In many, if not most of the languages in the Philippines, proper nouns, such as personal names, are tagged with a marker that signals their grammatical role within a sentence. For Tagalog and the Visayan languages , this typically includes si to mark the proper noun as the actor or subject (nominative case), ni to mark the proper noun as an owner (genitive case), and kay to mark the proper noun as as an indirect object, i.e. the one to or toward whom an action is directed (dative case). All of these also have plural forms — sina, nina and kina respectively — and unlike in the biblical languages or in English, the plural form has to be used when only a single proper name is mentioned but implicitly that proper name includes more than just one.
In this verse, where English translates “Joab (came),” the Tagalog translation translates “sina Joab” because the context of the text makes clear that Joab came with his troops. (Source: Kermit Titrud and Steve Quakenbush)
The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 19:15:
Kupsabiny: “When the soldiers of the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and went into the city. Then, Joab returned with his people to Jerusalem.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Then seeing the Arameans running away, the Ammonites [also] fled from before Abishai and went into the city. After that Joab went back to Jerusalem” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “When the Ammonhon saw that the Arameanhon were-fleeing, they also fled from Abishai the sibling of Joab, and went-inside their town. So Joab and company went-home to Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “And when the soldiers of the Ammon people-group saw that the soldiers from Syria were running away, they also started to run away from Abishai and his army, and they retreated back inside the city. So Joab and his army returned to Jerusalem.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled: In those languages requiring an object for the verb “flee,” it will be best to talk of fleeing from Joab’s soldiers.
They likewise fled before Abishai, Joab’s brother, and entered the city: Seeing that their allies, the Syrians, were forsaking the battle, the Ammonites also decided to abandon the struggle. So they went back inside the city walls for protection (see verse 9). Since Joab did not attempt to take the city, this was the end of the battle. Joab’s brother is literally “his brother.” The verb entered really means “reentered” (Bible en français courant) in this context and may be translated “withdrew” (Revised English Bible), “retreated” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation), or “went back.” Even though the Masoretic Text says the city, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says that the Ammonites “withdrew into their cities,” apparently because verse 7 says that Ammonites came from other cities to help fight against the Israelite army.
Then Joab came to Jerusalem: Then translates the common Hebrew conjunction. But it may be left untranslated in this context in some languages as Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has done. Since this was certainly not the first time that Joab and his men had come to Jerusalem, it will be more natural to translate came as “came back,” “went back” (Good News Translation, New Century Version), or “returned” (Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, Bible en français courant).
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 .
19:15a When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled,
The Ammonites saw the Arameans fleeing ⌊from Joab⌋ . -or-
The ⌊army of⌋ Ammon saw that the Syrian ⌊army⌋ ran ⌊away from Joab’s soldiers⌋ .
19:15b they too fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they entered the city.
⌊So⌋ they also fled from Abishai, the brother ⌊of Joab⌋ , and went into the city. -or-
⌊The Ammonite army saw that⌋ the Arameans/Syrians ran ⌊away from the soldiers of⌋ Abishai, ⌊Joab’s⌋ brother. ⌊So the Ammonites⌋ retreated ⌊back⌋ into their city.
19:15c So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
⌊As a result⌋ , Joab returned to Jerusalem. -or-
Therefore, Joab ⌊and his soldiers⌋ went back to Jerusalem.
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