The term that is transliterated as “Abram” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign signifying sojourning with a staff, clearly differentiating it from Abraham. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Abram” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Similarly, in Vietnamese (Hanoi) Sign Language it is translated with a sign that demonstrates that he has to wander from his home. (Source: The Vietnamese Sign Language translation team, VSLBT)
“Abram” in Vietnamese Sign Language, source: SooSL
Three species of oak are found in Israel, the main ones being the Tabor oak and the Kermes (or common) oak. Both go by the name ’elon or ’allon in Hebrew. The similarity to the Hebrew word ’el (“god”) is significant, since these trees have long been associated with worship and with burial. Since the Tabor oak is the biggest, it is likely that ’elon and ’allon most often refer to that one. English versions have sometimes mistakenly translated the Hebrew word ’elah (“terebinth”) as “oak.”
According to Hepper (Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants, Baker Book House, 1992), forests of Kermes oak (Quercus calliprinos or Quercus coccifera) covered the hill country of Israel from Carmel to Samaria in biblical times. The Kermes oak forest is the most familiar and important type of vegetation in Israel.
The Tabor Oak Quercus macrolepsis (= Quercus aegilops = Quercus ithaburensis = Valonea oak in Israel) apparently replaced the original common oak during the Arab period (800–1400 A.D.), but has itself been nearly destroyed in more recent times by the efforts of charcoal makers, limestone burners, and the Turkish rail-way. Tabor oaks are deciduous and are found mostly in Carmel.
The large Tabor oak reaches a height of 25 meters (82 feet), branching at around 5.5 meters (18 feet). The Kermes oak is more like a large shrub, normally branching at ground level. The Tabor oak loses its leaves every winter; the Kermes oak is evergreen and prickly.
Oaks were used to mark grave sites (see Genesis 35:8), and it is possible that the references to “oak of Moreh” or “oaks of Mamre” may hint at burial sites of famous people. They were probably also important in divination, if the reference in Judges 9:37 (see Translation commentary on Judges 9:37) to a “Diviners’ Oak” can be taken as typical. References to people named Allon (1 Chronicles 4:37) or Elon (Genesis 46:14 et al.) may suggest that the oak was a symbol of strength or beauty, or both.
Oaks grow mainly in temperate areas (Europe, North America, North Asia, and Japan) and the Mediterranean area, including North Africa. Translators in tropical areas will not have a local variety as an option. In historical contexts, therefore, it will be necessary to transliterate from a major language. In poetic contexts such as the prophets, the oak typically represents a large and very strong tree, and a local species with those characteristics can be considered.
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 12:6:
Kankanaey: “they walked until Sekem to the location of the feared tree of (personal noun marker) More. This tree is where- those-from-Canaan who still inhabited there -worshipped their false-gods/idols.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Newari: “Abram came, arriving in Shechem by way of Canaan. There they took shelter under a tree in a place called Moreh. At that time this was a place of the Cananites.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “they continued (to-travel) until they reached the big tree of More there at Shekem. (At that time Canaanhon were still there.)” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “In Canaan they traveled as far as Shechem town and camped by a huge tree called the tree of Moreh. The Canaan people-group were still living in that land.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Abram passed through the land means Abram traveled through the country (from north to south). Since it was not only Abram who went, some translations make this clear by saying “Abram and the people with him….”
To the place at Shechem: the place in this context refers to a sacred or “holy place” (Good News Translation). The word has this sense also in 28.16; Deut 12.26; Jer 7.12. New English Bible calls it “sanctuary.” Linking this phrase with the next, we may say “a sacred oak tree” or “an oak tree dedicated to God [or, to the gods].” Shechem was a city located about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Jerusalem, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.
To the oak of Moreh: Revised Standard Version makes Shechem and the oak of Moreh appear as two separate locations, which may be true, since the sacred site was in or near the town of Shechem. Others identify Shechem as the location of the sacred oak; for instance “… until he came to Shechem, where the sacred oak of Moreh is” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). Oak follows the Septuagint. The Hebrew word is often translated “terebinth” or “terebinth tree” (New English Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version footnote). The terebinth tree is similar to the oak. For details see Fauna and Flora of the Bible, pages 182-183|fig:ffb_Terebinth.htm.
Moreh, according to tradition, is a personal name and so is capitalized in English. However, the original sense is “oracle-giver.” An oracle may refer to the person or place through which the god or spirit reveals hidden knowledge. This is often done by asking the medium a question. Septuagint has “lofty oak,” and New International Version translates “great tree of Moreh.” The idea is that a large tree was known before Abram’s arrival as a place where diviners or soothsayers sat and gave prophecies or oracles. It is probably the same as in 35.4; Deut 11.30; Judges 9.37.
If the oak is unknown, a similar large tree may be substituted in translation. However, we should note that it is not the large size of the tree, but rather its association with the sacred site, that is in focus here. In some areas certain trees are known as “spirit trees” or sacred trees, and the name of such a tree may be appropriate in this context. Some translations do not use the name of any particular tree but have a general expression such as “sacred tree.”
The whole sentence, which runs in Revised Standard Version from the end of verse 5 up to this point, may be translated “When they reached Canaan, they traveled through it until they came to the oak tree of Moreh, which was dedicated to the gods. It stood near the town of Shechem.” If the name Moreh is not used, we may say “… came to the oak tree where people got advice from the gods….” Two examples of how the various elements are rendered in Pacific translations are “they traveled in this country and arrived at the place of worship of Shechem. At this town there was a sacred [taboo] tree at the place called Moreh”; and “they came to the big tree called Moreh. That tree stood there in the sacred place at the town called Shechem.”
At that time the Canaanites were in the land: this is information that was hardly necessary for people living in Abram’s time. So we may assume that these words were written long after the time of these events and are addressed to a later audience. The name Canaanites appears first in 10.18. The reference is to the people who occupied the country before it was promised to Abram in Gen 12.7. At that time may need to be reworded to say, for example, “When Abram reached Shechem”; or the full statement may be translated “When these things happened, the Canaanite people were still living there” or “… the people of Canaan were still living in this country.” Good News Translation encloses this statement between parentheses to show it is an added comment. Other translations use commas or dashes, and there are some that use no special punctuation.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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