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 Samuel 24:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 24:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “The left from there and headed to the city of Tyre where a wall had been built and to all the cities of the Hittites and the Canaanites. After that, they went to Beersheba in the south side of Judah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “From there they went up to the fortress of Tyre, and then [they] went to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. After that they went to the country south of Beersheba, called the Negev of Judah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then they went to the stone-walled city of Tyre, and to all the towns of the Hivhanon and Canaanhon. And finally, they went to Beersheba, in the south of Juda.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then they went south to Tyre, a city with high walls around it, and to all the cities where the Hiv and Canaan people-groups live. Then they went east to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 24:7

For modern readers Good News Translation again supplies geographical information (“went south”) that was understood by people who knew the relative locations of towns and regions in the area. This may also be helpful to readers in other languages.

The fortress of Tyre: since this is a reference to a city that happened to be fortified and not to a mere military fortification, it will be better to follow the Good News Translation model here and make it clear that Tyre was in fact a city.

The Hivites and Canaanites may be identified as people groups who were not Israelites. The Hivites were the original inhabitants of the towns of Shechem and Gibeon. The other various inhabitants of the land called Canaan were naturally called Canaanites. But there were Israelites living in their cities, so David’s census takers had to visit them as well.

Since Beer-sheba was the end of the tour, Good News Translation makes this explicit by adding the word “finally.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente provides another way of indicating that this was the end of the census taking: “The tour ended at Beersheba….”

The Negeb of Judah: The term Negeb refers to the southern part of the territory of Judah, which was dry and desertlike. Translators are advised to translate this meaning rather than perpetuating the transliteration of this term. Contemporary English Version goes a step further than Good News Translation by making it clear that the region was a desert: “the Southern Desert of Judah.”

Beer-sheba: see 3.10 and 17.11 as well as verse 2 above.

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 .