complete verse (1 Chronicles 23:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 23:22:

  • Kupsabiny: “Eleazar died and did not produce a son, but he had daughters whom the sons of Kish married.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “But Eleazar only had daughters. He died without having a son. His daughters married affinal kin. His affinal kin were sons of Kish.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Eleazar died without even a male child but-rather females only. They were-married to their cousins who were the children of Kish.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 23:22

Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters: This verse deals with the descendants of Merari’s son Mahli, and verse 23 deals with the sons of Merari’s other son, Mushi. Eleazar was a son of Mahli and a brother of Kish (verse 21).

Their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them: Their kinsmen is literally “their brothers” (New American Standard Bible). Since Eleazar and Kish were brothers, many translations correctly refer to their sons and daughters as “cousins” (Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt, Nueva Versión Internacional, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). For this whole clause Contemporary English Version says “and they [Eleazar’s daughters] married their uncle’s sons.” Bible en français courant follows the form of the Hebrew more closely by saying “and it was their cousins, the sons of Kish, who married them.” Marriage to their kinsmen was in agreement with the Law of Moses (Num 36.5-9), which guaranteed that no inheritance would be transferred from one tribe to another.

Married translates a Hebrew verb that means “to lift up” or “to take.” New American Standard Bible translates married them as “took them as wives,” supplying the implied object. Sometimes this verb has the object “wife” or “wives,” but even without an explicit object, it sometimes means “to take a wife,” as it does in this verse.

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 .