son of

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 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 Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)

See also daughter of.

complete verse (1 Chronicles 11:35)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 11:35:

  • Kupsabiny: “Ahiam son of Sakar who also came from Harar, Eliphal son of Ur,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Ahaim, son of Sacar the Hararite, Ur son of Eliphal,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Ahiam the child of Sacar of/from-Harar,
    Elifal the child of Ur;” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Ahiam the son of Sharar/Sacar, from Harar town/clan;
    Eliphal the son of Ur;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 11:35

Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite (verse 35): Ahiam is said to be the son of Sachar here, but in the parallel passage of 2 Sam 23.33 he is said to be “the son of Sharar.” It is very likely that a scribe made an error since the two middle consonants in the names Sachar and “Sharar” are similar in Hebrew. But it is impossible to know which form of the name is correct.

Eliphal the son of Ur (verse 35): The name Eliphal appears as “Eliphelet” in 2 Sam 23.34. Menge reads “Eliphelet” here in 1 Chronicles also. Eliphal is said to be the son of Ur here, but in the parallel in 2 Samuel, he is “the son of Ahasbai of Maacah.” Most likely the name Eliphal is a scribe’s mistake for the name “Eliphelet.” But translators should not attempt to harmonize in this case.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Chronicles 11:35

11:35a Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite,

Sachar’s son Ahiam, also from Harar. (EEB)
-or-
Ahiam ⌊was one of David’s mighty warriors. His⌋ father was Sachar, who was also from among the hills.

11:35b Eliphal son of Ur,

Ur’s son Eliphal. (EEB)
-or-
Eliphal ⌊was one of David’s mighty warriors. His⌋ father was Ur.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.