The term that is transliterated as “Hannah” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a modification of the sign for “grace,” referring to the original meaning of the name “Hannah.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Hannah” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 1:2:
Kupsabiny: “That man had two wives. The elder one was called Hannah while the younger one is/was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah didn’t have a child.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “He had two wives, named Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had sons and daughters but Hannah was childless.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Elkana had two wives who were Hana and Penina. Penina had children but Hana on-the-other-hand had none.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “He had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had several children, but Hannah had no children.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
He had two wives: the pronoun He refers to Elkanah. Since Elkanah is not the only man mentioned in verse 1, translators need to be sure that the referent of the pronoun He is clear. The text does not indicate which wife was Elkanah’s first wife, and Hannah is perhaps mentioned first because she plays a more important role than Peninnah in the story that follows. In languages that have different words for “a wife who has children” and “a wife who does not have children,” it will not be possible to say simply “he had two wives,” and some translations may have to say “he had married two women.”
The name Hannah means “grace” or “gracious.” The meaning of the name Peninnah is uncertain. Most likely it is the feminine singular form of a plural noun meaning something like “rubies,” “coral,” or “pearls.” The original readers may have understood verses 4 and 5 at two different levels. On the one level, Elkanah loved Hannah more than he loved Peninnah. On the other level, he loved “grace/gracious” more than he loved his wife “Ruby” or “Pearl.” Fox translates the first part of verse 2 “now he had two wives—the name of the one was Hannah/Grace, and the name of the second was Peninna/Pearl.” Perhaps the writer of the deuterocanonical book Ecclesiasticus 7.19 had this passage in 1 Samuel in mind when he wrote “Dismiss not a sensible wife; a gracious wife is more precious than corals” (New American Bible).
The other: literally “the second.” But the Hebrew does not necessarily mean that Elkanah had married Peninnah after having married Hannah; it may mean only that she is the second to be named in this story. But she probably was Elkanah’s second wife. It is possible that Elkanah took her as a second wife when Hannah was unable to give him a child. Most translations are similar to either Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation, indicating only that Peninnah was the “other” wife. It is perhaps preferable to follow the model of those translations that say that Peninnah was “the second” wife (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). The less specific translation at least keeps open the possibility that the writer intends for Peninnah to be identified as the second wife and not simply as the second to be named.
In order to avoid misunderstanding, some translators may find it necessary to add a footnote explaining that in Old Testament times it was a common and accepted practice to have more than one wife.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.