Philistines

The term that is transliterated as “Philistines” in English means “(from) the land of wanderers,” “(from the) land of strangers” (same as “Palestinian”). (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

It 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 29:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 1 Samuel 29:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “The five Philistine kings had arrived each with his own soldiers. One commander was in charge of one hundred soldiers, the other was in charge of one thousand soldiers. David with his people were following the soldiers of Achish.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The leaders of the Philistines arranging their soldiers in lines of hundreds and thousands advanced. Then David and his men went, following Achish.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “As the leaders/[lit. heads] of the Filistinhon were-marching together-with their soldiers grouped in hundreds and thousands, David and his men were-following them together with King Akish.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The kings of Philistia divided their men into groups; some groups had 100 soldiers and some groups had 1,000 soldiers. David and his men were marching behind, with King Achish.” (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 .

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on 1 Samuel 29:2

The lords of the Philistines: that is, the five Philistine kings (see the comment on 5.8). Here the literal rendering of Revised Standard Version gives the mistaken impression that there were thousands of lords of the Philistines. But what is meant is that the five Philistine kings were marching by with their groups of soldiers, as New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “each with his units of hundreds or of thousands.” On the expression by hundreds and by thousands, see the comments on 22.7.

Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (see 21.10), was last mentioned in 28.2. Translators may wish to identify Achish again here as “King Achish” (Good News Translation, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). Achish was one of the five lords, not an additional one.

Revised Standard Version, following the Hebrew, continues the sentence begun in this verse through to the middle of verse 3. This makes a long, complicated sentence that should probably be broken down into smaller units in most languages. The entire verse may be translated as follows:

• The five Philistine kings gathered all of their troops and marched out in battalions. The soldiers of Achish, the King of Gath, brought up the rear; and David and his men marched in the rear with Achish and his troops.

The translation in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar.

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 .