firstborn

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “firstborn” in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • “he/she that opens the gown” in Batak Toba (because formerly a woman stopped wearing a gown and started using a bodice after the birth of her first child)
  • “he/she that damages the stalk (i.e. the body)” in Uab Meto (source for this and above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • “the oldest son of all” in Mezquital Otomi
  • “oldest child” in Isthmus Zapotec (source for this and one above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • “firstborn child, who was a boy” in Elhomwe (to make clear, without ambiguity, that Mary did not have daughters before) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In Bawm Chin, the term can imply the existence of younger siblings, so a translation is needed that brings out the fact that Jesus is superior to all else, not just the first of a series. (Source: David Clark)

See also only begotten son / (one and) only son and firstborn.

complete verse (1 Chronicles 2:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 2:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “And the sons of Ram were/are Maaz, Jamin and Eker.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The sons of Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Ram, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The male children of Ram the eldest of Jerameel were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 2:26 - 2:27

Verses 27-33 name the descendants of Jerahmeel’s sons. The Hebrew text mentions Ram at the end of verse 25, then verse 26 begins with mention of Jerahmeel and his second wife and their son Onam before returning to Ram in verse 27. Then verse 28 continues with Onam’s descendants. Some translations reverse verses 26 and 27 in order to present the information about Ram first before mentioning Jerahmeel’s second wife and their son named Onam (so Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). Similar restructuring may be advisable in other languages.

Instead of Jamin, the Syriac has “Jabin,” but most modern translations ignore this.

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 2:27

2:27 The sons of Ram the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.

Ram was the first son of Jerahmeel. Ram had these sons: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
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Jerahmeel’s first son was named Ram. ⌊Ram had three⌋ sons. They ⌊