אִם־פָּקֹ֥ד יִפְקְדֵ֖נִי אָבִ֑יךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ נִשְׁאֹל֩ נִשְׁאַ֨ל מִמֶּ֤נִּי דָוִד֙ לָרוּץ֙ בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם עִיר֔וֹ כִּ֣י זֶ֧בַח הַיָּמִ֛ים שָׁ֖ם לְכָל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָֽה׃
6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’
The Hebrew terms that are translated as “family” or “clan” or “house” or similar in English are all translated in Kwere as ng’holo or “clan.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In the English translation by Goldingay (2018) it is translated as “kin-group.”
See also tribe.
The town name that is transliterated as “Bethlehem” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the signs signifying “manger + town” (referring to Luke 2:7). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)
“Bethlehem” in Finnish Sign Language (source )
See also manger.
In American Sign Language it is translated with the signs for “bread” and “house,” referring to the original meaning of “Bethlehem” as “house of bread.” (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Bethlehem” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Bethlehem .
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 20:6:
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One important aspect of addressing someone else in one’s or someone else’s family is by selecting the correct word when referring to them. One way to do this is through the usage of an appropriate title within a conversation as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
When the speaker humbly refers to his or her father in the presence of respected interlocutor(s), chichi (父) is often used (see addressing one’s father humbly / respectfully in Japanese (父)).
In some conversations, archaic honorific forms for “father” are chosen that also contain chichi (父) and typically indicate a greater level of respect. That includes chichi-ue (父上). An interesting contrast between the use of of chichi and chichi-ue can be found when there is a reference to “my father and your father.” The former is addressed with chichi and the latter with chichi-ue (for more see 1 Kings 15:19, 1 Kings 20:34, and 2 Chronicles 16:3 along with addressing one’s father humbly / respectfully in Japanese (父)). (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
The name that is transliterated as “David” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )
“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).
“David” in German Sign Language (source )
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .
Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.
Here, osshatte (おっしゃって) or “say/speak” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
If your father misses me at all: literally “If to miss, he will miss me, your father,” which again uses reinforcing verbs. Revised Standard Version attempts to capture the emphatic nature of this Hebrew construction by adding at all. Fox provides another way of expressing the emphasis: “If your father takes-account, yes, account of my (absence).”
The Hebrew text contains another quotation within a quotation. In some languages it will be more natural to change the embedded quotation into an indirect quotation, as in Good News Translation.
Earnestly asked leave: literally “to ask, he asked.” As with the previous verb in this verse, translators need to capture the emphatic nature of the Hebrew. Revised Standard Version adds “earnestly,” and New American Bible says “David urged me to let him go.” Fox says “David requested, requested-leave,” and though this translation does not express in English the same sense as the Hebrew, at least the translator attempted to preserve this aspect of the Hebrew. Other languages may say quite naturally at this point “David begged me” (New Century Version) or “… pleaded with me.”
To run: probably this verb should not be understood literally but rather in the sense of “to hurry off” (Revised English Bible) or “to go on short notice” (New American Bible).
Bethlehem his city: Good News Translation omits his city but retains the meaning by saying “hurry home.” Other models include “Bethlehem, his home town” (New Jerusalem Bible), “Bethlehem, his town of birth” (La Bible du Semeur), or “his home in Bethlehem” (Revised English Bible). Since Bethlehem is not simply the place where he now lives but is rather the place of his birth, New Jerusalem Bible and La Bible du Semeur provide especially good models. If this embedded quotation is changed into an indirect quotation, then the first person pronoun will need to be used, as in Good News Translation.
All the family: “the whole clan” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, and Fox, “the entire clan”). See the comments on 18.18.
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 .
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