complete verse (1 Chronicles 26:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 26:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Other guards came from the house/family of Obed-edom whom God had blessed with eight sons. The firstborn son was called Shemaiah, followed by Jehozabad, followed by Joah, followed by Sacar, followed by Nethanel, followed by Ammiel, followed by Issachar and lastly Peullethai.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Obed-Edom also had sons: Shemaiah, the biggest; Joshua, the second; Joah, the third; Sacar, the fourth; Nethanel the fifth,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Obed Edom and his eight male children who were Shemaya, the eldest, then Jehozabad, Joa, Sacar, Netanel,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Another guard was Obed-Edom.
    His oldest son was Shemaiah. His other sons were Jehozabad, Joah, Sacar, Nethanel,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 26:4

And Obed-edom had sons …: Verses 4-8, which deal with the family of Obed-edom, interrupt the account regarding the descendants of Meshelemiah in verses 1-3 and 9. The writer makes no connection of Obed-edom to the Levites. Obed-edom here is perhaps the same Obed Edom mentioned in 2 Sam 6.10-11 and 1 Chr 13.13-14. He had looked after the Covenant Box when it was kept at his house before it was brought to Jerusalem. But even in those passages, he is not linked to the Levites. Even if there is reason to question whether Obed-edom was ever a Levite, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the writer of 1 Chronicles intended that Obed Edom be linked to the Levites, and more specifically as a descendant of Korah, as was Meshelemiah. God’s Word begins verse 4 with “[Also for Korah’s descendants] there were Obed Edom’s sons….” God’s Word places within square brackets what it understands to be implicit information.

The name Obed-edom means “servant of Edom,” and for this reason it is often written as a hyphenated name (so also New International Version) or a double name (so Good News Translation). Translators may feel free to write it either way as long as they are consistent with spellings used in other passages where the name is found.

As in verses 2 and 3, Good News Translation eliminates the ordinal numerals with each name in verses 4 and 5 by saying “listed in order of age” (similarly Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

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 26:4

26:4a And Obed-edom also had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second,

⌊Obed-edom was also descended from the tribe of Levi.⌋ Obed-edom’s firstborn son was Shemiah. His second son was Jehozabad.
-or-
⌊Obed-edom was also a descendant of Levi’s son Kohath from the clan of Korah.⌋ Obed-edom had ⌊eight⌋ sons. He was the father of Shemaiah who was his eldest son. His other sons were Jehozabad

26:4b Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,

Obed-edom’s third son was Joah. His fourth son was Sachar. His fifth son was Nethanel.
-or-
and Joah and Sachar and Nethanel

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