3Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord.
The Hebrew and the Greek that are translated in English versions as “prophesy” are translated into Anuak as “sing a song” (source: Loren Bliese), into Balanta-Kentohe as “passing on message of God” (source: Rob Koops), and into Ixcatlán Mazatec with a term that does not only refer to the future, but is “speak on behalf of God” (source: Robert Bascom).
Other translations include: “God making someone to show something in advance” (Ojitlán Chinantec), “God causing someone to think and then say it” (Aguaruna), “speaking God’s thoughts” (Shipibo-Conibo), “God made someone say something” “Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac) (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125), “proclaim God’s message” (Teutila Cuicatec), “speak for God” (Chichimeca-Jonaz), “preach the Word of God” (Lalana Chinantec), “speak God’s words” (Tepeuxila Cuicatec), “that which God’s Spirit will cause one to say one will say” (Mayo) (source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), “say what God wants people to hear” (tell people God wod dat e gii oona fa say) (Gullah) (source: Robert Bascom), and “bring God’s mouth” (Bariai) (source: Bariai Back Translation).
In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:
For Acts 3:18, 3:21, 3:25: nurwowohora — “mouth says words that don’t come from one’s own mind.” (“This term refers to an individual’s speaking words that are not his because either a good or bad spirit is at work through him. The speaker is not in control of himself.”)
For Acts 19:6, Acts 21:9: nakotnohora — “talk about.” (“The focus of this term is on telling God’s message for the present as opposed to the future.”)
For Acts 21:11: rora — “foretell” (“The focus of this term is giving God’s message concerning the future. The person who speaks is aware of what he is doing and he is using his own mind, yet it is with God’s power that he foretells the future.”)
Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “honor (Father God)” (source for this and three above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Dan a figurative expression for praising God is used: “push God’s horse.” “In the distant past people closely followed the horses ridden by chiefs, so ‘pushing’ them.” (Source: Don Slager)
The musical instrument that is most often translated as “lyre” or “lute” in English is translated in the following ways:
Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016: pangwe (a musical instrument that is made from a hollow tube filled with pellets or small stones to create a rain-like sound) or “five stringed instrument” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “guitar” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “sitar ” (source: Newari Back Translation)
Description: The lyre consisted of a sound box out of the ends or sides of which projected two arms. The arms supported a crosspiece. Strings descended from the crosspiece over the sound box. As with the nevel, the number of strings could vary. Their varying thickness and tension gave the instrument a range of notes. The lyre was normally made of wood. The strings were made of animal intestines (perhaps from sheep).
Usage: The strings were normally plucked with the fingers. The kinor in particular is frequently depicted as an instrument that accompanied singing.
Job 21:12: For the stringed instrument (kinor in Hebrew) accompanying the tambourine, French Common Language Version has “guitar” and the French La Bible de Jérusalem has “zither,” which seems to be an instrument used in 1 Samuel 10:5. The first line of this verse may also be rendered “The children sing as people play the tambourine and the lyre.” In some languages these instruments will be a local drum and a stringed instrument; the latter may be a guitar. If no instruments can be found to render any of the instruments in this verse, the translator may have to express the whole verse differently; for example, “The children dance and sing and make joyful sounds/music.”
The identity of the instrument called sabka’ in Aramaic in Daniel (Hebrew) is uncertain. New Revised Standard Version, updated edition renders it “trigon,” which is a small triangular lyre-type instrument with four strings. Probably trigon is technically correct, but it is unknown to the average English reader. Good News Translation has attempted to find a better-known equivalent with “zither,” but the zither has far too many strings (over thirty). Some translations use “lyre” for sabka’ and render the Aramaic word qathros before it as “zither”. Revised English Bible has “triangle,” but most readers will wrongly identify that as a percussion instrument. Common English Version avoids the problem by rendering only the first three instruments in the list and grouping the last three together, including sabka’ as follows: “Trumpets, flutes, harps, and all other kinds of musical instruments.”
Lyre (source: Knowles, revised by Bass (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1994)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 25:3:
Kupsabiny: “And the sons of Jeduthun were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. Their father was leading them. Jeduthun was a prophet of God and he played the lyre while praising God and giving thanks to (him).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “From the sons of Jeduthun [there were] Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. These six did what their father Jeduthun told them to do. When Jeduthun praised the Lord, he played the lute and spoke prophecy.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “From the male children of Jedutun: Gedalia, Zeri, Jeshaya, Shimei, Hashabia, and Mattitia, they (were) six in all. They also worked under the supervision of their father Jedutun. They told the message of God accompanied by harps, with thanksgiving and praising to the LORD.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “From the sons of Jeduthun they chose six men: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. Jeduthun supervised them and also proclaimed God’s messages, playing his harp while he thanked and praised Yahweh.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun … six: Jeduthun was one of the three clan heads mentioned in verse 1. The repetition of the name Jeduthun is redundant in English and may be awkward in many languages. Many modern versions, including New International Version and Revised English Bible, avoid this repetition.
Zeri is called “Izri” in verse 11, and Revised English Bible corrects the Hebrew here to read “Izri” also. Good News Translation and New Living Translation have “Zeri” in both places.
The Masoretic Text lacks the name Shime-i. The claim found in some modern versions (for example, New International Version, English Standard Version, La Bible du Semeur) that this name also exists in one Hebrew manuscript is not correct (see Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, page 467). But the name is found in the Septuagint. Moreover, the list of names in verses 9-31 corresponds to the twenty-four names in verses 2-4, so we expect to see the name Shime-i here as in verse 17. Without Shimei’s name, there are only five sons instead of six. Some versions follow the Masoretic Text here (so New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Nouvelle Bible Segond), but a number of versions add the name Shime-i, either after Jeshaiah (so Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Bible en français courant, La Bible du Semeur, Nueva Versión Internacional, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Osty-Trinquet) or after Mattithiah (so Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, El libro del Pueblo de Dios, La Bible Pléiade in square brackets). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Septuagint here and recommends that the Masoretic Text be corrected by adding the name Shime-i.
As in the previous verse, some versions place the number of sons (six) before the listing of their names (so Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).
Under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD: Revised Standard Version is ambiguous regarding who prophesied, but the Hebrew clearly refers to Jeduthun as the one who did this. New Century Version correctly makes Jeduthun the subject of the verb prophesied by saying “He preached.” According to Good News Translation and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, the sons of Jeduthun were the ones who proclaimed God’s message under Jeduthun’s direction, but these translations should not be followed here. Nor should Contemporary English Version, which renders the whole verse as “Jeduthun’s six sons, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, were under the direction of their father and played harps and sang praises to the LORD.”
It is not clear in the Hebrew who played the lyre (see verse 1). The meaning is most likely that the father prophesied to the accompaniment of the lyre played by others while his sons gave thanks and praise to God. Revised English Bible expresses the meaning clearly by rendering the whole verse as “Of the sons of Jeduthun: Gelaliah, Izri, Isaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, Mattithiah, these six under their father Jeduthun, a leader in inspired prophecy to the accompaniment of the lyre, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.”
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 .
From the family of Jeduthun were -or-
From the sons of Jeduthun they chose
25:3b Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in all—
six sons, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, Mattithiah. -or-
six men, Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.
25:3c under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied
Their father Jeduthun had authority over their work. He spoke messages from God (EEB) -or-
Their father Jeduthun was also their leader. He sang God’s message
25:3d with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
while he made music with a harp. He also sang to thank Yahweh and to praise him. -or-
and used a stringed instrument for that. He thanked Yahweh and praised him.
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