boat, ship

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated “boat” or “ship” in English is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “that with which we can walk on water” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.), in Chitonga as a term in combination with bwato or “dugout canoe” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 72), and in Tangale as inj am or “canoe-of water” (inj — “canoe” — on its own typically refers to a traditional type of carved-out log for sleeping) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In Kouya it is translated as ‘glʋ ‘kadʋ — “big canoe.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains how the Kouya team arrived at that conclusion:

“Acts chapter 27 was a challenge! It describes Paul’s sea voyage to Italy, and finally Rome. There is a storm at sea and a shipwreck on Malta, and the chapter includes much detailed nautical vocabulary. How do you translate this for a landlocked people group, most of whom have never seen the ocean? All they know are small rivers and dugout canoes.

“We knew that we could later insert some illustrations during the final paging process which would help the Kouya readers to picture what was happening, but meanwhile we struggled to find or invent meaningful terms. The ‘ship’ was a ‘big canoe’ and the ‘passengers’ were ‘the people in the big canoe’; the ‘crew’ were the ‘workers in the big canoe’; the ‘pilot’ was the ‘driver of the big canoe’; the ‘big canoe stopping place’ was the ‘harbour’, and the ‘big canoe stopping metal’ was the ‘anchor’!”

In Lokạạ it is translated as ukalangkwaa, lit. “English canoe.” “The term was not coined for the Bible translation, but rather originated in colonial times when the English arrived in Nigeria on ships. The indigenous term for a canoe was modified to represent the large, ocean-going ship of the English.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

See also ships of Tarshish, harbor, anchor, and sailor.

Jehoshaphat

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Jehoshaphat” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “mixup” referring to the fateful alliance with king Ahab of Israel in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Jehoshaphat” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

More information about Jehoshaphat .

complete verse (1 Kings 22:48)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Kings 22:48:

  • Kupsabiny: “Jehoshaphat constructed ships of trading so that one could go with them and collect gold from Ophir. But those ships never started to go because they shipwrecked at Ezion-geber.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “King Jehoshaphat built merchant ships to bring gold from the land of Ophir. But because they were destroyed in Ezion-geber, the business ships were not able to sail.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Jehoshafat have-made ships for business to travel to Ofir to get gold. But this were- not -able-to-travel because they were-wrecked at Ezion Geber.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Jehoshaphat ordered some Israeli men to build a fleet/group of ships to sail south to the Ophir region to get gold. But they were wrecked at Ezion-Geber/Elath, so the ships never sailed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 1 Kings 22:48

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish: Instead of the verb made, the Masoretic Text has the number “ten,” which makes no sense here. The reading in the margin of the Masoretic Text, as well as the reading in a number of Hebrew manuscripts, has the verb made; and this is the reading followed by nearly all translations. The Hebrew words “ten” (ʿasar) and “made” (ʿasah) are similar in spelling. La Bible Pléiade follows a different solution, suggesting that a scribe accidentally omitted the verb made after he wrote the word for “ten.” La Bible Pléiade, therefore, reads “Jehoshaphat had ten ships of Tarshish made.” The text does not say where the ships were made, but Bible en français courant and Parole de Vie are probably correct in saying that they were made in Eziongeber. Of course Jehoshaphat did not build the ships himself. The sense is that he “had [them] built” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, La Bible du Semeur, Contemporary English Version).

For ships of Tarshish, see the comments on 1 Kgs 10.22. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint read the singular “a ship of Tarshish,” which is the basis for Osty-Trinquet‘s rendering “Jehoshaphat constructed a ship of Tarshish,” but this is not recommended.

For the location of Ophir, see the comments on 1 Kgs 9.28.

They did not go is literally “he did not go.” The subject of the Hebrew verb here is probably Jehoshaphat. Compare New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh for the last half of the verse: “But he did not sail because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.” But the sense is not much different whether one says that Jehoshaphat did not go or that the ships did not go.

The ships were wrecked: The verb were wrecked (literally “were broken” as Jewish Publication Version translates) must refer to something that happened to the ships in the port since they did not leave the place where they had been assembled. The cause of the destruction of this fleet is not stated in the text. Perhaps this was the result of a storm that hit the port before the ships could set sail. In languages where the passive verb here must be made active, translators may consider “a storm destroyed the ships” or “something happened to destroy….”

Ezion-geber: See the comments on 1 Kgs 9.26.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 1 Kings 22:48

22:48a Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold,

The Hebrew phrase that the New International Version translates as “a fleet of trading ships” is literally “ships of Tarshish.” Tarshish was evidently a city somewhere in the far west, probably Spain (see Jonah 1:3 and Psalm 72:10). The phrase “ships of Tarshish” apparently came to refer to ships that carried goods to other lands.

Jehoshaphat made some large ships to carry/bring gold from ⌊the land of⌋ Ophir.
-or-
Jehoshaphat had some cargo ships built. ⌊He planned for them⌋ to sail to the Ophir ⌊region⌋ to get gold.

22:48b but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

But the ships did not go. They were broken into pieces at ⌊the port/town of⌋ Ezion Geber.
-or-
However, ⌊storms⌋ destroyed them while they were ⌊still in the harbor⌋ at Ezion Geber ⌊town⌋, and so they never sailed.

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