Pharaoh

The term that is used for monarchs in ancient Egypt and is transliterated as “Pharaoh” in English is translated in Finnish Sign Language with the sign signifying the “fake metal beard (postiche)” that was word by Pharaohs during official functions. (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Pharaoh” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Pharaoh .

complete verse (Exodus 12:30)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 12:30:

  • Kupsabiny: “The ruler, his leaders and all the people of Egypt woke up and cried painfully because there was no house/family without someone dead.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “There was bitter wailing throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh, his officials and all the people of Egypt got up in the night for there was not a house where there was not someone dead.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “That night the king and all his officials and all the Egiptohanon woke-up. And very-loud wailing was-heard in Egipto, for there-was-not at-all a house where (someone) had- not -died.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “The great chief of the Isip people together with his [subordinate] leaders and all the people of Isip arose in the night and then saw their firstborn children all died, and so they made a great crying. [Among] every house in Isip, none had bypassed death.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Opo: “And king of Egypt and chiefs of his servants and Egyptians other all, they awoke at night. And weeping which be great arose up in country of Egypt all, because there was not family one which not died.” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
  • English: “That night the king, all his officials, and all the rest of the Egyptian people awoke and discovered what had happened. They wailed loudly all over Egypt, because in every house, someone’s son had died.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Exod 12:30

And Pharaoh rose up simply means that he “got up” (New International Version). In the night can also mean “during the night” (New International Version), or even “before night was over” (Revised English Bible). Good News Translation suggests that all of them “were awakened,” but not necessarily by the great cry. Such an interpretation is possible only if the conjunction and (waw) in the second clause is understood as “because” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), but this has little basis. No doubt some of them “were awakened” by the cry, but more likely the great cry arose after they rose up and discovered what had happened. Rose up in some languages will be expressed as “awoke,” or even “awoke from sleep.”

He … all his servants … all the Egyptians includes everyone except the Israelites, namely, “the king, his officials, and all the other Egyptians” (Good News Translation). And there was a great cry in Egypt is identical with 11.6, except that the “will be” becomes was. So one may translate “and all the Egyptians started wailing loudly, because….” For clearly has the sense of “because” (New English Bible). The final two clauses, there was not a house and where one was not dead, make a double negative, which may be stated positively, “In every house there was a dead person.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• During that night the king, his officials, and everyone else in Egypt woke up. They all began to wail loudly, because in every house someone had died.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .