The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “concubine” in English is translated in Kutu as “slave made to be his woman” or “female slave he married” and similarly in Makonde, “a slave who is/was a wife.”
In Kwere it is translated as “small wife.” This is the term for subsequent wives when polygamy is practiced among the Kwere. While they enjoy most of the same rights and privileges as the first wife, their status is not necessarily the same. In Kalanga it is likewise translated with balongwana or “small wife.” (Source for all: project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Newari it is translated as “illegitimate wife” (source: Newari Back Translation).
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “son of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic patronymic naming system . This means that for instance in Matthew 16:17 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Simon son of Jonah” becomes “Simon Jónasson” or in Isaiah 8:2 “Zechariah son of Jeberechiah” becomes “Sakaría Jeberekíason” where in both cases the “-son” means “son of.”
In cases where “son of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage, however, this system is not used. So in Matthew 1:1 “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” is translated as “Jesú Krists, sonar Davíðs, sonar Abrahams.”
The referenced verses all have at least one instance where the patronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 1:32:
Kupsabiny: “And the sons that Keturah who was the second wife of Abraham produced were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan came to produce Sheba and Dedan.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Abraham had a concubine [lit.: an illegitimate wife] called Keturah. She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The male children of Ketura who was one additional wife of Abraham were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shua. The male children of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: Just as verses 29-31 listed Abraham’s descendants through Hagar, verses 32-33 list Abraham’s descendants through his concubine Keturah (compare Gen 25.1-4). This is why Good News Translation starts a new paragraph here. A concubine was a legitimate wife of lower status. Concubines included slaves and women captured during wars. Their standing was therefore less than that of the principal wives, but they should not be thought of as prostitutes or mere slave women, and their status was not temporary. The term concubine is also found in Gen 22.24 and frequently in the books of Judges and 2 Samuel. Some languages translate this term as “spouse of a second rank” (Bible en français courant) or “second-level wife.” New Century Version says “slave woman,” which we do not recommend since this rendering places too much emphasis on a single element in the system practiced by the Israelites.
She bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah: The Hebrew simply lists the sons of Abraham and Keturah without stating their number. Good News Translation, however, adds the number “six” to the text for the sake of clarity. Of these six sons, only the descendants of Jokshan and Midian are listed. The descendants of Keturah lived in the remote desert area east and south of Israel. Gen 25.5-6 says that Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac but gave gifts to the sons of Keturah and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the East.
The descendants of Zimran probably lived west of Mecca along the east shore of the Red Sea.
Midian was the ancestor of the Midianites, who lived on both sides of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Midianites have usually been considered to be a nomadic population, but more recent archaeological studies suggest that they may have also developed rather sophisticated urban cultures.
The descendants of Shuah probably lived in the Upper Euphrates region.
The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan: Jokshan is listed as the father of Sheba and Dedan, although in verse 9 Raamah is said to be their father.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
1:32a The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine:
The sons which Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, bore him were -or-
Abraham’s wife of lower status, Keturah, gave birth to ⌊six⌋ sons for him. ⌊Their names were⌋
1:32b Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
1:32c The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.
Jokshan’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. -or-
⌊Abraham and Keturah’s second son⌋ Jokshan had sons. ⌊Their names were⌋ Sheba and Dedan.
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