complete verse (1 Chronicles 2:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 2:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Abigail produced Amasa and the father of Amasa was Jether who was from the clan of Ishmael.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Abigail was the mother of Amasa, Amasa’s father was Jether, an Ishmaelite.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The husband of Abigail was Jeter the Ishmaelite and they have a son Amasa.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 2:17

Abigail bore Amasa: Since the previous verse indicates that Zeruiah and Abigail were sisters, Good News Translation adds the words “His other daughter” in order to help the reader keep clear the identity of Abigail, but also to retain the focus on Jesse. Like his cousins Abishai, Joab and Asahel, Amasa was a commander of David’s army (see 2 Sam 19.13).

And the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite: The Hebrew does not actually state that Abigail and Jether married, but Good News Translation and Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente restructure the verse and make this explicit. This restructuring may state more than the Hebrew intends, although 2 Sam 17.25 seems to indicate that they were married. A better model for this verse is “Abigail had a son, Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite” (Bible en français courant).

According to 2 Sam 17.25, the name of Amasa’s father was “Ithra” instead of Jether. Furthermore, the Masoretic Text of 2 Sam 17.25 says that Ithra was an Israelite rather than an Ishmaelite. Scholars have suggested several ways to explain these differences between 2 Samuel and this verse in 1 Chronicles. Regardless of how the differences may be explained, translators should follow the Masoretic Text here in verse 17.

The definite article in the phrase the Ishmaelite may be misleading, but it is probably used to refer to a person well known to the Israelite readers as having his origin outside their group. It is probably better in most languages to translate “an Ishmaelite” (New Living Translation, New Century Version) or “a descendant of Ishmael” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

La Biblia: Traducción en Lenguaje Actual provides a possible model for the format of verses 13-17 as follows:

• Jesse had seven sons:
Eliab,
Aminadab,
Shimea,
Nethanel,
Raddai,
Ozem,
David.

Jesse also had two daughters:
Zeruiah,
Abigail.

Zeruiah had three sons:
Abishai,
Joab,
Asahel.

Abigail married Jether the Ishmaelite, and had a son, Amasa.

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 2:17

2:17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

Abigail ⌊married a man named⌋ Jether, an Ismaelite, and they had a son named Amasa.
-or-

⌊Jesse’s daughter⌋ Abigail ⌊had a husband⌋ called Jether. He was a descendant of Ishmael, ⌊and Abigail gave birth to⌋ a son for him, called Amasa.

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