6Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you:
Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “son of” in English is translated in all Icelandic Bible versions of the Icelandic Bible Society (latest edition 2007) in parallel with the Icelandic naming system . This means that for instance in Matthew 16:17 the name that is transliterated and translated in English as “Simon son of Jonah” becomes “Simon Jónasson” or in Isaiah 8:2 “Zechariah son of Jeberechiah” becomes “Sakaría Jeberekíason” where in both cases the “-son” means “son of.”
In cases where “son of” does not refer to a literal father or perhaps stepfather but to lineage, however, this system is not used. So in Matthew 1:1 “Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” is translated as “Jesú Krists, sonar Davíðs, sonar Abrahams.”
The referenced verses all have at least one instance where the Icelandic patronymic or matronymic naming system is used. (Source: Halldór Elías Guðmundsson)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Exodus 31:6:
Kupsabiny: “I have also chosen Oholiab son of Ahisamach who is from the clan of Dan to help each other with Bezalel in doing that work. I have also given the other people of skill the power to do everything I desire from them to do” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “I have chosen Oholiab the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan to help him. I have given skills to craftsmen to make all things that I have commanded you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “I have- also -chosen Oholiab child/(son) of Ahisamac, who came-from the tribe of Dan, to help Bezalel. I also have-given ability to all the good carpenters so-that they will-be-able-to-do/can-make all that I have-commanded you (sing.) to-do:” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Bariai: “And yo, I chose another man for helping him, whose name is Ooliap. He is Aisamak’s son in the clan [descended] from Dan. And I gave great knowledge to other workers to do all these things as I’ve spoken to you (sing.) about.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Opo: “And his second, they call him Oholiab Ahisamach who be man-of-Dan. He must be his helper. And there be others who be wise for that which I say to you [that] they must make:” (Source: Opo Back Translation)
English: “Note that I have also appointed Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to work with him. I have also given special ability to other men, in order that they can make all the things that I have commanded you to be made.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
And behold, I have appointed, literally “And I, behold, I gave,” uses the emphatic pronoun I, even before the word behold. New Revised Standard Version and others use “Moreover” for behold, but Good News Translation omits it entirely. (See the comment at 1.9.) I have appointed uses the common word for “give” or “place.” Here the meaning may also be “selected” (Good News Translation). With him Oholiab means, as Good News Translation puts it, “to work with him,” that is, with Bezalel. New International Version has “to help him,” and Revised English Bible has “to be his assistant.” The name Oholiab means “my father’s tent,” which seems appropriate for one who will help to build the Tent. (New English Bible and Revised English Bible transliterate it as “Aholiab,” but most translations have Oholiab.) He was the son of Ahisamach, who belonged to the tribe of Dan. (See the comment at verse 2.)
And I have given to all able men ability is literally “and in the heart of every skilled-of-heart I have given skill.” The word for given is the same word for appointed, and the word for able and ability is the same word for “ability” in verse 3. New Revised Standard Version has “I have given skill to all the skillful.” This may be understood as “special skill” (Translator’s Old Testament), or “the necessary skill” (New American Bible), in addition to the natural ability with which these men were born, but it may also refer simply to their natural ability. So Revised English Bible has “I have endowed every skilled craftsman with the skill which he has.” But the following phrase must also be considered.
That they may make, literally “and they will make,” is generally understood as “so that they will be able to make” (Translator’s Old Testament). Revised English Bible makes it a separate sentence, “They are to make.” Either interpretation is possible, but it should be clear that the ability of these men has been given by Yahweh. All that I have commanded you uses the singular you. This means, as Good News Translation puts it, “everything I have commanded to be made,” or “make everything exactly as I have commanded you” (Contemporary English Version). Note that the colon or dash is generally used at the end of this verse to introduce the list that follows in verses 7-9.
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 .
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.