untranslatable verses

The Swedish Bibel 2000 declared the 69 Old Testament verses referenced herein as “untranslatable.” Typically, other Bible translations translate those verses and mention in footnotes that the translation is uncertain or give alternate readings. Christer Åsberg, the Translation Secretary with the Swedish Bible Society at that time, explains why the Swedish Bible Society decided to not translate these verses at all (in The Bible Translator 2007, p. 1ff. ):

“In the new Swedish translation (SB) of 2000, [some verses are] not translated at all; [they are] indicated with three hyphens inside square brackets [- - -] [with a] reference to the appendix, where in the article ‘Text’ one will find a paragraph with roughly the following content:

In some cases the text is unintelligible and the variant readings differing to such an extent, that it is quite impossible to attain a reasonable certainty of what is meant, although some isolated word may occur, whose meaning it is possible to understand.

“If Bible translators find the Hebrew text untranslatable, what kind of text is it that they have produced in the translation into their own language? When a footnote says ‘The Hebrew is not understandable,’ what then is the printed text a translation of? And if the translators prefer to do without footnotes, are they then really released from the responsibility of informing their readers that the text they read is just mere guesswork?

“To leave a blank space in a Bible text seems to be an offensive act for many. (. . . ) To admit that a piece of Holy Scripture makes no sense at all may have been unimaginable in times past. In our enlightened era, an overprotective concern for the readers’ trust in the word of God is apparently a decisive factor when a translator tries to translate against all odds. The verdict ‘untranslatable’ is much more frequent in scholarly commentaries on different Bible books written by and for experts than in the translations or footnotes of the same books designed for common readers.

“Another reason (. . .) is a professional, and very human, reluctance to admit a failure. Also, many Bible translators lack translational experience of other literary genres and other classical texts where this kind of capitulation is a part of the daily run of things. They may have an innate or subconscious feeling that the Bible has unique qualities not only as a religious document but also as a linguistic and literary artifact. Completeness is felt to be proof of perfection. Some translators, and not so few of their clients, are unfamiliar with a scholarly approach to philological and exegetical matters. In some cases their background have made them immune to a kind of interpretative approximation common in older translations, confessional commentaries, and sermons. Therefore, their tolerance towards lexical, grammatical, and syntactical anomalies tends to be comparatively great.

“It is very hard to discern and to define the boundary between something that is extremely difficult and something that is quite impossible. I am convinced that all Bible translators in their heart of hearts will admit that there actually are some definitely untranslatable passages in the Bible, but are there a dozen of them or a score? Are there fifty or a hundred? Not even a group of recognized experts would probably pick out the same ten most obvious cases. (. . .)

“Conclusions:

  1. There are untranslatable passages in the Bible.
  2. How many they are is impossible to say—except for the translation team that decides which passages are untranslatable.
  3. An untranslatable passage cannot and should therefore not be translated.
  4. The lacuna should be marked in a consistent way.
  5. The translating team should stipulate their criteria for untranslatability as early as possible.
  6. It is an ethical imperative that the readers be comprehensively informed.
  7. Untranslatability has been and can be displayed in many different ways.
  8. An explanatory note should not confuse linguistic untranslatability with other kinds of textual or translational difficulties.
  9. The information given should make it clear that the translators’ recognition of untranslatability is a token of respect for the Bible, not a proof of depreciation.
  10. You shall not fear the void, but the fear of the void.”

