Gabriel

The name that is transliterated as “Gabriel” in English means “man of God,” “God my strength.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated as “angel announce” (according to Luke 1:19) (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Gabriel” 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 .

Following is a Greek Orthodox icon of the archangel Gabriel from the 13th century (found in Sinai Monastery).

 
Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

More information on Gabriel .

complete verse (Daniel 8:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 8:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, I heard a human voice calling from river Ulai saying, ‘Gabriel, tell that man the meaning of that vision he.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I heard the voice of a man coming from the Ulai calling. That voice said, "O Gabriel, cause this man to understand the meaning of the vision."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then I heard a voice of a man from the River of Ulai that said, ‘Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of the vision that he saw.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “And I heard a man call out from the other side of the Ulai Canal, saying, ‘Gabriel, explain to him the meaning of the vision that he saw!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 8:16

A man’s voice: the word for man here is not the same as in the previous verse. There is no special emphasis on the male quality of the voice. The meaning is rather “a person’s voice.” In some languages it will be more natural to say simply “I heard someone calling out.”

Between the banks of the Ulai: it will be recalled that the proper name here refers to a river, or more accurately to a “canal” (see verse 2). But the reader may need to be reminded of this fact by adding the classifier term. However, the real problem here is in the understanding of the preposition. Where is the speaker located? The Hebrew is literally “between the Ulai.” A literal understanding of Revised Standard Version seems to indicate that the speaker was standing in the middle of the river, or “from the middle of the Ulai” (New Jerusalem Bible). New Revised Standard Version has simply “by the Ulai.” Other versions seem to have the speaker floating above the river, “from between the banks of the Ulai” (An American Translation). New English Bible/Revised English Bible have “across the bend of the Ulai.” Still others have a rather vague “on the Ulai” (New American Bible) or “from the Ulai” (New International Version). But it is probably better to consider the preposition as describing the position of the sound rather than of the speaker. The translation would then be something like Moffatt‘s “I heard a human voice over the water of the Ulai.”

Make this man understand the vision: or “help this person to understand what he has seen (in the vision),” or “explain the vision to this man” (Revised English Bible). It is possible to translate the noun phrase this man by the pronoun “him,” if the reference will be clear in the translator’s language; see, for example, Good News Translation, or else New Jerusalem Bible “tell him the meaning of the vision!”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .