complete verse (1 Chronicles 2:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 2:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “The firstborn of Jesse was called Eliab, and his brothers were Abinadab, Shimea,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jesse had seven sons. The eldest, Eliab, the second Abinadab, the third Shimea,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The oldest son of Jesse was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, the third was Shimea,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 2:13

As in previous verses, Good News Translation and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente indicate at the beginning of the list the total number of sons, which are “seven” here. These two versions also restructure verses 13-15 by indicating that the names of the sons that follow are in order of birth. This makes it unnecessary to specify the numerals as more literal translations do.

Jesse was the father of Eliab his first-born, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third: Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea are listed as Jesse’s sons in 1 Sam 16.6-9. There Shimea is called “Shammah,” so Good News Translation harmonizes the spelling here. Other versions that handle the problem similarly are Bible en français courant (“Chamma” in both places) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“Schima” in both cases). If the spellings are not harmonized in this way, it will be essential to provide a footnote stating that the two names refer to the same person. The Septuagint has “Aminadab” instead of Abinadab.

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 .