Absalom (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1972).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

See also Absalom.

Absalom

The Hebrew that is transliterated as “Absalom” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs depicting “hair + caught” referring to 2 Samuel 18:9. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Absalom” 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 Absalom (image).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Absalom .

complete verse (2 Samuel 14:31)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 14:31:

  • Kupsabiny: “When Joab heard like that, he immediately went to the home of Absalom and asked that, ‘Why did your servants burn my barley?’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Joab went to Absalom’s house and asked [lit.: said to] him, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Joab went to Absalom and said to him, ‘Why did- your servants -burn my farm/field?’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joab knew who had done it, so he went to Absalom’s house and said to him, ‘Why have your servants burned the barley in my field?’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 14:31

Then: the conjunction here may have both temporal and logical components. What Joab did happened immediately after the events described in the preceding verse and was a direct result of those events.

Arose and went: see the comments on this kind of expression in verse 23 above and in the other references given there. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh here translates the two verbs together as “came at once.”

Said to him: in view of the fact that a question follows, this may be translated “asked him.” Good News Translation‘s “demanded” (also Revised English Bible) implies that Joab was angry.

The direct quotation may be more naturally translated in some languages as indirect speech. The whole verse will then read something like “Then Joab went to Absalom’s house and asked him why his [Absalom’s] servants had set fire to his [Joab’s] field.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .