complete verse (1 Chronicles 5:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 5:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people fought with the Hagrites, Jeturites, Naphishites and Nodabites.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They fought-(against) the Hagarnon, Jeturnon, Nafishnon, and Nodabnon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They attacked the descendants of Hagar and the people of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab cities.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 5:19

They made war upon the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab: The Hebrew expression rendered made war upon may be translated “attacked,” “fought against” (Contemporary English Version), or “started a war against” (New Century Version). This war took place during the time of King Saul according to verse 10. See the comments there on the Hagrites.

A literal translation of this verse could falsely suggest that Jetur, Naphish and Nodab were individuals whom the Israelites attacked. Good News Translation correctly expresses the sense by adding “tribes of” before these three names. However, there is some ambiguity in the Hebrew. It is not clear whether the Hebrew conjunction before the name Jetur should be translated “and” or “even/including.” If the first interpretation is followed, then the Hebrew may be understood as referring to four different groups. New American Bible, for example, says “… against the Hagrites and against Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.” Compare also “… the tribe of Hagrites and the descendants of Jetur, Naphish and Nodab” (Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Bible en français courant similarly reads “… the Hagrites, as well as the descendants of Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.” Some interpreters consider the Hagrites to be a Syrian confederation mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions.

If, however, the second interpretation (“even/including”) is followed, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab will be understood as groups within the larger Hagrite tribe (so Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). The punctuation of New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh seems to suggest the same interpretation. According to this interpretation, the Hagrites are probably to be seen as related to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael (Gen 16). Jetur and Naphish are listed as sons of Ishmael in 1 Chr 1.31; and some scholars identify Nodab with Adbeel, an Ishmaelite tribe (Gen 25.13).

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 .