son vs. grandson

“Son of x, son of y” must be rendered as “son of x or grandson of y” in Tibetan or else it will sound like two different people. (Source: David Clark in Clark / Desnitsky 2009 , p. 21).

Note: The same translation solution is chosen in many contemporary English Bibles that emphasize easy readability, such as the Contemporary English Version, Common English Bible, Good News Translation, God’s Word, or New Living Translation.

See also father / grandfather.

son of

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “son of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic naming system . This means that for instance in Matthew 16:17 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Simon son of Jonah” becomes “Simon Jónasson” or in Isaiah 8:2 “Zechariah son of Jeberechiah” becomes “Sakaría Jeberekíason” where in both cases the “-son” means “son of.”

In cases where “son of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage, however, this system is not used. So in Matthew 1:1 “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” is translated as “Jesú Krists, sonar Davíðs, sonar Abrahams.”

The referenced verses all have at least one instance where the Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)

See also daughter of

complete verse (1 Chronicles 9:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Chronicles 9:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “Some people from the clan of Benjamin also returned. Those people came from nine hundreds and fifty-six houses/families. The famous people among those people were Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah, and Ibneiah son of Jeroham. Others were Elah son of Uzzi who was son of Michri. And others were Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Jeroham’s son Ibneiah, Uzzi’s son Elah, Uzzi was the son of Micri. Shephatiah’s son Meshullam, Shephatiah was the son of Reuel. Reuel was the son of Ibnijah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Ibnea the child of Jeroham,
    Ela the child of Uzi (Uzi was the child of Micri),
    and Meshulam the child of Shefatia (Shefatia was the child of Reuel; Reuel was the child of Ibnia).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Ibneiah the son of Jeroham.
    Elah the son of Uzzi. Uzzi was the son of Micri.
    Meshullam the son of Shephatiah. Shephatiah was the son of Reuel; Reuel was the son of Ibnijah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Chronicles 9:8

Michri is called “Machir” in the Septuagint and the Syriac. Probably the positions of the Hebrew consonants resh (“r”) and yod (“i”) were reversed during the transmission of the text. However, no modern version consulted changes the spelling of this name.

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 9:8

9:8a Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, the son of Michri;

⌊Ibneiah lived in Jerusalem city.⌋ Ibneiah was the son of Jeroham. ⌊Elah lived in Jerusalem city.⌋ Elah was the son of Uzzi. Uzzi was the son of Mikri.
-or-
Ibneiah ⌊returned⌋ . His father was Jeroham. Elah returned. His father was Uzzi. Uzzi’s father was Mikri.

9:8b Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;

⌊Another man named Meshullam lived in Jerusalem city.⌋ Meshullam was the son of Shephatiah. Shephatiah was the son of Reuel. Reuel was the son of Ibnijah.
-or-
Meshullam ⌊returned⌋ . His father was Shephatiah. Shephatiah’s father was Reuel. Reuel’s father was Ibnijah.

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