complete verse (1 Chronicles 1:50)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 1:50:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king. His city was called Pau. And his wife was Mehetabel daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king. The name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Me-zahab.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When- Baal Hanan -died, Hadad of/from-Pai succeeded him. His wife was Mehetabel the child of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad became the king. He was from Pau city. His wife’s name was Mehetabel; she was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Me-Zahab.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 1:50

Instead of Pai (verse 50), many Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions read “Pau” as in Gen 36.39 (so Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation, La Bible du Semeur, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nueva Versión Internacional, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Peregrino). As with other variant spellings of names in this chapter, the difference seems to be caused by the similarity of the Hebrew letters yod (Pai) and waw (Pau). The exact location of the city of Pai is not known.

Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab (verse 50): There are several difficulties in translating these words. First, the Septuagint translation of the parallel text in Gen 36.39 says that Matred was the son of Mezahab rather than his daughter (so Peregrino here in verse 50). Second, it is not certain whether Mezahab was a man or a woman, that is, whether this person was the father or the mother of Matred. Even more important, some scholars consider Mezahab to be a place name. New English Bible and Revised English Bible, for example, say “Mehetabel daughter of Matred, a woman of Me-zahab.” If Mezahab is a person, then Mehetabel is the “granddaughter” of Mezahab (so Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). This seems more likely than the other possibilities and is recommended to translators.

One important manuscript of the Septuagint omits the words and his wife’s name Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. Knoppers, therefore, omits these words here, assuming that these words were added to the Masoretic Text later in order to agree with the text of Gen 36.39.

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 1:50

1:50a When Baal-hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place.

Hadad became king after the death of Baal-hanan.
-or-
After ⌊the Edomite king⌋ Baal-hanan died, Hadad became king in his place.

1:50b His city was named Pau,

(English Standard Version) the name of his city being Pai;

He ruled from the city of Pai,
-or-

⌊Hadad ruled in Edom from⌋ the city of Pai.

1:50c and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred,

and his wife was Mehetabel, Matred’s daughter.
-or-

⌊King⌋ Hadad’s wife was named Mehetabel. She was a daughter of Matred

1:50d the daughter of Me-zahab.

⌊Matred was⌋ the daughter of Me-zahab.
-or-

⌊Hadad’s wife Mehetabel was the granddaughter⌋ of Me-zahab.

1:50c–d (combined)

⌊King⌋ Hadad’s wife was named Mehetabel. She was a daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-zahab.

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