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 show different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morphemes rare (られ) or are (され) are affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, ōse-rare-ru (仰せられる) or “say” is used.
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 show different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morphemes rare (られ) or are (され) are affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, tsuge-rare-ru (告げられる) or “tell” is used. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
This verse continues the narrative from the command given by the LORD to Abram in Gen 12.1.
So Abram went, as the LORD had told him: So, which opens a new paragraph, marks a consequence of the command in Gen 12.1. Such a marker may or may not be required in translation. Note that Good News Translation opens verse 4 with Abram’s age when he left Haran. Went must often be translated by a verb that indicates the act of departing from a fixed place or point of origin. Told him will often be translated by something equivalent to “ordered” or “commanded.”
And Lot went with him: Lot, who plays a very secondary role at this time, may have to be identified as Abram’s nephew at this point where he is first mentioned. See verse 5 for discussion.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran: translators may find it more natural to begin the verse with this information, or to say, for example, “Abram left the region called Haran when he was seventy-five years old. He left there because the LORD had commanded him to, and took his nephew Lot with him.” If it is necessary to say what Abram’s destination was, that information may be brought forward from verse 5; for example, “When Abram was seventy-five … and left Haran to go to Canaan….” One translation that does this and that focuses on Abram’s age says “… after that Abram went away from that place Haran. He was an old man of 75 years, but he set out to travel all the way to that country called Canaan.”
According to the Hebrew text Abram’s father Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born (see 11.26). So Terah must have been 145 years old at this time when Abram departed. And this means that Abram left the family group 60 years before Terah died at the age of 205 (see 11.32). Acts 7.4 “after his father died” gives a different story line to this, which apparently depends on a variant text of 11.32. We know that there was at least one variant, from the Samaritan text, which gives the age of Terah as 145 when he died.
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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