" (Mann) und "woman" (Frau) dieses Wortspiel (in der 1926 veröffentlichten Übersetzung von Moffatt wird das folgendermaßen herausgehoben: “This shall be called Wo-man, for from man was she taken.”)

In deutschen Übersetzungen von Luther (alle Versionen) und Menge (1926) wird dieses Wortspiel mit dem eigens dafür geschaffenen Neologismus "Männin" (für "Frau") nachgebildet.

Translator: Jost Zetzsche

destroy them along with the earth

The Hebrew in Genesis 6:13 that is most often translated as “destroy them along with the earth” in English is translated in Nyamwezi as “destroy them from the earth” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

The Translator’s Handbook on Genesis (Reyburn / Fry 1997) supports this choice. See also “from the earth” in Genesis 6:7.

Translation commentary on Genesis 41:16

As in 40.8 Joseph does not claim for himself any special power or secret knowledge, as the king’s magicians might.

It is not in me is literally “Not I.” See Good News Translation. We may express this thought as “I am not the one” or “It is not me who does it.” One translation expresses it like this: “No, King. I can’t do this. But God….” Note that Good News Translation softens Joseph’s reply by the address “Your majesty.”

God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer: this is literally “God will answer the peace of Pharaoh.” The word for “peace” includes such meanings as well-being, prosperity, and success. Joseph makes clear in verse 28 that God is the origin of the dream, and in verse 32 that God is speaking to the king to prepare him for what is about to happen. Accordingly favorable means that the interpretation of the dream will be for the good of the king, and we may translate, for example, “God will give the king a good answer” or “God will give your majesty an explanation that will be for your good.”

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 .

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Gen. 42:32)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun (excluding Joseph and Jacob).