shepherd

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “shepherd” in English is translated in Kouya as Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ — ” tender of sheep.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains:

“Then one day they tackled the thorny problem of ‘shepherd’. It was problematic because Kouyas don’t have herdsmen who stay with the sheep all the time. Sheep wander freely round the village and its outskirts, and often a young lad will be detailed to drive sheep to another feeding spot. So the usual Kouya expression meant a ‘driver of sheep’, which would miss the idea of a ‘nurturing’ shepherd. ‘A sheep nurturer’ was possible to say, but it was unnatural in most contexts. The group came up with Bhlabhlɛɛ ‘yliyɔzʋnyɔ which meant ‘a tender of sheep’, that is one who keeps an eye on the sheep to make sure they are all right. All, including the translators, agreed that this was a most satisfactory solution.”

In Chuj, the translation is “carer” since there was no single word for “shepherd” (source: Ronald Ross), in Muna, it is dhagano dhumba: “sheep guard” since there was no immediate lexical equivalent (source: René van den Berg), in Mairasi it is translated with “people who took care of domesticated animals” (source: Enggavoter 2004), in Noongar as kookendjeriyang-yakina or “sheep worker” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), and Kwakum as “those-who-monitor-the-livestock” (source: Stacey Hare in this post ).

See also I am the good shepherd.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Shepherds in the Bible .

Moses

The name that is transliterated as “Moses” in English is signed in Spanish Sign Language and Polish Sign Language in accordance with the depiction of Moses in the famous statue by Michelangelo (see here ). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )


“Moses” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

American Sign Language also uses the sign depicting the horns but also has a number of alternative signs (see here).

In French Sign Language, a similar sign is used, but it is interpreted as “radiance” (see below) and it culminates in a sign for “10,” signifying the 10 commandments:


“Moses” in French Sign Language (source )

The horns that are visible in Michelangelo’s statue are based on a passage in the Latin Vulgate translation (and many Catholic Bible translations that were translated through the 1950ies with that version as the source text). Jerome, the translator, had worked from a Hebrew text without the niqquds, the diacritical marks that signify the vowels in Hebrew and had interpreted the term קרו (k-r-n) in Exodus 34:29 as קֶ֫רֶן — keren “horned,” rather than קָרַו — karan “radiance” (describing the radiance of Moses’ head as he descends from Mount Sinai).

Even at the time of his translation, Jerome likely was not the only one making that decision as this article alludes to (see also Moses as Pharaoh’s Equal — Horns and All ).

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting holding a staff. This refers to a number of times where Moses’s staff is used in the context of miracles, including the parting of the sea (see Exodus 14:16), striking of the rock for water (see Exodus 17:5 and following), or the battle with Amalek (see Exodus 17:9 and following).


“Moses” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with the sign that depicts the eye make up he would have worn as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)


“Moses” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL

In Estonian Sign Language Moses is depicted with a big beard. (Source: Liina Paales in Folklore 47, 2011, p. 43ff. )


“Moses” in Estonian Sign Language, source: Glossary of the EKNK Toompea kogudus

See also Moses and Elijah during the Transfiguration.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Moses .

Translation commentary on Exod 2:17

The shepherds were men who took care of animals, including sheep and goats, and even cattle. The Hebrew word translated as “shepherd” comes from a verb meaning to pasture or graze animals, and these animals may be small (sheep and goats) or large (cattle). The English term shepherds (originally “sheepherders”) normally refers to people who tend or look after sheep. In Moses’ time, however, both sheep and goats were usually kept together in the same flock. If a receptor language does not have a technical word for an animal herder of this kind, it is possible to translate shepherds as “men who looked after sheep and goats” or “sheep and goat tenders.” These men did not want to wait their turn, so they drove them away. It is not clear whether the them refers to the daughters or to their father’s sheep and goats, but probably “Jethro’s daughters” are intended, as Good News Translation translates. Drove them away means that the shepherds used force to make the women leave the well. This first sentence may thus be rendered as “But some men who looked after sheep and goats drove Jethro’s daughters away from the well.”

Moses stood up suggests that Moses was sitting there watching the daughters until the shepherds interfered (see verse 15b). But the Hebrew word for “stand” or “rise” does not always mean the person has been sitting. Sometimes it simply shows that the person began the action of the verb that follows. Therefore it may also be understood along with the following verb, and helped them, in the sense, as Good News Translation expresses it, “Moses went to their rescue.” This is recommended as a model for translation.

The manner in which Moses helped them is not indicated in this verse, but it is referred to when they report to their father in verse 19. It certainly doesn’t mean “helped them escape from the shepherds.” The probable meaning is “went to their rescue” (Good News Translation). Another way to express this is “stopped the shepherds from bothering [or, harassing] them.” Moses watered their flock as an additional act of assistance. It included drawing water from the well and filling the troughs. This suggests, then, that maybe the daughters had not yet drawn the water. (See verse 16.) In many languages watered their flock will be expressed as “gave their animals water to drink.” However, in some languages it will be necessary to make all of Moses’ actions explicit; for example, “Moses drew water and filled the troughs for their animals to drink” or “Moses drew water, filled the troughs, and let their animals drink.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• But some men who looked after sheep and goats came and forced Jethro’s daughters to leave the well. Moses went and helped the women resist the men. He then drew water, filled the troughs, and let their animals drink.

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 .