With thanks to Mikael Winninge, Director of Translation, Swedish Bible Society

Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Judah, Judah (son of Jacob) , and Tribe of Judah .

complete verse (2 Chronicles 11:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Chronicles 11:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “And Rehoboam again became clever to give the other sons to be in charge of guarded cities in the province of Judah and Benjamin. He married those sons off to many women and gave the his wealth.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “By thinking he did his work well. He gave the responsibility for all the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin to his sons. He gave them enough food to eat. And he sought out many wives for them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Rehoboam wisely gave obligations to other of his children. He had- them -rule to all the stone-walled towns of Juda and Benjamin. He gave them their needs and many wives.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “He very wisely sent some of his other sons to other cities in the areas of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the other cities that had walls around them. He gave them plenty of supplies and many wives.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Chronicles 11:23

And he dealt wisely, and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities: Since the previous verse mentions both Rehoboam and Abijah, Good News Translation replaces the pronoun he with the name “Rehoboam” in order to avoid ambiguity in English. The same is done by Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, and New Century Version. The Hebrew verbs rendered dealt wisely and distributed do not refer to two separate actions. Rather, Rehoboam acted wisely by appointing his sons as commanders of the fortified cities. By having his own sons in these fortified cities, there was less chance of the cities turning against him. Compare Revised English Bible, which says “He showed prudence in detailing his sons to take charge of all the fortified towns throughout the whole territory of Judah and Benjamin.” Nouvelle Bible Segond has “He had the wisdom to distribute all his sons in all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities” (similarly An American Translation, La Bible Pléiade). Perhaps another reason for appointing these sons to the various fortified cities was to make the way more secure for Abijah to succeed him so that the other brothers would not be present to challenge him.

The precise sense of the Hebrew verb rendered distributed is not entirely clear, but the intended meaning is probably that one son was put in charge of each fortified city. This interpretation is made explicit in Contemporary English Version, which says “Rehoboam was wise enough to put one of his sons in charge of each fortified city in his kingdom.”

Some of his sons is literally “from all his sons.” The Hebrew most likely means that he appointed some of his sons, but not all of them. Use of the word some (also New Revised Standard Version, Anchor Bible) or “various” (New American Bible) clearly means that not all of his sons were stationed in these cities. Moffatt says “his other sons.” Some versions have simply “his sons” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible).

For the fortified cities, see verses 5-12.

And he gave them abundant provisions: The Hebrew word translated provisions is a general word that usually refers to food, but in this context it may also refer to weapons of war. Most versions use a general word such as provisions (also New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible), but New Jerusalem Bible uses the specific word “food.”

And procured wives for them: The Masoretic Text says “and asked for many wives” (wayyisheʾal hamon nashim in Hebrew). All of the ancient versions except the Syriac agree with the Masoretic Text here. The Syriac seems to understand the text to mean that Rehoboam wanted many wives for himself. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the Masoretic Text, but states that the Masoretic Text probably contains an error. Unfortunately, any attempt to correct the Masoretic Text is only a guess at what the text originally read. Some interpreters think that the Hebrew words translated “and asked for many wives” originally read “and took for them wives” (wayyissaʾ lahem nashim; so Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, La Bible Pléiade). According to this interpretation, the reading in the Masoretic Text is the result of a scribe’s having divided the Hebrew words wayyissaʾ lahem incorrectly and then mistakenly copying the letter for “n” twice.

The Masoretic Text may mean that Rehoboam took many wives for himself, in which case this statement is simply a summary of verse 21. But without correcting the Masoretic Text, it is more likely that the intended sense is either that he got one wife for each son or that he got several wives for each son. Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation are ambiguous, as is the Hebrew, but most likely the intended meaning is that each son had several wives. Compare New Living Translation, which says “and arranged for each of them to have several wives.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on 2 Chronicles 11:23

11:23a Rehoboam also acted wisely

Rehoboam acted wisely.
-or-
King Rehoboam wisely

11:23b by dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin,

He placed some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin
-or-
appointed his sons all through the land of Judah and Benjamin

11:23c and to all the fortified cities.

and in all the towns with strong walls.
-or-
to take charge of all the fortified towns.

11:23d He gave them abundant provisions

He supplied abundant food for them
-or-
He gave them plenty of food

11:23e and sought many wives for them.

and he found wives for them.
-or-
and he arranged for each of them to have many wives.

Section 12:1-12

King Shishak of Egypt attacked Judah

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