complete verse (2 Samuel 20:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 20:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “Joab came near that woman. That woman told him that, ‘Are you Joab?’ He replied (her) that, ‘I am the one.’ She told him that, ‘Sir, cut an ear/listen to what I am going to tell you.’ He also replied (to her) that, ‘I am listening.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Joab went close to her place and that woman said, "What! Are you really Joab?"
    Joab replied, "Yes, I am really Joab."
    That woman said, "Please pay attention, listen to my concern."
    Joab said, "Please speak, I am listening."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Joab came to her, and the woman asked, ‘Are you Joab?’ Joab replied, ‘Yes.’ The woman said, ‘Sir, listen to what I will-say to you.’ Joab answered, ‘Okay, I will-listen.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So after they told Joab, he came there, and the woman said, ‘Are you Joab?’
    He replied, ‘Yes, I am.’ She said to him, ‘Listen to what I say.’ He replied, ‘I am listening.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Japanese benefactives (kīte)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, kīte (聞いて) or “listen” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 20:17

He came near her: or “he approached her.” The pronoun he refers, of course, to Joab, and this should probably be made clear in translation as Good News Translation has done. And in view of the context it may be better to translate the words came near her as “came near to the wall where she was” or possibly, as in New International Version, “went toward her.”

The preliminary exchange is intended to assure the woman that she is really talking with Joab and not some lesser representative. Joab confirms that she is talking to the right person.

Your maidservant: in using this expression of herself, the woman shows great respect for and submission to Joab. Translators should look for their own ways of addressing a powerful person to indicate that they are respected. Good News Translation attempts to do this by adding the word “sir.” It is inadvisable in most cases to translate literally at this point.

It will be possible to translate the whole verse without recourse to direct quotations if this is more natural in the receptor language. The following model is suggested:

• And after Joab approached the woman, she asked if he was really Joab. He assured her that he was [Joab], and then she begged him to listen to what she had to say. He answered that he was listening.

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 .