tribe

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “tribe” in English when referring to the “12 tribes of Israel” is translated in some East African languages, including Taita and Pökoot, with the equivalent of “clan” instead.

Aloo Mojola explains (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 208ff. ) (click or tap here to see the rest of this insight):

“A number of Bible translation teams in East Africa have been baffled and intrigued by the use of the term ‘tribe’ in the English translations of the Bible. The usage employed in these translations does not reflect any of the popular meanings associated with the term ‘tribe’ in present-day English. Neither does it reflect popular conceptions of the meaning of this term in East Africa or in other parts of Africa and elsewhere. This raises the question: is the term tribe the best translation of the Hebrew terms shebeth and matteh or the Greek term phyle? What is a tribe anyway? Are the twelve tribes of Israel tribes in the sense this term is currently understood? How can this term be translated in East African languages?

“It is easy to see that there is no consistent definition of the term tribe which applies exclusively and consistently to the communities to which it is currently applied. Why, for example, are the Somali or the Baganda called a tribe, but not the Irish or the Italians? Why do the Yoruba or Hausa qualify, but not the Portuguese or the Russians? Why the Bakongo and the Oromo, but not the Germans or the Scots? Why the Eritreans, but not the French or Dutch-speaking Belgians? Why the Zulu or the Xhosa, but not the South African Boers (Afrikaners) or the South African English? The reason for the current prejudices, it would seem, has nothing to do with language, physical type, common territory, common cultural values, type of political and social organization or even population size. Ingrained prejudices and preconceived ideas about so-called “primitive” peoples have everything to do with it.

“The term ‘tribe’ is used to refer to a universal and world-wide phenomenon of ethnic identification which may draw on any of the following bases: identification in terms of one’s first or dominant language of communication (linguistic), in terms of one’s place of origin (regional), in terms of one’s presumed racial, biological or genetic type (racial), or in terms of one’s ideological or political commitments (ideological), and so on. Communities may choose one or more of these bases as criteria for membership. Any of these may change over time. Moreover forms of ethnic identification are dynamic or in a state of flux, changing in response to new environments and circumstances. Essentially forms of ethnic association reflect a people’s struggle for survival through adaptation to changing times. This is inextricably intertwined with the production and distribution of vital resources, goods and services as well as the distribution of power, class and status in society.

“At the base of any ethnic group is the nuclear family which expands to include the extended family. The extended family consists of more than two families related vertically and horizontally: parents and their offspring, cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, and others, extending to more than two generations. A lineage is usually a larger group than an extended family. It includes a number of such families who trace descent through the male or female line to a common ancestor. A clan may be equivalent to or larger than a lineage. Where it is larger than a lineage, it brings together several lineages which may or may not know the precise nature of their relationships, but which nevertheless claim descent from a common ancestor. A clan is best thought of as a kind of sub-ethnic unit whose members have some unifying symbol such as totem, label, or myth. In most cases the clan is used to determine correct marriage lines, but this is not universally so. Above the clan is the ethnic group, usually referred to inconsistently as the tribe. Members of an ethnic group share feelings of belonging to a common group. The basis of ethnic identity is not always derived from a common descent, real or fictional; it may draw on any of the bases mentioned above.

“The Israelites identified themselves as one people sharing a common descent, a common religious and cultural heritage, a common language and history. There is no doubt that they constitute what would nowadays be called an ethnic group, or by some people a tribe. The twelve subunits of the Israelite ethnic group or tribe, (Hebrew shebeth or matteh, or Greek phyle) are clearly equivalent to clans. In fact this is what seems to make sense to most African Bible translators in the light of their understanding of these terms and the biblical account. Referring to a shebeth as a tribe or an ethnic group and to Israel as a collection of twelve tribes creates unnecessary confusion. Translating each of the terms shebeth, matteh, and phyle as clan seems to solve this problem and to be consistent with current usage in African languages.”

See also family / clan / house.

complete verse (2 Samuel 20:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 20:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “Sheba passed through all the communities of Israel including his house of Bicri wanting/searching people who would follow him. He did like that until the city of Abel-beth-maacah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Joab was going through all the towns of the Bichrites from all the tribes of Israel until he arrived at Abel-beth-maacah. Then they gathered in one place and went following him.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “On the other side, Sheba went to all the tribes of Israel to gather all his relatives. His relatives followed him, and they gathered at Abel Beth Maacah.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel, and arrived at Abel-Beth-Maacah town in the northern part of Israel. There, all the members of his father Bichri’s clan gathered, and went with Sheba into the town.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 20:14

Sheba: the traditional Hebrew text has only the pronoun “he” (King James Version and New American Standard Bible) at this point, but it will be essential to use the name in most languages, as has been done in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most other modern translations. This is all the more important in versions that begin a new section at this point (New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible, for example). Most interpreters have understood the pronoun as referring to Sheba and make this name explicit (so, for example, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation). But, as below, the pronoun “he” in this verse should be understood as referring to Joab (so Bible en français courant), not to Sheba.

Passed through all the tribes of Israel: if the subject is Sheba, then the idea is that, in his effort to gain support for his revolt against David, Sheba went from one tribe to another proclaiming his message. There is no clear indication, however, that he was accompanied by large groups of men. But if, as seems more likely, the subject is Joab, the sense is that Joab sent from one tribe to another enlisting support against Sheba. In some languages it will be more natural to say “passed through the land of all the tribes of Israel.” Here, of course, Israel refers again specifically to the northern tribes, and for this reason Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “the territory of the tribes of the north.”

Abel of Beth-maacah: the wording of Revised Standard Version suggests that the name of the town was Abel and that it was in a region called Beth-maacah. The text here says literally “to Abel and to Beth-maacah,” but in verse 15 it says “Abel of Beth-maacah.” And it is almost certain that the two refer to the same place. The more usual form “Abel-beth-maacah” is found in 1 Kgs 15.20. It is probably best to take it as a single place name composed of three parts rather than understanding it as containing a reference to a region that is otherwise unknown in the Old Testament. In verse 18 it is referred to as simply “Abel.” It was a fortified city very near to Dan in the extreme northern part of Israel, about forty kilometers (or twenty-five miles) north of the Lake of Galilee.

The Bichrites: the traditional Hebrew text has “the Berites” at this point, and this is followed by Goldman, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New Century Version, New American Standard Bible, and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. But this name is unknown elsewhere in the Old Testament, and many interpreters think it makes much better sense to understand it as a reference to other descendants of Bichri who were the natural allies of Sheba (see verse 1). And, in fact, this is the solution followed in most modern translations. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project acknowledges that the text is corrupt at this point, and in the preliminary report it recommends the reading “all the chosen ones.” This proposed correction of the Masoretic Text requires small changes in the Hebrew noun and finds support in the reading of the Vulgate. This seems to be what Contemporary English Version follows when it translates “All of his best soldiers.”

In the final report, however, Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends a different correction of the Masoretic Text, and this is the recommendation of this Handbook also. The initial consonant he is corrected to cheth and the vowels are changed, resulting in a change from the Bichrites to the participle “those joining.” The subject of the following verbs is then those who joined with Joab.

Followed him in: that is, into the town of Abel-beth-maacah. In many cases it will be necessary to translate “followed him into the town,” as Contemporary English Version has done.

Following the correction of the Hebrew text recommended by Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, the following translation of verses 14 and 15a may serve as a model:

• And Joab passed through all the territory of the northern tribes to the city of Abel Beth Maacah. And all the people of this territory joined him. And they assembled and followed Joab to the town. And they came and besieged the city….

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 .