Philistines

The term that is transliterated as “Philistines” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies the helmet the Philistine warriors wore was decorated with feather-like objects. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Philistines” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Philistines (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (1 Samuel 2:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 2:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “Listen carefully! The days are coming when I will kill all your sons and those from your family so there will be no man in your family to live to an old age.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “A time like that is coming when I will weaken your family and there will not be any old men in your family.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Mark/remember this, the time will-come that I will-destroy all the young-ones among you (plur.) and the other descendants of your (plur.) ancestors/[lit. old-ones]. You (plur.) will-suffer and you (plur.) will- not -experience/taste-of the abundance that I will-give to the Israel. No-one at-all will- live/(grow) old among you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Listen carefully! There will soon be a time when I will cause all the strong young men in your family to die. The result will be that no men in your family will live long enough to become old men.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

David

The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated 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.”

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about David (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 2:31

Behold: the focusing particle directs the attention of the reader or hearer in a particular way to what is about to be said, since verses 31 and 32 seem to be the climax of the divine message. Various ways of attempting to express this in English include Behold (Revised Standard Version), “See” (New Revised Standard Version), “Listen” (Good News Translation), “Yes” (New American Bible), “Be sure” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “Here” (Fox).

The prophecy in verses 31-32 will be fulfilled when Saul has all of the priests at Nob murdered (see 22.16-19). The verb cut off is used figuratively in the sense of “destroy” (New Century Version) or “eliminate.” Revised English Bible attempts to preserve the imagery of the Hebrew verb by saying “when I shall lop off every limb of your own and of your father’s family,” but the meaning may be vague to many readers.

Your strength … the strength of your father’s house: literally “your arm and the arm of the house of your father.” On the basis of the Septuagint, Anchor Bible reconstructs the original Hebrew text to say “your descendants and the descendants of your father’s house.” Even though Anchor Bible no doubt correctly expresses the basic meaning of the Hebrew, there is no need to change the Masoretic Text. Good News Translation also provides a good model: “your family and your clan.”

In Hebrew thought the “arm” symbolized power, and this figurative sense is found frequently in the Old Testament. It is not just the descendants of Eli who will be killed, but specifically “the young men” (Good News Translation), who are vigorous and at the peak of their strength. Compare Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “I will cause to be killed in the prime of life all the young men of your family: among your kin there will not be any old people.”

Your father’s house: in verses 27, 28, and 30, father refers to Aaron, whose descendants were to function as priests (see Exo 28–29, especially 28.1). It is questionable whether Zadok (see the comments on verse 35) was actually descended from Aaron, though the book of 1 Chronicles (see 6.1-8, 50-53) includes him as a descendant of Aaron. If one accepts that Zadok was a descendant of Aaron, then the word father here in verse 31 must refer only to priests descended from Eli’s family and not to the larger group of priests descended from Aaron. See the Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente translation cited in the preceding paragraph.

In your house is likewise a reference to the family or descendants of Eli.

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 .