complete verse (1 Samuel 25:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 25:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that she told the servants to go ahead while she would follow behind. But Abigail did not inform her husband Nabal what she was doing.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “And she said to her servants, "You go ahead, I will follow." But she said nothing about this to her husband.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “and told his servants, ‘[You (plur.)] go-ahead; I will- just -follow you (plur.).’ But she did- not -tell her husband Nabal.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then she told her servants, ‘Go ahead of me. I will follow you.’ But she did not tell her husband what she was going to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

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

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 25:19

Young men: or “servants.” See the comments verse 5.

Behold: see the discussion of this focusing particle on page 18 and following.

In languages where indirect discourse is preferred over the direct quotation in this verse, translators may wish to say “Then she told her servants to go ahead, and she said she would come there later.”

Did not tell her husband: that is, she did not let her husband know what she was doing. The Good News Translation rendering “said nothing to her husband” should be understood to mean that she said nothing about her plans to placate David, not that she refused to speak to him at all. Some languages will have to say “said nothing to her husband about this matter.”

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 .