Joab the son of Zeruiah

The Hebrew that is translated as “Joab (also: Abishai) the son of Zeruiah” in English presented a problem in Maan. “In a patriarchal society like Mano, Zeruiah is assumed to be the father of Joab. Since we know that she was his mother (see 2Sam 17:25), we expressed this phrase as ‘Joab whose mother was Zeruiah.'” (Source: Don Slager)

In Batak Karo, Zeruiah also has to be identified as a woman. M.K. Sembiring (in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 217ff. ) explains: “Unlike the Hebrew language, nouns in Batak Karo have no gender. The literal translation of the biblical names therefore does not indicate whether they are female or male names. Names are generally understood as male names when they occur in expressions like ‘the son of…’ or ‘the daughter of…,’ because in the Karo culture, if ever the names of the parents are mentioned, it is usually the name of the father that is used in identifying the children. For example, 1 Sam 26:6 says, ‘Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah,’Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” In Hebrew, Zeruiah will be recognized as a female name because of its ending, but in Karo the name will be considered as a male name for the reason given above. It is necessary then to identify Zeruiah as a female name by saying that Zeruiah was the mother of Joab and Abishai. The translation of the first part of that verse into Batak Karo is as follows,’Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai (the mother of these two is Zeruiah)…'”

complete verse (1 Chronicles 11:39)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 11:39:

  • Kupsabiny: “Zelek who came from Ammon, Naharai who came from Beroth and who was holding the weapons of Joab,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Zelek of/from-Amon,
    Naharai of/from-Berot, the armor bearer of Joab the child of Zeruya,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Zelek from the Ammon people-group;
    Naharai, the man who carried Joab’s weapons, from Beeroth town;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 11:39

Naharai of Be-eroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah (verse 39): Be-eroth was a town in the territory of Benjamin. The armor-bearer of Joab may be rendered “who carried Joab’s weapons,” as in Contemporary English Version. Zeruiah was the mother of Joab and not his father (see the comments on 1 Chr 11.6).

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 11:39

11:39a Zelek the Ammonite,

Zelek, from Ammon. (EEB)
-or-
Zelek ⌊was one of David’s mighty warriors. He⌋ was ⌊a foreigner⌋ from ⌊the country called⌋ Ammon.

11:39b Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

Naharai, from Beeroth. He carried Joab’s weapons. (Joab was the son of Zeruiah.) (EEB)
-or-
Naharai ⌊was one of David’s mighty warriors. He⌋ was from ⌊the city called⌋ Beeroth and he carried Joab’s sword and shield. Joab was the son of Zeruiah (fem).

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