remember

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “remember” in English is translated in Mairasi as “it is (or: place it) in your liver’s crack” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar as barrang-dwangka, literally “ear-hold” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018).

In Kalmyk, there is no equivalent to “remember,” so the translation there is “don’t forget.” (Source: David Clark in The Bible Translator 2015, p. 117ff. )

See also forget, wisdom, God remembered Noah and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

Translation commentary on 1 Maccabees 2:51

Remember the deeds of the fathers, which they did in their generations: Compare Sir 44.1. The fathers are the Israelite heroes of the past. Good News Bible says “our ancestors.” Which they did in their generations may sound redundant, since anything they did was obviously done in their own time and not in any other, but it is simply a way of saying “in times past.” Good News Bible says “how much they accomplished,” which shifts the focus unnecessarily. An alternative model for this first half of the verse is “Remember our ancestors, and the things they did in days past [or, long ago].”

And receive great honor and an everlasting name: A logical step is omitted here, which Good News Bible helpfully supplies by saying “Follow their example, and you will be rewarded with great glory and undying fame.” And an everlasting name may be translated “and people will remember you forever [also].”

Translators may combine the two parts of this verse as follows:

• Do the [great] things that our ancestors did long ago, and people will honor you [as well], and remember you forever.

• If you do … people will….

Although not in the Greek text, the additions “also” or “as well” in the models above are recommended, since they only make explicit what is implied here, that Mattathias expects his brave sons to go down in history among the other heroes of Israel.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.